Divers find shipwrecked vessel

Naval service divers discovered the wreck of the Maggie B on Tuesday, May 23rd, and began surveying the vessel which sank off the Wexford coast in March.

The bodies of skipper Glynn Cott, Ballycotton, Co. Cork and Polish crewman Jan Sankowski were never located. The Maggie B sank around five miles south of the Saltee Islands.
Naval divers sent a robotic underwater unit down to survey the wreck lying on her starboard side in 45 metres of water.

A navy spokesman said that the operation proved quite dangerous.
“The visibility on the seabed is at a maximum of two feet and this is a very delicate and hazardous operation. There were a lot of wires and ropes hanging from the stern and port side of the vessel. Given the amount of debris in the vicinity, manoeuvring the underwater unit is very difficult,” he said.

The cause of the sinking has not yet been found. Divers are to study footage of the wreck recorded by cameras on board the unit. The Marine Casualty Board will also decide whether or not it wants to raise the vessel. It is hoped that a dive will take place on Wednesday, May 24th.