On a grey October stretch of sea off the north coast of Lewis, the fishing boat Kilda vanished nine days ago, and now fragments of her have surfaced in waters near Port of Ness, carrying with them a question no one on the island wants to ask aloud. One crewman has been brought home from the water, but two men, Tam Murray and Murdo Morrison, are still beyond reach, and their families wait in the strange suspension that falls over a community when the sea keeps its own counsel. Police describe the work as complex and ask for time, while the people of the island answer the loss in the way small p
Items from missing Lewis fishing boat Kilda recovered as search for two crew continues
Douglas Craigie, 49, was found dead at sea and two crew members, Norman 'Tam' Murray and Murdo Morrison, remain missing with their families awaiting answers.
Two men are still missing, and their families are waiting for answers.
Mark
Why does the recovery of these items matter, nine days on?
Mimi
It's the first physical confirmation from the area police are focused on. They've named an area of interest off Port of Ness, and items belonging to the Kilda came from there.
Luke
But we should be careful. The report doesn't say what the items are, and it doesn't say the boat itself has been found.
Mark
So what do we actually know about the three crew?
Mimi
Tam Murray, 40, and Murdo Morrison, 23, are still missing. Douglas Craigie, 49, was recovered from the sea in the early hours after the boat vanished on 13 October.
Luke
And nothing here says what happened to the Kilda. No cause has been given, so anything beyond the disappearance would be guesswork.
Mark
Why is the exclusion zone being lifted?
Mimi
The report doesn't give a reason. What it does say is that police are asking people not to search in places that put them at risk.
Luke
That warning tells us the public may be tempted to look themselves, but it doesn't tell us why the restriction is ending.
Mark
And the fundraiser?
Mimi
It's passed £148,000 against a £110,000 target, which shows how far the loss has reached.
Der Puls
- Nine days after the Kilda disappeared on 13 October, items from the boat have been pulled from the water off Port of Ness, and the search for two missing men has not yet ended.
- Douglas Craigie's body was recovered from the sea, a grim marker that the crew's fate is no longer a matter of hope alone.
- A marine exclusion zone between the Butt of Lewis and Port of Ness has kept divers and boats away, and it lifts at 23:59 Thursday, opening the water to anyone willing to go looking.
- Police Scotland's marine and dive unit is working with partner agencies, while Insp Neil Taylor pleads for time and space and warns the public not to attempt risky searches of their own.
- A GoFundMe for the families has passed £148,000 against a £110,000 target, but the Murray and Morrison families still have no answers.
On a grey October stretch of sea off the north coast of Lewis, the fishing boat Kilda vanished nine days ago, and now fragments of her have surfaced in waters near Port of Ness, carrying with them a question no one on the island wants to ask aloud. One crewman has been brought home from the water, but two men, Tam Murray and Murdo Morrison, are still beyond reach, and their families wait in the strange suspension that falls over a community when the sea keeps its own counsel. Police describe the work as complex and ask for time, while the people of the island answer the loss in the way small places have always answered such losses, with money, presence, and quiet patience.
On Thursday, police confirmed that items from the fishing boat Kilda had been recovered from the sea off the north coast of Lewis, near Port of Ness. They were found nine days into a search that has tested an island's patience and its nerve.
The Kilda vanished on 13 October with three men aboard. Douglas Craigie, 49, was brought from the water in the early hours of the following morning, and his death has turned the search into something heavier. Norman "Tam" Murray, 40, and Murdo Morrison, 23, are still missing.
Police Scotland's marine and dive unit has been working alongside partner agencies. The source does not say which items were found or whether the vessel itself has been located, only that they belonged to the Kilda and came from the area of interest off Port of Ness. A Marine Accident Investigation Branch exclusion zone kept divers and other vessels away, and it was due to lift at 23:59 Thursday.
Insp Neil Taylor, the local area inspector for the Western Isles, called the operation complex and asked for time and space. With the zone coming down, he urged the public not to put themselves in danger by searching on their own.
The support from beyond the island has been strong. A GoFundMe for the families has raised more than £148,000 against a £110,000 target. The families of Murray and Morrison are still waiting for answers, and so is the wider community around Port of Ness.
On Thursday, police confirmed that items belonging to the fishing boat Kilda had been recovered from the sea off the north coast of the Isle of Lewis. They came from what officers called an area of interest near Port of Ness, nine days into a search for the vessel and for two of the men who were aboard it.
The Kilda disappeared on 13 October. Three crew were on board: Norman "Tam" Murray, who is 40, Murdo Morrison, who is 23, and Douglas Craigie, who is 49. Rescuers recovered Craigie's body from the sea in the early hours of the following morning. Murray and Morrison remain missing.
The recovery work was carried out by Police Scotland's marine and dive unit together with partner agencies. The source does not say which items were found, and it does not say whether the vessel itself has been located. What police have confirmed is that the items belonged to the Kilda and that they came from the area of interest off the coast near Port of Ness.
A Marine Accident Investigation Branch exclusion zone has covered the waters between the Butt of Lewis and Port of Ness, keeping divers and other vessels out of the area. That restriction was due to be lifted at 23:59 on Thursday.
Insp Neil Taylor, the local area inspector for the Western Isles, described the search as a "complex operation" and asked that officers be given "time and space" to carry out their inquiries. He said work was continuing with partners and that police were doing everything they could to get answers.
With the exclusion zone coming down, Taylor also urged members of the public not to put themselves at risk. He asked people not to attempt their own searches in areas where they could come to harm.
The loss has drawn support from beyond the island. A GoFundMe set up for the families affected has raised more than £148,000, against a target of £110,000.
The families of Murray and Morrison are still waiting for answers, as is the wider community around Port of Ness. The search for the two men continues, and police say their inquiries are ongoing now that the exclusion zone has been lifted.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Police described the search as a complex operation and asked for time and space to carry out inquiries.— Insp Neil Taylor, Police Scotland
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