22/03/2002

Search for missing fishermen resumes

The underwater search for the bodies of the three missing members of the Greene family is underway.

Wreckage from the sea vessel, the Tullaghmurray Lass, which disappeared with three generations of the Greene family on board, was discovered off the coast of Kilkeel on Friday.

Police divers resumed the search on Monday March 25 after a weekend of bad weather which hampered their efforts to locate Michael Greene, his son Michael and eight-year-old grandson who went missing about six weeks ago.

Parts from the Tullaghmurray Lass were found on Friday by a search ship, the Ken Vickers, using sonar equipment. The boat was identified as lying on the sea bed seven miles off Kilkeel.

A part of the boat's wheelhouse was recovered earlier this month when a chunk of wood was caught in the net of a boat fishing for prawns just south of the area where the search had been concentrated.

Members of the Greene family positively identified it as part of the wheelhouse of the Tullaghmurray Lass.

The official search operation for the missing vessel earlier this month had involved the efforts of the Royal and Irish navies - the Bangor, the Bridport and the Eithne, which had searched a 70 square mile area off the coast at Kilkeel but withdrew after a futile search along the coast. (AMcE)

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15 April 2002
Victims of Tullaghmurray Lass to be buried
Three generations of a County Down family killed at sea will be buried on Wednesday April 17. Fifty-four-year old Michael Greene, his 33-year-old son and eight-year-old grandson, also called Michael Greene, will be buried following Requiem Mass in St Colman’s Church in Kilkeel on Wednesday.
03 April 2002
Weather again hampers search for Greene family
The search for three generations of a County Down family missing at sea has been hampered again by the weather. Despite valiant efforts to locate them, police divers have found no trace of Michael Greene, his son and eight-year-old grandson, also called Michael since they left Kilkeel fishing harbour on February 14.
06 March 2002
Trawler recovers section of missing Kilkeel boat
A section of the wheelhouse of the missing Tullaghmurray Lass has been found in the nets of a fishing trawler. During a prawn fishing expedition on Tuesday March 5, the trawler found a large section of wood in its nets just south of the official 70 square mile search area.
10 April 2002
Divers certain bodies on board sunken boat
Divers searching the wreckage of fishing boat the Tullaghmurray Lass have said that they are now certain that the bodies of the three members of the Greene family are on board. On Wednesday afternoon, police took another part of the sunken Tullaghmurray Lass ashore for examination.
28 February 2002
Royal Navy deploy minesweeper to search off Kilkeel
Following appeals for help, the Royal Navy have assigned a second ship, HMS Bangor, to the search for missing Kilkeel fishing vessel the Tullaghmurray Lass.