Widow's emotional visit to Caithness wreck site
A WOMAN who lost her husband and father when their fishing boat sank off Caithness has made an emotional visit to the scene of the tragedy.
Jeannie Ritchie was one of three family members taken to the spot where the Peterhead-registered trawler Trident sank almost 40 years ago. Seven men died when the vessel went down off Wick in October 1974.
The relatives were taken out to the scene on Saturday on board Wick lifeboat and returned a lamp which had been removed five years ago during an underwater survey of the boat prior to a public inquiry into the sinking.
A short memorial service was conducted by Colin Mackay, of the Fishermen’s Mission in Scrabster, and wreaths were left at the site in memory of those who lost their lives. A lament was played on the bagpipes by second coxswain Ivor Mackay.
Speaking to the Caithness Courier afterwards, Mrs Ritchie, who was making her first visit to the scene, said it was “a hugely emotional experience”.
“I laid flowers on the water for the husbands, sons and fathers who were lost that day,” she said.
“Visiting the wreck site was something I wanted to do all these years but never did. On Saturday I got the opportunity to see for myself where the men died and, when I left, I realised I will probably never be in that spot again. It was very, very difficult.”
Mrs Ritchie, who has long campaigned to find out why the vessel sank, paid tribute to the lifeboat crew who took her to the scene.
“I would like to thank them for their professionalism and thoughtfulness. They are a terrific group of men.”
A public inquiry into the tragedy found that no-one was to blame for the sinking which, it was stated, was caused by a sudden and catastrophic capsize, but relatives believe the boat sank because it was unstable.
The exact location of the wreck wasn’t discovered until a few years ago when Orkney divers, searching for a World War Two battleship, HMS Exmouth, came across the trawler on the seabed.
Mrs Ritchie said the trip to the wreck site has strengthened her resolve to continue the campaign.
“I am determined to fight on for justice for the men who lost their lives on the Trident,” she said, indicating that might mean taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights.