Tuesday, 27 October 2015 - 10:30am

Two men recovered from the FV Jubilee

Sergeant Phil Simmonds says the Royal New Zealand Navy’s diving support vessel, the HMNZS MANAWANUI, returned to Akaroa late last night after a day spent searching part of the wreck of the FV Jubilee.

“Members of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Operational Diving Team (ODT) entered the wreck yesterday and recovered the bodies of two men. Formal identification has yet to be completed but Police believe that they are those of two of the crewmen understood to have been on board at the time the FV Jubilee sank. Police will not speculate on the specific identities of the men recovered by the ODT yesterday.”

The deaths have been referred to the Coroner.

“Police are in close contact with the families of the missing crew who are understandably very upset. Until formal identification has been completed Police ask that the media and public respect their privacy.”

Members of the diving support vessel HMNZS MANAWANUI performed a ‘Piping of the Side’ as a mark of respect when the men were recovered).

“The safety of those involved in the recovery phase is paramount. As the wreck of the FV Jubilee is located in 40m of water the ODT could only conduct a fixed number of dives yesterday. Unfortunately the weather has deteriorated overnight and no diving will take place today. However weather permitting the intention is for the HMNZS MANAWANUI to return to site tomorrow to complete the search of the wreck of the FV Jubilee” explained Sergeant Simmonds.

“Canterbury Police would like to thank the Royal New Zealand Navy for their ongoing assistance during SAR recovery phase the focus of which, if possible, is to locate and return the missing men to their families.”

The Police investigation is ongoing and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) are continuing their inquiries into the sinking of the FV Jubilee.

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