Wreck of fishing boat struck by Vitesse is raised

Tuesday 26th July 2011, 2:29PM BST.

Little is left of the wheelhouse of Les Marquises, the area where skipper Philippe Lesaulnier was standing when the boat was hit by Condor Vitesse.

A GRANVILLE fishing boat which sank after a collision with the Condor Vitesse in March was raised from the seabed off the Minquiers at the weekend.

Philippe Lesaulnier, 42, who was skipper of the nine-metre Les Marquises, died and two other crew members were left clinging to the wreckage when the ferry struck their boat in thick fog.

On Saturday, the remains of the boat were towed to the port of St Malo.

As the mangled wreckage was craned ashore the full extent of the damage caused by the collision became apparent.The bow section separated from the rest of the hull as it was lifted from the water and the wheelhouse, where Mr Lesaulnier was standing when the Condor struck, had been almost obliterated.