Navy diving team joins search for missing fisherman

The wreck of the Saint Oliver, an 85ft timber framed fishing boat, which split in two on a dangerous reef off Duck Island, a…

The wreck of the Saint Oliver, an 85ft timber framed fishing boat, which split in two on a dangerous reef off Duck Island, a mile from Carna in Connemara, Co Galway.

A Naval Service diving team has joined the search for the body of the fourth fisherman who was on a trawler which ran around off the coast of Galway.

John Dirrane from Inishmore was on the 85ft fishing boat, Saint Oliver. The search has been extended this morning to cover the 40 miles of coastline from Rossaveal to Roundstone.

The bodies of the three other crew men were recovered yesterday. They have been named as Joe Connolly, who was in his sixties from Carna, Michael Faherty  from the Aran islands and Michael Mullin (18) from Cleggan.

Lifeboat crews, coastguard helicopters, Gardai and hundreds of local people are continuing the search.

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The timber framed vessel ran aground on a dangerous reef near Mweenish Island off the Connemara coast at around 11 p.m. on Friday night.

A coastguard spokesman said the boat was split in two after being battered by heavy seas and gale force winds.

The crew had been making the short trip from Carna to Rossaveal, Co Galway, when a storm forced the vessel on to the rocks.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board is expected to investigate the trawler's sinking.