Minister says no more action on Antares sinking

over the sinking of the trawler Antares by a nuclear submarine.

An MP and a lawyer acting for the family of one of the four men who

died when the fishing boat was dragged under the Firth of Clyde by the

submarine Trenchant accused the Navy of using an officer on a training

course at the time of the tragedy as a scapegoat.

They pointed out that there had been others on board more experienced

than Lieutenant Commander Peter McDonnell who last year was found guilty

of negligence and severely reprimanded by a court-martial as a result of

the incident.

Mr George Foulkes, MP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, who has

campaigned on behalf of the families of the Antares fishermen,

complained about the Navy's training methods and said: ''It is clear

that a junior officer under training, Lt Cdr Peter McDonnell, has been

made the scapegoat in this instance.

''Without any deterrent action by the commander-in-chief and with no

ban on submerged activity in fishing areas, the seas where submarines

operate remain a constant danger for fishermen.''

Mr Foulkes said that he would continue to press the Minister to try to

have the decision reconsidered and that he would intensify his campaign

for a ban on under

water submarine activity in all recognised fishing areas.

Mr Robert Hynd, the solicitor representing the family of the youngest

victim of the tragedy, 20-year-old Dugald Campbell, said: ''This

decision by the Royal Navy confirms that Lt Cdr McDonnell was a

scapegoat. At his court-martial we were told that he had made errors in

underwater navigation techniques and that these errors, for which he was

court-martialled, did not contribute to the loss of the Antares.''

He added: ''At that stage the families asked the legitimate question:

'If his errors did not contribute to the loss of the Antares, whose

did?'

''Today we are still asking the same question. Effectively no-one is

being held responsible for the loss of the Antares.