Hi °C | Lo °C The body of a diver who died underwater after filming a scuttled German U-boat was today reclaimed from the sea by his colleagues.
Father-of-four Michael (Mick) Hanrahan died yesterday after his team completed their exploration of U-778 16 miles off the Malin Head coast in Donegal in a project funded by Derry City Council.
The 45-year-old Dubliner's body was brought in at Port Ronan at the other side of Bamba's Crown - Ireland's most northerly point - from where he and his colleagues had departed yesterday.
A hearse arrived at around noon to ferry his remains from the scene.
Mr Hanrahan's body was recovered as a fellow diver spoke about his attempt to save his life.
Paul Lewis was safety officer assisting in the resurfacing of the diving team yesterday when he noticed Mr Hanrahan getting into difficulties and falling to the bottom of the ocean bed.
Mick's wife Moira was due to arrive at the scene today as divers from the NorthDive Club returned to the Atlantic seabed to resume their attempts to recover the body.
Speaking from Malin Head pier, from where the dive team set off on the exploratory trip yesterday, Mr Lewis said: "It was a terrific dive. We had gone down to get the footage of the U-boat to see if we could bring it up.
"Everything ran perfectly and then I went down the line to meet the divers. The first passed me and gave me the 'OK' and then I was able to make visual contact with the other two.
"It was then that Mick let go of the line and fell to the bottom. I believe he was in some state of seizure. I was with him in seconds. I tried a free-fall into him and made a great effort to give him oxygen but he was still in a seizure state and I was unable to."
Mr Lewis said that he and fellow diver Geoff Miller tried to revive Mr Hanrahan, but, he said "at that stage it was impossible".
Mr Lewis said leaving his colleague in the sea overnight was "the hardest thing to do".
"We didn't want to do that but we had limited supplies which were both inadequate," he said, adding: "I've never known a situation like this. I knew Mick for four years and he was an absolute perfectionist."
Derry City Council had backed a motion in January to explore the possibility of raising the U-boat and put it on display in the city as a testament to the River Foyle's historical importance as a port of surrender during World War II. Don McCrea, who was part of the co-ordinating team, said the project should go ahead as a tribute to Mr Hanrahan.
