Name “Silver King I” Status Wreck Length 17 m | Port of registry Wedgeport, Nova Scotia Sail plan Seiner | |
Fate Collision with Ocean Rockswift on August 22, 1967 | ||
The FV Silver King was a Canadian herring seiner based out of Wedgeport, Nova Scotia.
Contents
Collision and sinking
On August 22, 1967, the 233-ton tugboat Ocean Rockswift was heading back to its home port of Saint John, New Brunswick. Silver King was out at sea on a herring fishing trip. Around midnight, the tugboat struck Silver King about nine miles off the coast of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Silver King immediately flipped on its side and took on water. Crew members from the seiner Dunville boarded the submerged vessel and cut a hole in the bow to rescue the lone survivor. Less than 24 hours later, two scuba divers, Andy Wallace and Jack Hatfield, entered the submerged vessel through the hole and recovered six bodies.
Casualties
Six crew members died in the incident, all were from Wedgeport. The lone survivor was 17 year-old Robert Bruce "Bobby" McDowell of Hackensack, New Jersey who was vacationing in Wedgeport with his family. His uncle, Captain Roderick Boudreau died in the accident.
Inquiry
An inquiry was held before Justice L. Ritchie of the New Brunswick Supreme Court.