Fisherman ‘asleep when boat struck’

Press, 9 March 1982, Page 12

Fisherman ‘asleep when boat struck’

PA .., Dunedin . A sleeping fisherman who did not know that his boat had been struck by a big container ship about three miles off Taiaroa Head early on September 6 soon found that his vessel was taking in water rapidly, the District Court, at Dunedin has been told. < The fishing boat the Caro-, line capsized Soon after 6 a.m. and the fisherman, Allan Bruce McComb, aged 23, of Dunedin, was rescued from the water soon after by... another fishing boat that had been diverted to the area when a search and rescue mission was started. As a result of the incident, McComb appeared in Court on three charges. He admit- -, ted going to sea without having the prescribed qualifications in a vessel that did not have a valid certificate of survey and he admitted that the loss of or damage to the vessel had been caused by his neglect as its master. ./' Mr W. J. Wright, who. appeared for the Marine Division, told the Court that McComb had sailed from Port Chalmers at 4 a.m. on September , 6 after having had only one hour’s sleep. After having passed through the Otago Heads McComb

had put the vessel on to automatic pilot and had started trawliiig about three milesjoff Taiaroa Head. ;At 5.20 a.m. .he had reported that the vessel was taking in water rapidly and. it had capsized soon after 6 a.m. '. McComb had been taken by .helicopter-,from the fishing boat that rescued him to Dunedin Hospital, where he bad been treated for hypothermia. ' . - ■ '••■ ■.. i; It appeared that the Caroline had been stuck a glancing blow by; the container ship New Zealand Star and this would’account for its rapid foundering. Defence Counsel, Mr J. C. D. Guest, said that McComb did not know' what had happened but had to accept that he might have gone to sleep while the boat had been on automatic pilot and that a collision had occurred. McComb had been under pressure from the owner of the Caroline to-take it out as often as possible. As a result of the incident he had nearly lost his life and had lost his job. Judge J. D. Murray said that McComb was lucky to be standing in the dock at all and that he was fortunate that nobody other than himself had been placed in peril by his foolhardy actions. On the charge of causing the loss or damage to the

vessel by his neglect McComb was convicted and fined ?750. JHe was convicted and fined ?200 on each of the other two charges. He was also ordered to pay $2O court costs and $5O solicitor’s fees on all charges.