Irish Ships and Shipping
M.V.KILKENNY
AN ACCOUNT OF THE
EVENTS OF THE NIGHT OF
"THE EVENTS OF THAT NIGHT
ARE STILL VERY VIVID IN MY MIND AFTER MORE THAN 20 YEARS ALTHOUGH I OFTEN FORGET
THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK. TO START MY ACCOUNT I WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE
BACKROUND ABOUT MYSELF.
I FIRST WENT TO SEA IN
SEPTEMBER 1979 WITH B+I LINE AND IRONICALLY MY FIRST SHIP WAS M.V. KILKENNY.
OTHER SHIPS I SERVED ON WITH B+I WERE M.V WICKLOW, M.V
I SERVED ON M.V. IRISH CEDAR AND M.V
IRISH MAPLE AS WELL AS I.S.L. COASTERS M.V. TUSKER ROCK AND M.V. DAUNT ROCK
BEFORE I.S.L. CEASED TRADING. I THEN JOINED THE JONES GROUP OF RUSSELL STREET
AND SERVED ON THEIR COASTERS WHICH WERE CHARTERED TO JEPSENS OF
ON 14th NOVEMBER THE B+I
LINE CONTACTED ME AND ASKED IF I WOULD JOIN M.V. KILKENNY THE FOLLOWING DAY AS
THEY WERE GOING TO BE SHORTHANDED. I AGREED AND JOINED M.V. KILKENNY FOR A TWO
WEEK TRIP. THE TRIP WAS
I WAS ON THE #45 BUS TO
I GOT THE #53 BUS TO THE
DOCKS AND REPORTED ON BOARD AT 630PM. WE WERE FULLY LOADED AND READY TO SAIL AT
My wallet which
was recovered and the scratch card which was in it. |
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AT SEA. NORMAL ACTIVITIES.
AT SEA. NORMAL ACTIVITIES
IN THE LATE EVENING WE
PICKED UP THE PILOT FOR OUR APPROACH TO
WE FINISHED LOADING AND
SAILED FOR
AT SEA. NORMAL ACTIVITIES.
WE PICKED UP THE PILOT VERY
LATE IN THE NIGHT. IT IS A SIX HOUR TRIP TO THE BERTH WHICH INCLUDES GOING
THROUGH THE BIGGEST SEA LOCKS IN THE WORLD. (THEY WERE AT THE TIME) WE
DISCHARGED AND LOADED AS NORMAL AND SAILED IN THE VERY LATE AFTERNOON OF THE 19
NOV. I CANT REMEMBER IF IT WAS LATE
IN THE NIGHT OR AFTER
AT SEA. NORMAL ACTIVITIES
WENT THE DAY WELL
(JOHN MAXWELL
I THINK NOT. I GOT UP AT
I WAS ASSINGED THE JOB OF PAINTING THE
HATCH COVINGS FOR MY WATCH. AFTER 3 HOURS OF PAINTING MY WATCH WAS FINISHED AND
I CLEANED UP AND HAD A FEW BEERS BEFORE TEA. IT WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW DAVE
HARDING. I WENT TO BED AT 630PM.
I AWOKE AT 945PM AND NOTICED
THAT MY CABIN LIGHT WAS ON. SOMEONE MUST HAVE CALLED ME AS IT WAS
I WAS GETTING OUT OF BED AND AS SOON AS
I PLACED MY FEET ON THE DECK THERE WAS A VIOLENT THUD AND I WAS THROWN AGAINST
THE BULKHEAD. I INITALLY THOUGHT WE HAD RUN AGROUND AND WENT OUT TO THE POOP
DECK TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. ON THE WAY I NOTICED THAT THE SHIP WAS LISTING ABOUT
15 DEGREES TO PORT.
AT THIS STAGE I SAW DESMOND HAYES BESIDE
THE STAIRS THAT LINKS THE PETTY OFFICERS DECK AND THE MAIN DECK. WE DID NOT
SPEAK TO EACH OTHER. ON THE POOP DECK I SAW THE M.V. HASSELWERDER WITH A CRUSHED
BOW AND KNEW THAT WE COLLIDED WITH HER. SOME OF HER CREW WERE SHINING TORCHES AT
THE DAMAGE SHE HAD SUSTAINED. DONAL CONNOLLY, KEITH MARRY, AND KEVIN LAMBE WERE
ON THE POOP DECK. THE LIST AT THIS STAGE WAS INCREASING STEADILY AND I DECIDED
IT WAS NOT SAFE TO RETURN TO MY CABIN FOR MY LIFEJACKET OR CLOTHING.
ALL I WAS WEARING WAS
UNDERWARE. KEVIN LAMBE SAID WE
SHOULD ALL GO TO THE BOAT DECK TO TRY AND LANCH THE LIFEBOAT AND LIFERAFT. ON
THE WAY TO THE BOAT DECK I SAW DESMOND HAYES AT THE DOOR THAT LEADS BETWEEN THE
ACCOMADATION AND POOP DECK. I DON’T KNOW IF HE WAS GOING IN OR COMING OUT BUT HE
WAS WEARING A LIFEJACKET. IT WAS THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM. AFTER REACHING THE
BOAT DECK I LOOKED BACK TO THE POOP DECK AND SAW THE SEA HAD ALREADY COME OVER
THE PORT SIDE BULWARKS.
THE SITUATION WAS CRITICAL.
