AN INQUEST jury told the Dublin City Coroner yesterday it wished to impress on the relevant government minister the public need for all weather night flying helicopters to be available at all times at Baldonnel Aerodrome in Co Dublin.
The jury members were recording a verdict of accidental drowning on a father of four, Mr Timmy Currid (43), of Ballingly, Wellington Bridge, Co Wexford, who died when a trawler was driven on to rocks at Howth Harbour during a gale last November 16th.
At yesterday's inquest in the City Coroner's Court, Mr Robert Duffy, coxswain of Howth lifeboat, said that if a helicopter had been available early it would have made a difference to rescue attempts. He said all the nighttime helicopters on the east coast had been moved to Donegal.
The coxswain said the Howth lifeboat was called out at 3.24 a.m. after a call to the Marine Rescue Services. It was impossible to get alongside the stricken trawler to bring help from the sea. They brought the lifeboat into Howth Harbour and then tried to reach the trawler from the shore but were unable to get a help line across.
At times his crewmen were up to their necks in water and were tied to a lifeboat lamp post on the pier. He said that around 3.30 a.m., as soon as they saw they could not help the trawler, they radioed for a helicopter, which arrived at 4.46 a.m. from Wales.
Mr David Kruse of St James Villas, Campile, Co Wexford, told the inquest that he was a deckhand on November 13th, along with Kevin Downes, John White, Martin Murphy and the deceased. They were fishing 12 miles off Howth. They came back to the port to allow the owner and skipper of the trawler, the Scarlet Buccaneer, to get off.
They returned to fish and the boat was skippered by Mr Currid. On November 15th-16th, when the deceased decided to return to harbour, the weather was getting worse and Mr Kruse recalled Mr Currid saying something to the effect that they would not be able to get into Howth.
"We were then taken along by a wave. It seemed a long distance. Next there was a thud. We had hit ground. The engine was still going when another wave hit and we were washed against the east pier. The whole boat was thrashed against rocks as we attempted to raise help. When the lifeboat came along it could do nothing because the sea was so wild.
"We heard conversations on the VHF saying that the helicopter from Shannon was up in Donegal and it would take 1 1/2 hours to come down. Next I remember being washed towards the shore and grabbing for something, but I could not catch anything," added Mr Kruse.