Described as one of the worst maritime accidents in recent Queensland history, an inquest into the deaths of six men who died in a fishing trawler accident off the coast will examine how the tragedy unfolded and whether search and rescuers could have done better.
The trawler Dianne sank in rough seas off the coast of the Town of 1770 in October 2017 and only one of the seven men on board survived.
Beginning tomorrow, coroner David O'Connell will examine how they died, what caused the trawler to sink, the safety measures on board the vessel, and if the search and rescue operation was carried out appropriately.
Four bodies have never been found
The bodies of four of the men who died have never been found.
Skipper Ben Leahy and Adam Hoffman were recovered from the sunken vessel almost a week after the recovery mission begun, while crewmen Adam Bidner, Zachary Feeney, Chris Sammut and Eli Tonks remain missing.
Ruben McDornan was the only person rescued after he clung to the overturned hull for several hours.
A sailor found him wearing only a pair of a shorts, about 20 nautical miles from where the boat was thought to have gone down.
Mr McDornan has spoken of the night the Dianne sank and the moment he realised his six "brothers" were going to die.
"I thought I was going to die. I was like, this is it, we're not getting out," Mr McDornan told Nine's 60 Minutes last year.
Mr McDornan fought back tears as he recalled his night at sea and reflected on the efforts of his fellow crewmen to make it out alive.
"I could hear some banging, and I just banged, and then instantly I heard banging back," he said.
"I wanted to go back under, but the boat was completely submerged.
"I just broke down, the whole thing of … I've lost my mates, my brothers."
Safety reforms needed
The family of the men who did not survive have called for safety reforms in the industry and signalling technology to be mandated.
Coroner O'Connell will look into adjusting vessel safety requirements as part of the inquest, including:
- adding emergency exit LED strip lighting to vessels
- installing emergency grab bags containing diving equipment
- requiring a waterproof torch and a Personal Location Beacon (PLB) to be located in sleeping quarters
- modifying external doors to allow them to open against outside water pressure, e.g. sliding doors.
The trawler was recovered and taken to the Port of Bundaberg in February 2018.
The inquest is expected to finish on Friday.