I ALSO SAW CHRISTY DOYLE ON THE POOP
DECK. HE WAS STANDING ON THE STARBOARD SIDE OF THE CAPSTAN. AS THE LIST WAS NOW
45 DEGREES CHRISTY WAS IN A HOPELESS POSITION AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO ENTER THE
SEA AS HE COULD NOT WALK ACROSS THE DECK TO THE STAIRS. HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON
I SAW ENTER THE WATER. WE WERE JOINED ON THE BOAT DECK BY FREDDY KEARNES AND
MARY WOODWARD. I FOUND A LIFE JACKET ON THE LIFERAFT AND GAVE IT TO KIETH MARRY
AS HE COULD NOT SWIM. HE IN TURN GAVE ME HIS DUFFLE COAT AS I HAD NO CLOTHES ON.
TONY FLANAGAN HAD NOW JOINED US ON THE BOAT DECK AND INSTRUCTED US TO LAUNCH THE
LIFEBOAT.
IT WAS HOPELESS DUE TO THE SEVERE LIST
WHICH WAS NOW AT LEAST 55 DEGREES.
I COULD NOW HEAR THE NOISE OF THE
CONTAINERS BANGING OFF EACH OTHER AS THEY FELL INTO THE SEA. THE NOISE OF POTS
AND PANS AND CROCKERY FROM THE GALLEY SMASHING WAS ALSO VERY PROMINENT. AFTER
FAILING TO LAUNCH THE LIFEBOAT WE TRIED THE LIFERAFT BUT THIS PROVED IMPOSSIBLE
BECAUSE OF THE LIST. TONY FLANAGAN THEN SAID WE SHOULD ENTER THE WATER. AS WE
MADE OUR WAY AROUND THE ACCOMADATION THE SHIP TOOK A VOILENT LURCH AND EVERYONE
WENT INTO THE WATER EXCEPT MYSELF AND FREDDY KEARNES. WE BOTH HELD ONTO THE
HANDRAIL AND WERE HANGING ABOUT 25 FEET FROM THE WATER..
I SAW THAT THE SEA HAD COME OVER THE
BULWARKS OF THE PORT SIDE OF THE BOAT DECK. THE SHIP GAVE ANOTHER VIOLENT LURCH
AND I LOST MY HOLD ON THE HANDRAIL. I STARTED TO SLIDE DOWN THE DECK TOWARDS THE
SEA AND THOUGHT I MIGHT BREAK MY LEGS ON THE SUBMERGED BULWARKS BUT THIS DID NOT
HAPPEN.
WHEN I ENTERED THE WATER I SAW THAT THE SHIP WAS STILL CAPSIZING AND TOOK OFF
THE DUFFEL COAT AND STARTED TO SWIM AWAY. I SWAM TOWARDS THE M.V. HASSELWERDER
BUT AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES I STOPPED TO CONSERVE MY ENERGY AS THE WATER WAS VERY
COLD. I THREADED WATER FOR 5 MORE MINUTES AND THEN SAW A LIGHT IN THE WATER. I
SWAM TOWARDS THIS LIGHT AND IT WAS KEITH MARRY. AS I HAD NO LIFEJACKET I ASSURED
KEITH THAT HIS LIFEJACET WOULD SUPPORT BOTH OF US. WE THEN STARTED TO SWIM
TOWARDS THE M.V. HASSELWERDER BUT AGAIN STOPPED AS IT WAS TOO FAR AWAY AND THE
CURRENT WAS HARD TO FIGHT AGAINST.
WE WERE MOTIONLESS IN THE
WATER FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND THEN WE SAW ANOTHER LIGHT. IT WAS THE LIGHT OF
THE LIFEJACKET OF MARCUS CALVERT THE CHIEF ENGINEER. WE NOW HAD 2 LIFEJACKETS TO
SUPPORT THE 3 F
ANOTHER 5 MINUTES PASSED AND THE BEAM OF
A SEARCHLIGHT DANCED ACROSS THE SEA TOWARDS US. VERY QUICKLY WE WERE RESCUED BY
THE #2 LIFEBOAT FROM M.V.
DURING THE NIGHT WE KEPT ASKING ABOUT
THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS BUT THE HOSPITAL STAFF SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW MUCH EXCEPT
SOME OF THEM WERE IN THE
I SERVED WITH PAT KEOGH ON THE M.V.
IRISH MAPLE AND HAD KNOWN DAVE HARDING AND DESMOND HAYES SINCE I REJOINED THE
B+I LINE IN 1989. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT AT
I WISH TO EXPRESS MY EXTREME
GRATITUDE TO THE FOLLOWING:
CAPT FRANK FORD, CHIEF
OFFICER CLIVE CASTLE AND ALL THE CREW OF M.V.
THE CREWS OF THE DUN
LAOGHAIRE AND HOWTH LIFIBOATS
THE CREW OF
THE CREWS OF IRISH AND
THE CREWS OF ALL THE BOATS
THAT HELPED IN THE SEARCH AND RESCUE
DOCTOR WEBB FROM GLASTHULE
IN DUN LAOGHAIRE
ALL THE SHORE STAFF FROM THE
B+I LINE
ALL THE STAFF FROM THE
ALL THE STAFF FROM THE
ALL THE AMBULANCE CREWS WHO
WORKED TIRELESSLY THAN NIGHT
AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED I
DID NOT MENTION
LET US ALSO REMEMBER
PAT KEOGH, DAVE HARDING AND DESMOND HAYES.
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE.
My discharge book, identity book and pay slip from that week. |
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