Dudley Butt MLC (copyright Phil Kneen)On the 10th January 2000, the scallop dredger Solway Harvester left her home on the Isle of Whithorn and sailed south, towards the fishing grounds that lie off the coast of the Isle of Man. Aboard the vessel were seven men, including two 17 year old friends. It was to be the last time their families would ever see them alive.
Over the next 24 hours the weather in the Irish Sea began to deteriorate, to the point that the water around the boat turned from a dark foreboding mass to a screaming cauldron that threatened to engulf them. The Skipper, Craig Mills, decided that the time had come to head for shelter, so on the afternoon of the 11th January the crew hauled in their gear and the Solway Harvester headed for a safe haven in Ramsey, on the north coast of the Isle of Man. It was their final journey. At 17.47 a satellite picked up the signal from the boat’s emergency positioning radio beacon, indicating that the vessel had finally lost its battle with the engulfing waves that were battering it.
A search and rescue mission was immediately launched, with elements of the RNLI, Royal Navy and RAF launching into the increasingly fierce storm to try to locate the boat and her crew. The ferocity of the storm forced the likes of the Workington lifeboat to turn back and even defeated the best efforts of the RAF helicopters, and at dusk the following day the search was finally called off, when the boat’s two life-rafts were found, unopened. It took three more days to locate the vessel, lying in some 35 metres of water just 11 miles off the coast of the Isle of Man. All seven crew were still on board.
From the time of the last known communique from the boat, to the time that the EPIRB was activated was just 18 minutes. The crew hadn’t even had time to get on deck.
‘Harvest’ is a joint project between myself and Trevor Gibbs to document what happened over the coming days, to tell the story from the perspective of those most deeply affected by the tragedy - rescue crews, families and friends. This will be their story, told in their own words and accompanied by portraits taken by Phil. The final exhibition is due to be unveiled sometime later this year.