A SHIP which capsized off the coast of Newhaven got caught on fishing equipment at least seven times in the same month it sank, a report has revealed.
Joanna C moved to its fishing grounds south of Newhaven on November 1, 2020, before the tragedy less than three weeks later on November 21.
The official report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) revealed the scallop dredger, which was not up to stability requirements, got caught on a line of whelk pots in rough seas.
The crew would normally cut any ropes which got snagged but did not have time to stop the tragedy from unfolding.
Ship's mate Robert Morley and deckhand Adam Harper both drowned while captain David Bickerstaff was saved by rescuers.
The report stated: “Both potting and dredging vessels operated in the fishing grounds south of Newhaven.
"Since moving to the Newhaven fishing grounds on November 1, 2020, Joanna C’s crew had snagged whelk potting gear at least seven times.
“When the gear had snagged previously, the crew used knives to cut it away from the scallop dredges.”
The boat was carrying 200 bags of scallops prior to the accident, equating to around seven tonnes of catch in the fish hold.
The dive survey confirmed that all 12 of the boat’s dredge bags were also full and it had become tangled in a line of whelk pots.
David initially noticed a blue rope tangled to one of the dredges, a chain mesh used to collect scallops, when it was raised above water.
The blue rope was attached to a series of whelk pots which are heavy plastic drums used to catch whelks.
Before they could be lowered, the right hand dredge swung away from the side of the ship and Robert was thrown into the water as the boat capsized.
David found his way to the bunk room where Adam was. They remained there for 40 minutes before David noticed the back of the boat sinking.
He alerted Adam before swimming out of an escape hatch and surfaced. Joanna C sank with Adam still stuck inside.
From here, David found Robert in the water and the pair were able to see "the lights of other fishing vessels nearby".
But before he could be rescued, Robert "succumbed to the cold and drifted away, leaving the skipper holding on to the lifebuoy".
Robert could have been in the water anywhere up to 3 hours 45 minutes after Joanna C capsized.
"After one hour in the water, the mate was within the window for exhaustion, unconsciousness, and death from hypothermia," the report continued.
"Without the support afforded by a personal floatation device or the shelter of a life raft, his chances of survival were significantly reduced."
The life raft did not inflate and Robert’s life jacket slipped off while David was untangling him from some orange rope.
After the Joanna C got into difficulty, the boat's emergency radio activated, alerting the coastguard.
A massive search operation was launched and David was eventually pulled from the water by rescuers at around 8.50am.
The body of 26-year-old Adam was found by divers five days later.
Robert’s body was found washed up near Bexhill the following month.
The family of Robert said they will not have "peace of mind" until the inquest.
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