British engineer died on £50m superyacht in Caribbean after being electrocuted during repair work
A British engineer died on a luxury superyacht in the Caribbean after being electrocuted while repairing a fault, an inquest has heard.
Roy Temme, from Southampton, was one of the 17-strong crew of the 62.5 metre-long Baton Rouge in February 2024 when it was moored in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua.
He embarked on the repair of the ventilation damper in an enclosed compartment of the vessel.
An inquest held at Winchester Coroner's Court heard the 47-year-old father-of-two could only work for 10 minutes at a time in the overpressure duct compartment because of the temperatures ranging between 50C and 55C – which required him to take ventilation breaks.
Coroner Jason Pegg told the hearing that a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that Mr Temme had not isolated the electricity for the repair and the electric breaker was found to be still on.
He added that no permit had been sought to carry out the electrical repairs on the yacht, which had no guests on board at the time.
Mr Pegg said that Mr Temme was 'hot and sweaty' while repairing and this would have aided the electricity to flow through his body.
The coroner added that Mr Temme was found by the chief officer, who himself received an electric shock from him.
A statement read to the inquest from Mr Temme's widow Natasha said: 'He's an amazing father, amazing husband, always cheerful, great sense of humour.
'Roy was a strong man, family man, sober habits, courteous and always willing to help.'
The coroner added: 'The evidence would suggest that when Roy embarked on that task which involved the electric circuits on the ship, there was no making safe of the electrical system by Roy or anyone else.'
He said that a post-mortem report found that Mr Temme, who had previously served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, had suffered cardiac arrest caused by the electric shock which also caused burns to his body.
This then led to hypoxia – oxygen deficiency – which caused Mr Temme's death.
Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Mr Pegg said that he would not be producing a prevention of future deaths report as the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) had stated that 'procedures had been reviewed and existing ones have been reinforced'.
Luxury superyacht Baton Rouge, which costs £358,000 a week to charter, boasts five decks and seven cabins and offers accommodation for up to 12 guests and features a beach club and gym on board.
Made in 2010, it is currently on sale for €59,950,000 (£51,143,045) and also comes equipped with two £20,000 Yamaha Waverunner jet skis.
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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
British engineer died on £50m superyacht after being electrocuted onboard
Roy Temme, 47, from Southampton was fixing a ventilation damper in temperatures of up to 55C while moored in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, last year when the fatal accident happened A 'much-loved' British engineer was electrocuted to death while repairing a fault on a luxury superyacht in the Caribbean, an inquest has heard. The body of Roy Temme, 47, from Southampton, was found dead on the the 62.5 metre-long Baton Rouge in February 2024 when it was moored in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. He chose to repair the ventilation damper in an enclosed compartment of the vessel. The heat was so intense - ranging between 50C and 55C - that he could only work for 10 minutes at a time before needing breaks. A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that Mr Temme had not isolated the electricity for the repair and the electric breaker was found to be still on. Coroner Jason Pegg said that no permit had been sought to carry the repair. He added that the dad-of-two, who previously served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, was 'hot and sweaty' while working and that this would have aided the electricity flowing through his body. The chief officer who found Mr Temme's body also received an electric shock himself. Mr Pegg said: "Roy was working in temperatures of 50 to 55C. He was hot and sweaty which aided the electrical flow through his body. He was a much-loved husband and father and was extremely experienced and qualified." In a statement read out at the inquest, the engineer's wife Natasha said: 'He's an amazing father, amazing husband, always cheerful, great sense of humour. "Roy was a strong man, family man, sober habits, courteous and always willing to help.' She added: "There was no-one to help him... Even if he was crying for help there was no-one there." Mr Pegg noted: 'The evidence would suggest that when Roy embarked on that task which involved the electric circuits on the ship, there was no making safe of the electrical system by Roy or anyone else.' He added that a post-mortem report found that Mr Temme, suffered cardiac arrest caused by the electric shock and that he also had burns to his body. This resulted in hypoxia – or oxygen deficiency – which caused Mr Temme's death. A verdict of death by misadventure was concluded. Mr Pegg said also that he would not be producing a prevention of future deaths report because the MAIB stated that 'procedures had been reviewed and existing ones have been reinforced'. Mr Temme was part of a 17-strong crew on the vessel, which had no guests at the time of the fatal incident. The Baton Rouge was made in 2010 and costs £358,000 a week to charter and has five decks and seven cabins and has a beach club and gym on board.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
British engineer died on £50m superyacht in Caribbean after being electrocuted during repair work
