Accidents Involving Submarines and Fishing Vessels

During my conversations with visitors to my web site, the topic of accidents between submarines and civilian fishing vessels sometime arises.

There have been several accidents involving submarines and fishing vessels, most often involving submarines snagging nets or trawls.  Fortunately, most of the accidents have been relatively minor.  Tragically, a few of these accidents (including some involving U.S. submarines) have caused loss of life on the fishing vessels involved.

However, the research that I have conducted has revealed the following about fishing vessels in general:

• Many (not all) fishing vessels show a very casual attitude toward basic regulations of vessel operations.  Specifically some fishing vessels crews regularly:

• Fail to maintain a proper lookout as required by maritime law (and plain common sense!)
• Fail to properly monitor their VHF radio (as required by law).
• Fail to respond to VHF radio calls.
• Fail to respond to visual signals, both flashing light and signal flag.
• Often operate with improper lights.

• Fishing vessels regularly fail to have proper safety gear aboard, including such basic items as life preservers.  Even when such gear is aboard, it is often allowed to deteriorate into unusable condition, or it is improperly stowed (21 improperly secured inflatable life rafts out of 23 life rafts inspected, in one report.)  In one case, the life raft was attached to the railing!

• Fishing vessels regularly fail to consult available references (U.S. and Canadian Notice to Mariners, UK Merchant Shipping Notices, etc.) and blunder into naval exercise areas.  Fishing vessels even regularly fail to listen to special radio broadcast notices designed specifically to inform them of submarine operations (even after demanding such broadcasts be made).

• Fishing vessels are often operated "at the edge of the envelope" of safety, as regards to stability and general condition.  For example, there have been instances of fishing vessels capsizing while tied up to the dock!  In another case, the sunken vessel was found to have hatches and doors open while operating in heavy weather.

Submarines have regularly been blamed for causing the loss of fishing vessels, even when no evidence exists.  In at least one high profile case in the UK (the loss of the 70-ton, steel-hulled scalloper Pescado, which sank in 1991 with the loss of all 6 crewmen aboard) the investigation has laid the blame for the loss on the owners and operators, finding no evidence that a submarine was involved at all.  In fact, all evidence points to a poorly maintained vessel with an inexperienced crew that was unable to cope with the problems encountered after her nets snagged the bottom.  The damage to the vessel was found to be consistent with her striking the sea floor after sinking, not being struck by a submarine.  (Both the owners and the operators of the Pescado, of course, refuse to accept any blame and accuse the Navy of a "cover up".)

In my own professional maritime experience, fishing vessels have been regularly seen to operate in an caviler and unsafe manner, turning into the path of oncoming surface vessels (including VERY large merchant ships) and creating the risk of collision.  While I respect their right to earn a living, some fishing vessels are regularly operated unsafely and unprofessionally.  This unnecessarily increases the chance that they will be involved in an accident.  It also needlessly increases the chance of tragedy when an accident (of any kind) occurs.

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