Father joins search for trawlermen off West Cork coast

The search has been called off for the night.

“I’d rather be out on the water and be out there on the site where it took place,” he said.

The last time he heard from Kevin was when he was putting out to sea for his first trip on a trawler.

“The last text message I got was Friday at 3.30pm. I still have it in my phone. He was excited about going on the ship,” he said.

“I think the bodies are in the hull of the boat, and I think myself they were asleep when they hit the rocks.”

The boat is visible at low tide but Navy co-ordinators refused to allow teams into the water due to persistent two metre swells sweeping in from the south.

Lieutenant Commander Paddy Harkin, Commander of the LE Niamh, said the swells from the south were hampering efforts to get dive teams on to the wreck.

“The decision to commence an underwater search of the Tit Bonhomme and the immediate vicinity remains under constant review between myself, the Naval Dive Team Leader and the Coastguard,” he said.

Kevin Kershaw, originally from Dublin but living with an aunt in Clonakilty for the last few years, had been considering a career on fishing boats.

He was on board the Tit Bonhomme with skipper Michael Hayes, the founder of the Helvic lifeboat station, when it went down about 6am on Sunday. Mr Hayes is the husband of Caitlin Ni Aodha, spokeswoman for the Irish Fishermen’s Organisation and brother of Chief Superintendent Tom Hayes.

Four Egyptians were also crew on the trawler – the only survivor Mohammed Abd Elgwad was rescued yesterday by a Coast Guard helicopter crew after spending hours in the water before managing to scramble on to rocks.

The others were Weal Abd Elgwad, Mohammed’s brother, and Said Ali Eldien and Shaban Farrg – all from the same fishing region near Alexandria.

The search was stood down for a second night as dive teams failed to get on to the wreck because of heavy swells even though the wreck is visible at low tide. Wreckage from the boat was strewn over a wide area.

About 18 boats were on the water from first light today, including Union Hall fishing boats trawling across the entrance to the harbour in pairs with nets tied between them.

A Garda dive team managed to get in the water near to the harbour where the sea was calmer.

According to the RNLI, conditions at sea improved this morning and visibility was good but persistent swells hampered searches.

The surviving fisherman, Mohammed Add Elgwad, returned to the pier in Union Hall this afternoon where he met relatives of the missing men.

He spent time with them in a quayside office and it is understood he recounted what he knew about the tragedy. He has also been interviewed by gardai. Prayers were offered for the men on the pier as searches took place.

The Tit Bonhomme was formerly a French-registered trawler, which was co-owned by Mr Hayes until recently, when he took sole control about six months ago.

Simon Coveney, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Marine, said: “It’s a tragedy. There’s no other way to describe it.

“There’s a huge community effort going on and everything that can be done is being done but there is no getting away from the tragedy.”

Mr Kershaw added his family will have to take things day by day.

Fellow Egyptian Izar Arafa visited Union Hall pier and spoke to survivor Mohammed Add Elgwad.

He revealed the windows of the wheelhouse were smashed in when the trawler crashed and he escaped with a life jacket.

Mr Arafa also said his friend lost the life jacket and then found it again as he spent up to three hours trying to make it to safety.

The Adam and Eve rocks are notorious in the area. Just last month, three fishermen were rescued from a life raft after their trawler sank at the same spot.

The Jeanette Roberta was sailing out from Union Hall pier when it went down close to Adam, the larger of the two rocks at the narrow entrance to the harbour.