ACTS of remembrance took place in Wigtownshire and on the Isle of Man at the weekend for the 25th anniversary of the Solway Harvester tragedy.
The seven crew – skipper Andrew Mills, 29; his brother Robin, 33; their cousin David Mills, 17; Martin Milligan, 26; John Murphy, 22; David Lyons, 18; and Wesley Jolly, 17 – all lost their lives when the scallop dredger sank off the Isle of Man coast on January 11 2000.
They were from Whithorn, the Isle of Whithorn and Garlieston and had set sail from Kirkcudbright the day before on a voyage to fishing grounds in the Irish Sea.
On Sunday members of rescue service and the Isle of Man Government, including Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK, laid a floral tribute at the Solway Harvester Memorial on Douglas Head to mark the 25th anniversary.
The Chief Minister said: “On this poignant anniversary, we remember and pay tribute to the men who lost their lives. Our thoughts are with their families and friends and with the close-knit fishing communities of Galloway – particularly Whithorn, Garlieston, and the Isle of Whithorn – where the crew were from.
“As a seafaring community with a proud fishing heritage, the tragedy and loss are still keenly felt in the Isle of Man. We have close links with the people of Scotland and there is an enduring bond between the Island and the crew’s home towns.”
Meanwhile in Wigtownshire, members of the Wigtown Bay Coastal Rowing Club took to the water at high tide to pay their respects, and HM Coastguard Portpatrick commemorated the anniversary on social media stating: “Today we remember the seven crew members of the Solway Harvester who tragically lost their lives 25 years ago when the scallop dredger sank off the coast of the Isle Of Man.
“Our thoughts are also with their families and friends and also the rescue teams who went to assist the stricken vessel and her crew.”
