Posted on 04/14/2008 7:34:54 PM PDT by blam
Submarine 'caused' sinking of French trawler
By Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 2:55am BST 15/04/2008
French judges investigating the sinking of a French trawler off the English coast have officially declared it was most likely caused by a submarine - perhaps a British one.
Five French trawler men drowned when the Bugaled Breizh from Brittany went down off Cornwall in January 2004.
After four years of investigations, the theory that the boat was dragged down by a submarine was "the most serious", the two judges found, after ruling out the results of an earlier probe by France's Sea Accident Investigation Office which suggested that the trawler had hit a sandbank.
They also crossed off claims it had hit another trawler or was unstable.
The judges informed their British counterparts of their findings in a report handed out in February at a meeting of Eurojust, the European Union's judicial cooperation unit, in the Hague.
Last year, one of the judges, Richard Foltzer, appeared to dismiss the idea that the boat was sunk by one of three British submarines or a Dutch vessel during a joint Nato and British Navy exercise, but suggested an unknown spy submarine could have been involved.
Documents submitted by the British authorities say that HMS Turbulent was tied up in Devonport while HMS Torbay was 100 miles away. The Dutch authorities said their vessel, Dolfinj, was nine miles away.
However, the judges now believe the trawler could have been hit by any of the British submarines, and that the third, HMS Triumph, was definitely in the vicinity at the time - although its precise location is unknown.
Doubts also remain over the position of the Dolfijn and of a German vessel, the U22.
The judges' suspicions tally with the eyewitness account of two British servicemen quoted by local paper le Telegramme last week as having spotted a submarine in the vicinity of the accident from their rescue helicopter.
"We've been fighting for four years to hear the word 'submarine' to explain this inexplicable shipwreck", said Rémy Gloaguen, 41, brother of one of the drowned fishermen.
"The next step will be to find out which submarine is involved. We are approaching our goal", he told Le Parisien.
However, the local prosecutor in Quimper said that there was "also very solid material" suggesting it could have been a simple fishing accident.
Good luck. When you do... please let us all know.
Perhaps the trawler was having a Toulon moment and scuttled itself.
Sad for the fishermen, but I have little sympathy. Trawling is one of the most destructive of all industries, destroying the bottom and killing a dozen animals for every one harvested. I would like to see it outlawed.
Sonar was asleep when they were clearing baffles.
Huv courze hit vas ze Rhost Biffs!
they might know in 25 to 50 years...IF the position records become declassified! *L*
I hate when that happens, damn sonar girls....
Blame the 9th Circus for outlawing passive pings.
Con, SONAR mark CPA
Hookay...and this water was HOW deep?
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