The captain of the Naval Service flagship L.E. Eithne insisted at a murder trial yesterday that the rescue procedures in place when a young sailor went overboard were carried out with speed and efficiency.
At the Central Criminal Court, Commander Eugene Ryan said that "man overboard" drills were regularly carried out on the ship and he disputed defence counsel suggestions that it should have been possible to rescue Mr Brian Gorey from the Liffey after he was seen calling for help.
"Every situation is different, we would certainly have the boat to a person in minutes," he said.
Commander Ryan was giving evidence on the second day of the trial of Mr Sean Lundon (21) of James Connolly Park, Tipperary town. Mr Lundon, the ship's apprentice mechanic, has denied the murder of fellow crewman Mr Gorey (21), of Devon Close, Castletroy View, Limerick, at Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin, on April 22nd, 2001.
The prosecution alleges that Mr Gorey was assaulted following an early morning party on board and then dropped from the side of the ship by the accused into the Liffey where he drowned. Mr Tom O'Connell SC, for the prosecution, has told the jury that evidence will show he was seen struggling in the water, and although a buoy was thrown to him, he was carried out to sea.
Under cross-examination, Commander Ryan told Mr Brendan Grehan SC, for the defence, that he was confident the crew's training would make them "as proficient as possible" to carry out a speedy rescue.
Commander Ryan told the court that he was not aware whether Mr Gorey could swim and added that on reflection he would be happier if he knew the swimming capabilities of his crew members, which were never tested at sea.
"I'm not aware of the extent to which he could swim, but I am aware he passed his basic water confidence training," he said. This would ensure that a crew member was able to swim at least a short distance to a safety raft if necessary.
The trial has heard that the deceased and the accused had both left the ship on the night in question, returning from pubs in the city centre at 12 a.m. and 3.30 a.m. respectively.
When counsel suggested to the captain that crew members were drinking in the recreation room on board the ship until close to 5 a.m., he said this was not the case. "The bar closes at midnight, my understanding is that it did," he said. Evidence will show that the accused and deceased were both seen in the recreation room at around 5 a.m.
The ship's coxswain, Senior Chief Petty Officer John Walsh, told the court that he and two others responded to the "man overboard" calls and launched the sea-rider boat which recovered Mr Gorey's body from the water about 50 feet from the ship.
He said the rescue took "five or six minutes" from the time the call went out.
He gave evidence of seeing a "trail of blood" in the ship's recreational room and on the upper deck.
He also told Mr Grehan that he was not aware of the deceased man's swimming ability.
The trial continues today