Tragic Sinking of Joanna C: One Dead, Two Lost at Sea
The scallop dredger Joanna C capsized and sank off the coast of Newhaven early on November 21, 2020. Only one of the three crewmen survived the horror.
Disaster Strikes at Dawn
Around 5:15am, as the crew hauled in fishing gear, disaster struck. The starboard dredge snagged on a line of whelk pots, causing the vessel to heel sharply and capsize in seconds. The mate was thrown overboard, but the skipper and deckhand were trapped inside the rapidly inverted hull.
The skipper managed to free himself and join the mate in the sea, while the deckhand remained trapped. The skipper was rescued after spending about three hours in the freezing water. Sadly, divers recovered the deckhand’s body from the wreck the next day, while the mate’s body washed up on Bexhill beach nearly three weeks later.
Fatal Flaws: Stability Failures and Safety Gaps
The investigation revealed Joanna C had dangerously low stability reserves. Changes made to the vessel severely eroded its ability to right itself after tipping, leaving the crew no chance to react once the dredge snagged.
A 2019 stability test was ignored, meaning the looming risk went undetected. This costly oversight allowed the vessel to sail with insufficient stability.
Liferaft Failings Cost Precious Time
The vessel’s float-free liferaft deployed but failed to inflate. Why? It lacked the necessary buoyancy to trigger inflation, leaving the crew stranded in the cold sea longer than they should have been.
The liferaft wasn’t built to meet minimum buoyancy standards for automatic inflation. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) urged the British Standards Institution to demand stricter liferaft buoyancy rules. This has now been acted upon by the International Organization for Standardization, improving future safety.
Calls for Tougher Fishing Safety Laws
The MAIB recommended that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency enforce stricter stability checks on small fishing vessels. Crucially, fishing operations must halt until vessels are confirmed safe to sail.
Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the lost crew. This tragedy highlights urgent safety gaps the industry must fix – before more lives are lost at sea.
