THE skipper of the Gaul has been described as a "first-class seaman" at a public inquiry into the trawler's mysterious sinking.
The Hull-based vessel sank off the coast of Norway in 1974 amid rumours it was involved in spying on the Soviet navy, a claim the Ministry of Defence has always denied.
Sheila Doone, of Sackville Street, Brierfield, is among a group of relatives who have campaigned to be told the truth about the Gaul's sinking. Her husband, John, was a radio operator on the trawler.
The inquiry, being held in Hull, yesterday heard how Peter Nellist took the Gaul's helm for the first time on her ill-fated final voyage at short notice. In a statement, former skipper Ben Ashcroft said they had previously sailed together on the trawler Cassio. Mr Ashcroft said: "He was a first-class mate and a first-class seaman."
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