Hull Triple Trawler Tragedy (1968) - Inquiries

Inquiries

There were official inquiries into the sinking of each ship. These concluded that St. Romanus had probably been lost on 11 January for reasons unknown; that Kingston Peridot had probably capsized on either 26 or 27 January due to instability in the extreme weather conditions; and that Ross Cleveland had been insufficiently stable to cope with the weather and the build-up of ice at the time. Various recommendations were made, and these were considered in greater detail by a government Committee of Inquiry, led by Admiral Sir Deric Holland-Martin, into safety in the British fishing industry. Its report, published in May 1969, brought about wide-reaching changes. These included tighter regulation of trawler design and construction; more and better safety equipment; legal standards for radio equipment, operators and reporting procedures; and a mass of improvements to employment, training and working practices and industrial relations. The tragedy continued to influence subsequent UK legislation on maritime safety: Harry Eddom's survival was cited in Parliamentary debates in 1986 over improvements in the provision of lifejackets and of emergency clothing in liferafts (Safety at Sea Bill 1986).