Mick Dolman

Had he been drinking?

Was he drinking while you were at sea?

I'd never seen him drink at sea, no.

But he would go down, leave the bridge and go down to his cabin, which is only very close to the wheelhouse, obviously, the back of it, and he'd be in there having a scotch.

But again, I didn't see him.

But the Court of Inquiry concentrated on that behaviour and the judge was not convinced of his explanation that he'd gone to get a glass of water.

It was laughable, quite frankly.

It hadn't got into any really serious water because we were still sheltered by the land.

But when we got to Metziker Island, roughly around 8, 8.30, the lighthouse keeper...

seen the vessel and his commentary was that it was like a submarine in operation.

The bow and stern accommodation were covered in water.

All the hatches were covered in water.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

The bow would smash into the oncoming wave and then the water would run all the way down the ship and then hit the accommodation and the wheelhouse area and then dissipate and then that would happen again.

The ship was listing.

Yes, it should have been.

The hatch cover locking bars were not there.

They were in the warehouse in Melbourne.

These are bars that lock down to the hatch structure of the hatch covers.