Skipper's agony as two divers die on HMS Scylla

Ally · 01-08-2008, 08:31 PM

Quote:

A Plymouth dive boat skipper has spoken of his devastation after the deaths of two people while on a recreational dive on the wreck of HMS Scylla.

Glenn Lindsay was speaking to the Herald following the deaths of a man and woman, both thought to be in their 40s and from the Gloucestershire area, yesterday.

He said it was an 'absolute tragedy'.

The two divers were diving from Mr Lindsay's charter boat the 'Maid Maggie 2' just off Whitsand Bay when they failed to resurface at their arranged time of 11.30am yesterday.

A massive search party was launched, involving the Brixham Coastguard, Plymouth Lifeboat, the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence Police.

The man's body was recovered from within the sunken frigate at about 3pm.

The woman's body was located, also inside the wreck, just over an hour later.

Speaking after the grim discovery, skipper Mr Lindsay said he had been left 'gutted'.

"I've been running chartered diving trips for over 15 years and nothing like this has ever happened before," said Mr Lindsay, who is 53, and from Pomphlett.

He added: "It was a beautiful day with good visibility and no tide - there was no reason for it to happen. It will take me a long time to get over this. Everyone on the boat is very upset."

Brixham Coastguard was alerted to the two missing divers just before 1pm yesterday afternoon.

Plymouth lifeboats were immediately launched in addition to the Looe Atlantic lifeboat and a rescue helicopter from Culdrose Royal Naval air base was also scrambled.

The Coastguard then began broadcasting a mayday signal into the area.

Various vessels including yachts and fishing vessels responded and were co-ordinated into a search pattern around the wreck.

Three Coastguard Rescue Teams, including those from Plymouth, Tamar and Looe, were also deployed along the shoreline to keep watch

A further military helicopter from the warship 'Nottingham' later joined the search, and rigid inflatable boats from the warship 'Campbeltown' were also involved.

Speaking mid-way through the search for the missing divers, Brixham Coastguard Rescue Co-ordination Manager Peter Davies said that weather conditions were 'relatively benign' but that the two divers had a limited supply of air.

Both divers were believed to have had enough air to last them until 12.30pm.

"We have been receiving advice from local dive experts and of course our experience in dealing with other dive incidents in the locality is guiding our actions," said Mr Davies.

The chartered dive boat Maid Maggie 2 returned to Mount Batten marina at 5pm yesterday evening.

Skipper Glenn Lindsay remained on board, where he spoke to police officers.

A friend of the skipper who did not wish to be named said: "I've never seen him so sad. He's never lost anybody before. He's a sweetheart."

Officers from Devon and Cornwall police are investigating the incident. A spokesman said that there was no 'current indication of any suspicious circumstances'.

The bodies of the two divers were recovered from the wreck and taken to Derriford Hospital and placed under the jurisdiction of the coroner. Yesterday afternoon's desperate rescue bid was watched from the shore by holidaymakers at Whitsand Bay.

Peter Garnett and Alison Penticost, from Folkestone, were first alerted to the tragedy when they heard coastguard sirens on the cliffs above Tregonhawke Beach.

Mr Garnett said: "We saw lots of little boats come out and several helicopters.

"We thought it was a naval exercise until people in the Clifftop Cafe told us two divers were missing.

Ms Penticost added: "It is tragic for the families."

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