Nwicker60
11-Jan-12, 13:27
Trident widow taking judicial review bid to Europe
A woman widowed when a trawler sank in 1974 is to take her fight for a judicial review into the tragedy to Europe.
The Peterhead boat Trident was lost off Caithness with the loss of seven lives, according to the BBC.
An inquiry found no one person could be blamed, but relatives believe stability issues caused the vessel to sink.
Jeannie Ritchie lost her husband and father. She had a bid for legal aid for the review turned down, then an appeal against that was also refused.
A reopened inquiry into the loss of the trawler got under way in Aberdeen in 2009.
Sir Stephen Young said in his findings last year that the loss of the Trident was not caused or contributed to by any wrongful act.
Sir Stephen, sheriff principal of Grampian, Highlands and Islands, agreed in his report into the sinking (http://www.fv-trident.org.uk/trident_pdf/110221%20-%20Main%20Report.pdf), with the findings of an expert panel, that the Trident had specific sea-keeping characteristics that resulted in a measurable and significant probability of capsize in the prevailing weather conditions at the time.
Found by divers
He said a loose trawl net may have contributed to the vessel's instability, but that no-one was to blame for the loss of the Trident.
Radio contact was lost in the afternoon of 3 October, 1974.
An oil film was reported on 6 October, in the area of the last known position of the Trident.
Robert Cordiner, Alexander Ritchie, George Nicol, James Tait, Thomas Thain, Alexander Mair and Alexander Summers were lost.
Six of the crew were in their 30s, and Mr Nicol was in his 50s.
The wreck was discovered by amateur divers several years ago.
A woman widowed when a trawler sank in 1974 is to take her fight for a judicial review into the tragedy to Europe.
The Peterhead boat Trident was lost off Caithness with the loss of seven lives, according to the BBC.
An inquiry found no one person could be blamed, but relatives believe stability issues caused the vessel to sink.
Jeannie Ritchie lost her husband and father. She had a bid for legal aid for the review turned down, then an appeal against that was also refused.
A reopened inquiry into the loss of the trawler got under way in Aberdeen in 2009.
Sir Stephen Young said in his findings last year that the loss of the Trident was not caused or contributed to by any wrongful act.
Sir Stephen, sheriff principal of Grampian, Highlands and Islands, agreed in his report into the sinking (http://www.fv-trident.org.uk/trident_pdf/110221%20-%20Main%20Report.pdf), with the findings of an expert panel, that the Trident had specific sea-keeping characteristics that resulted in a measurable and significant probability of capsize in the prevailing weather conditions at the time.
Found by divers
He said a loose trawl net may have contributed to the vessel's instability, but that no-one was to blame for the loss of the Trident.
Radio contact was lost in the afternoon of 3 October, 1974.
An oil film was reported on 6 October, in the area of the last known position of the Trident.
Robert Cordiner, Alexander Ritchie, George Nicol, James Tait, Thomas Thain, Alexander Mair and Alexander Summers were lost.
Six of the crew were in their 30s, and Mr Nicol was in his 50s.
The wreck was discovered by amateur divers several years ago.