St Maddalena

Scallop trawler St Maddalena LFBG 297 [licenced in Geraldton] was launched in the 1980s with her sister boat St Gerard. In their day they were the biggest of their kind at 18 metres, with the latest design and technology.

In 1992 St Maddalena was owned by Don Rettay’s company Morning Star Fisheries. The boat had passed a Marine and Harbours safety check two weeks before and the crew of thirteen were ready for a profitable trip.

There were several young crew members on their first trawling trip. At that time there was no formal induction process for new crew members. The skipper Andrew Cinis (34) from South Australia was a long-term employee of Morning Star Fisheries, although he had taken command of St Maddalena the previous day from regular skipper David Robert Handerbeaux (33).

The trawler left Carnarvon on 5 June 1992 bound for the Shark Bay scallop fishing grounds. The following day the weather was poor with winds at 25 knots, gusting to 30 knots. There were waves on the port bow, and the boat was taking water over the port side bulwarks. It was midnight and the skipper and some of the crew were in their bunks or down below, while the remainder were working on deck. They had made two shots and were reeling in the nets from a third shot.

A heavy wave hit the trawler broadside as the nets were winched up and resting on top of the brine tank with 100 kgs of scallops. The trawler heeled sharply to port when the wave struck, causing the port side net to swing out over the side of the boat. The end of the port boom, the otter board and port net went under water and the vessel moved further to port and then capsized.

The eight crew on deck were thrown into the dark water. As the boat’s lights disappeared, they were able to group together in the water. They tried to find the other crew members but could see no one else in the water so they struck out to swim to another trawler that could be seen working nearby. One of the young crew in the water was 20-year-old Peter Geoffrey Black.

The exhausted crew were soon picked up, and the alarm was raised to authorities and the other trawlers in the area. The St Maddalena had rolled. The rescued crew members were taken to Carnarvon hospital where they were treated for shock and exposure.

The crew members below decks could not be seen. Skipper Andrew Cinis, Debbie Sheryl Graham [31] from New Zealand, Jason Baldock [28] from Duncraig, Charles Damien Bell [34] from Hamilton Hill, and Davin William Rumble [21] from Geraldton.

Davin’s father was a cray fisherman. He later said that Davin had not been rostered for that trip and was in Perth but had agreed to return and work for another crew member who was unavailable. Davin had worked on trawlers since leaving school.

By 1am there were 24 vessels in the area searching for survivors. They searched through the night. As daylight came police divers entered the water to search the upturned boat and surrounding water. A private plane went up to search the area. Sergeant Con Kennington and Sergeant Ian Thomas from the Carnarvon Police coordinated the search, calling in State Emergency Services to assist.

At 7am the body of Debbie Graham was recovered approximately 300 metres from the upturned boat. She had been trapped underneath the hull.

Some hours later police divers found Davin Rumble’s body inside the galley. The search continued using the plane and vessels in the area until 10 June, but the bodies of Andrew Cinis, Jason Baldock and Charles Bell were not found. As the trawler rolled the crew members down below the deck were trapped underneath the hull and could not escape.

There was an investigation by the Department of Marine and Harbours to determine the reason for St Maddalena’s capsize. An attempt was made to tow her to shore, but she sank in 20 meters of water in the attempt.

It was determined that the trawler had stability issues. She didn’t meet the latest stability criteria but at the time older vessels were exempt from stability testing. There had been some modifications to the hull but there was no evidence to suggest that had contributed to the vessel’s capsizing. The trawler rolled due to the weather and the boat facing into the wind when the third shot was being winched in.

There was a cremation ceremony for Debbie Graham at the Hamilton Park Cemetery in New Zealand on 15 June 1992. Davin Rumble was cremated at the Geraldton Cemetery on 11 June 1992. He was mourned by his parents Bill and Pam, and two sisters Karen and Donna.