Reports

The primary reason for the loss of the FV "Honeydew II" was that a wave or waves caused sections of the port bulwark between the stem post and frame five to fail catastrophically and be forced inward.  This allowed a large quantity of water to rapidly flood into the shelter deck space.  The wave within the shelter deck caused the light plywood cover around the hydraulic tank to break up.  A considerable quantity of water probably became lodged behind the sill at the port side of the deckhouse causing an immediate port list.

The broken plywood, together with small items of fishing gear had the effect of blocking or at least severely restricting the freeing ports.  The quantity of water on the shelter deck made capsize inevitable.