Britain's Royal Navy Rules Out Sub Link To French Fishing Boat Sinking

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Oct, 2021 ) :A British Royal Navy officer on Monday said a submarine suspected of involvement in the sinking of a French fishing trawler off the English coast nearly 18 years ago was in dock at the time of the tragedy.

The families of the five crew who died when the Bugaled Breizh sank in January 2004 maintain a sub got caught in its nets and dragged it down.

But Commander Daniel Simmonds said only three submarines were operating in the area at the time: the Dutch vessel Dolfijn, a German U-22 and HMS Torbay, of Britain.

Simmonds, a submarine operations officer, "categorically" ruled out the presence of other submarines, either from Britain or NATO.

Another Trafalgar-class nuclear sub, HMS Turbulent, which the families have implicated, was at the time at the Devonport naval base in Plymouth, southwest England, he told a coroner's inquest in London.

The vessel only left port the day after the sinking, on January 16, and suffered damage that day, he added, providing supporting documents.

The Royal Navy has previously denied any involvement, as has the US Navy. Turbulent's commander, Captain Andrew Coles, is due to give evidence this week.

NATO exercises involving several submarines were taking place in the area of the sinking at the time.

The hearing, now in its second week, is seeking to establish the circumstances of the sinking, and the cause of death of two of the crew, whose bodies were found by UK search and rescue teams.

A lengthy French investigation into the sinking proved inconclusive.

Earlier, Captain Jeroen van Zanten, of the Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service, also said the Dolfijn was not involved.

It was seen at the site of the sinking but was not operating unsafely in the run-up to the tragedy, he told the court via video link.

Van Zanten acknowledged submarines could pose a risk to fishing boats but said procedures were in place to prevent accidents and to save lives in the event of a collision.

The then-commander of the Dolfijn, Frederick van Driel, said in a written statement that the submarine remained on the surface after leaving its base at Den Helder on January 13.

It then dived on the evening of January 15, several hours after the Bugaled Breizh sank.

At the time of the sinking, at about 1225 GMT, the Dolfijn was about 12 nautical miles away and arrived on the scene at about 1400 GMT to help with search operations.

Van Zanten, who was not on board at the time, said van Driel's statement was consistent with the submarine's logbook and there was no reason to doubt them.

But under questioning from lawyers representing the victims' families, he said the Dolfijn had not communicated its position for several hours after the sinking.

It had also not kept track of its communications with other boats. Any communication is typically destroyed after a certain period, he added.