A British engineer died on a luxury superyacht in the Caribbean after being electrocuted while repairing a fault, an inquest has heard. Roy Temme, from Southampton, was one of the 17-strong crew of the 62.5 metre-long Baton Rouge in February 2024 when it was moored in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. He embarked on the repair of the ventilation damper in an enclosed compartment of the vessel. An inquest held at Winchester Coroner's Court heard the 47-year-old father-of-two could only work for 10 minutes at a time in the overpressure duct compartment because of the temperatures ranging between 50C and 55C – which required him to take ventilation breaks. Coroner Jason Pegg told the hearing that a report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that Mr Temme had not isolated the electricity for the repair and the electric breaker was found to be still on. He added that no permit had been sought to carry out the electrical repairs on the yacht, which had no guests on board at the time. Mr Pegg said that Mr Temme was 'hot and sweaty' while repairing and this would have aided the electricity to flow through his body. The coroner added that Mr Temme was found by the chief officer, who himself received an electric shock from him. A statement read to the inquest from Mr Temme's widow Natasha said: 'He's an amazing father, amazing husband, always cheerful, great sense of humour. 'Roy was a strong man, family man, sober habits, courteous and always willing to help.' The coroner added: 'The evidence would suggest that when Roy embarked on that task which involved the electric circuits on the ship, there was no making safe of the electrical system by Roy or anyone else.' He said that a post-mortem report found that Mr Temme, who had previously served in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, had suffered cardiac arrest caused by the electric shock which also caused burns to his body. This then led to hypoxia – oxygen deficiency – which caused Mr Temme's death. Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Mr Pegg said that he would not be producing a prevention of future deaths report as the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) had stated that 'procedures had been reviewed and existing ones have been reinforced'. Luxury superyacht Baton Rouge, which costs £358,000 a week to charter, boasts five decks and seven cabins and offers accommodation for up to 12 guests and features a beach club and gym on board. Made in 2010, it is currently on sale for €59,950,000 (£51,143,045) and also comes equipped with two £20,000 Yamaha Waverunner jet skis.
Sky News
11-06-2025
- Sky News
San Jose: Shipwreck with £16bn of treasure on board identified - fuelling international row over who owns it
The San Jose was lost for centuries, its £16bn treasure trove of gold and emeralds swallowed up by the Caribbean Sea. Not any more. Researchers say they have identified the "world's richest shipwreck", a discovery likely to fuel an international row over which country owns the 300-year-old galleon. The San Jose was sailing in 1708 as the flagship of a treasure fleet, made up of three Spanish warships and 14 merchant vessels, when it was sunk after an attack by the Royal Navy off the coast of Colombia. Powder magazines on board the ship detonated during the battle, destroying the vessel and sending almost all of its 600-man crew to the bottom, along with her hoard of gold, silver, and emeralds. More than three centuries later, a wreck believed to be the San Jose was discovered in 2015 at a depth of 600 metres in the Caribbean Sea. To determine whether the ship was indeed the San Jose, the Colombian navy used an unmanned, remotely operated underwater vehicle to survey the wreck non-invasively. Sonar images identified bronze cannons, weapons, ceramics and other artefacts among its cargo - but the real interest was the gold. A number of coins on the sea floor have been revealed in high-resolution pictures, according to research published in the journal Antiquity on Tuesday. "Coins are crucial artefacts for dating and understanding material culture, particularly in shipwreck contexts", says lead researcher Daniela Vargas Ariza. "Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins - known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish - served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries." By analysing features on the coins, such as the Jerusalem Cross, researchers have been able to gain an understanding of the ship's function and the events surrounding its sinking. "This case study highlights the value of coins as key chronological markers in the identification of shipwrecks," Ms Vargas Ariza adds. While the coins may still be 600 metres below the waves, the identification of the wreck as the San Jose is likely to add fuel to an ongoing international row over who owns the treasure. Who owns the San Jose? Spain, which owned the San Jose back in 1708 when it sank, considers it a state ship; its remains are classified as an underwater graveyard and cannot be commercially exploited. Colombia, in whose waters the wreck is located, has suggested that Spain renounce its claim in its favour, a move that some worry could set a dangerous precedent. Colombian law favours treasure hunters. Lawyer Jose Maria Lancho, an expert in underwater heritage, said: "If Spain, in this case, renounces its sovereign immunity, there will be no state or treasure-hunting company that does not invoke this precedent." Mr Lancho has filed a request to Spain and UNESCO on behalf of three South American indigenous communities, asking them to declare the San Jose "common and shared heritage" from which they too should benefit. The Killakas, Carangas and Chichas peoples estimate that their ancestors, often working in slave-like conditions, extracted the metals that make up around half of the ship's cargo from mines in what is now Bolivia, then under Spanish control, which were then transported north to Cartagena. "Our native communities consider any act of intervention and unilateral appropriation of the galleon, without consulting us directly and without expressly and effectively considering its common and shared character, to be an act of plunder and neo-colonialism," the indigenous communities said in the letters sent to UNESCO and Spain last year.
