Widow Of Tragic Tugboat Skipper On Her Devastating Loss

Jan 6 2008 By Grace Macaskill

Widow Of Tragic Tugboat Skipper Reveals Her Family's Devastating Loss

THE widow of tragic tugboat skipper Stephen Humphreys told yesterday how she is creating a treasure box of memories for the little girl he will never see grow up.

Helen Humphreys has been moved by letters written by pals of her husband to their eight-month-old daughter Nina describing the dad she will never know. Stephen, 33, died when his tugboat went down in the Clyde in freezing fog while towing a grain ship on December 19.

Engineer Robert Cameron, 65, of Houston, Renfrewshire, and Eric Blackley, 57, of Gourock, were also killed.

Afourth crewman survived by swimming ashore.

Stephen and Helen had just 14 months of married life together and Stephen was also dad to her two sons Callum, 10, and six-year-old Scott who he referred to as his "little deck-hands". Helen, 37, of Greenock, said: "Stephen was such a loving family man.

"He would do anything for me and the children.

"Callum and Scott were like his own sons and when Nina came along she was the icing on the cake.

"Oneof Stephen's friends has written a letter for Nina when she is older, describing how wonderful her dad was. Others have said they will also write letters for her.

"I started to read the first letter but was unable to finish it because I was close to tears.

"I will keep them in a box along with pictures and other memories of Stephen so she can open it when she is older."

Helen told how, next to his family, boats were Stephen's life.

He loved restoring old vessels and had sold two in the days before his death so he could buy a fishing trawler.

Helen described idyllic family days out on the water on the Holy Loch.

She said: "We would often go for days out on the water together - Stephen giving the boys orders as his 'little deck-hands' and Nina in her pushchair.

"The boys were each given little jobs to do and any time water came on deck, Scott would sweep it away before it reached Nina's pram.

"Stephen loved seafood, especially langoustines, and we would cook and eat onboard.

"They were lovely family days out which I'm glad the boys are old enough to remember.

"Nina is too young to know what has happened but I will tell her everything I can about Stephen as she grows up.

"Stephen was loved by so many people and we are expecting hundreds of people, including work colleagues and school friends, to showup at his funeral."

Stephen was in charge of Flying Phantom, which mysteriously went down near Clydebank. The first Helen knew of the tragedy was when a relative called with news of a missing tug on local radio.

Helen said: "I didn't know it was Stephen but I feared the worst.

"I put the phone down to find his office number but before I could find it, his bosses called. They said the boat had gone down."

Helen called Stephen's family then his friends to tell themwhat had happened.

But many of the skipper's pals - boatmen themselves - had already heard about the missing crew and were conducting their own searches.

It was a friend of Stephen's who found the only survivor of the tragedy, Brian Aitchison.

The 37-year-old managed to swim clear of the sinking tugboat.

He is now back with his family in Coldingham, Berwickshire.

Helen said: "I can't believe how many people helped with the search and rescue and I just want to say a big thank you to everyone involved, aswell as thosewho have given the family support since the accident."

Stephen's body was found on the boat five days after it sank. Helen said: "I'm asked if they were the worst five days ofmy life but the worst days of my life are today, the day of Stephen's funeral and every day after that.

"I can't imaginemy life without him. He was a loving husband and a wonderful father who was loved by everyone who knew him."

Stephen worked with Clydebased shipping firm Munro's, defence marine contractor Serco Denholm and on CalMac's Gourock to Dunoon ferries before joining Danish firm Svitzer, who owned Flying Phantom. The company are still looking into the circumstances of the tragedy.

Police and the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch are carrying out a joint probe. The salvage operation began on the Clyde yesterday.

Stephen's funeral will be held tomorrow at Finnart St Paul's in Greenock - where Nina was christened just five months ago.

Helen said: "Stephen used to say that he would rather die on the water than anywhere else.

"We just didn't realise how soon that would be and how little time we would have together."

SUNDAY EMAIL

g.macaskill@sundaymail.co.uk