Kathryn Fowler and a group from Discover Diving on the Isle of Man had an opportunity to study the early colonisation of a wrecked fishing vessel
Finding a foothold
Kathryn Fowler and a group from Discover Diving on the Isle of Man had an opportunity to study the early colonisation of a wrecked fishing vessel
PHOTO : LEIGH MORRIS
Just after 18:00 on 23 November 2019 , Belfast Rescue Coordination Centre received a Mayday call from the stricken fishing boat Polaris . Search and rescue operations involving Douglas Marine Operations Centre , the RNLI and Isle of Man Coastguard were initiated .
Polaris had been dredging for scallops 3.5 miles west of the Isle of Man . The crew were recovering the dredging gear when a noise from the engine exhaust and the sounding of the bilge alarms alerted them to a problem . They found the engine room taking in water and broadcast a Mayday call . The two crew members abandoned the sinking boat , but were unable to reach their life raft . They were rescued from the water by the fishing boat Lynn Marie , who had picked up the Mayday call . The crew suffered no injuries and due to the prompt arrival of Lynn Marie were only in the water for approximately 10 minutes .
The wreck of Polaris sits 3.5nm to the West of Port Erin , off the west coast of the Isle of Man [ Coordinates 54o07 ’ 269N , 004o51 ’ 615W ] at a depth of 36m . The boat itself is a wooden construction and a compact dive site ( length 12.8m and breadth 4.75m ), easy to explore in its entirety . Polaris sits on her port side with the metal framework and fishing gear clearly visible . The wheelhouse has detached and sits next to the main boat on the seabed .
The sinking of Polaris gave us a unique opportunity to observe the colonisation of a wreck in Manx waters . After the sinking , conversations between a group of divers from Discover Diving on the Isle of Man led to a series of dives being planned to monitor changes to the wreck over time . However , opportunities to dive became limited by lockdown restrictions and weather . Three dives have been conducted to date and have allowed us to see some of the succession taking place . On each dive the team recorded the species present , took video and photographs , and noted the condition of the wreck . These observations were all recorded onto Seasearch forms and submitted to Seasearch .
An old photo of the Polaris approaching Peel Harbour
PHOTO : JON WORNHAM
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