Chief William Saulis report being released

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) was releasing its report Wednesday morning, March 22, on the December 2020 fatal sinking of the Chief William Saulis.

The report's release was taking place at a news conference in Halifax at 10 a.m.

The scallop dragger sank on Dec. 15, 2020, on its way home to port in Digby, following a fishing trip.The sixmember crew all died.

Those aboard were Capt. Charles Roberts, Aaron Cogswell, Daniel Forbes, Michael Drake, Geno Francis and Leonard Gabriel.

Only the body of Michael Drake was ever recovered.

A month after the vessel sank it was located sitting upright underwater about two kilometres off Delaps Cove,

Annapolis County.

The vessel was located in a depth of water deeper than 60 metres, which exceeded the maximum safety depth for the RCMP's underwater teams to send divers down so the vessel was not searched.

The TSB said it had successfully collected the information it required for its investigation without access to the vessel itself.

According to the Transportation Safety Board, on its way home to port the vessel's emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) had activated 12 nautical miles north-northeast of Digby.

Search and rescue efforts were initiated after the vessel could not be reached via very high frequency (VHF) radiotelephone or by phone. The search went on for days before it was called off and the matter was turned over to the RCMP as a missing persons case.

The investigation into the sinking of the Chief William Saulis has been a Class 3 investigation. The TSB's website says these investigations are generally completed within 450 days.

The release of the report, however, is coming more than two years and three months after the tragedy.

Visit our website Saltwire. com for coverage from the report's release and the recommendation(s) to come out of it.