Two weeks after Kilda vanished, wreck-survey ship set to join Lewis search

More than two weeks after the fishing boat Kilda disappeared off Lewis, the search is set to gain a ship equipped to look for wrecks beneath the water. Police Scotland says the Northern Lighthouse Board’s NLV Pharos will be deployed to the area from Friday, 30 October 2026, to support the Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigation. It is a new means of searching, not a reported discovery.⁠¹¹

Norman “Tam” Murray, 40, and Murdo Morrison, 23, remain missing. Both were aboard the Kilda when it disappeared off the island in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides on 13 October. Their crewmate Douglas Craigie, 49, was recovered dead from the sea by rescuers in the early hours of 14 October. The boat itself has still not been located in the latest account.⁠¹

The forthcoming deployment gives the continuing effort a concrete next step. For the missing men’s families, however, the central questions remain unanswered: where the Kilda is, and what happened to the men aboard it. The commitment of specialist equipment should not be mistaken for an answer to either.

Pharos carries hydrographic equipment, used to survey underwater features, as well as wreck-survey equipment. Its stated task is to help locate the fishing vessel. The work will assist accident investigators and local search efforts, with support from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.⁠¹

Phil Day, the Northern Lighthouse Board’s director of operations, described that role in specific, cautious terms: “Pharos is equipped with hydrographic and wreck survey equipment and will assist MAIB and local efforts, supported by the MCA, to try and locate the fishing vessel Kilda.”⁠¹

The important words are “try and locate.” The equipment adds a way to investigate beneath the surface; it does not establish where the boat lies or guarantee that the search will find it. No start hour for the deployment has been established, and there is no reported result from the planned Pharos operation.⁠¹¹

The deployment plan was reported by the BBC and the Press and Journal on 28 October. That reporting concerned work still to come, not confirmation that Pharos was already searching that day. Police Scotland’s statement specifies deployment from 30 October.⁠¹⁠¹²⁠¹¹

There have already been recoveries during the wider search, but they must be kept distinct. Police’s 22 October update concerned items belonging to the fishing boat recovered during enquiries off Port of Ness. That is the date of the update, not an established recovery date for every item. Finding those items did not establish that searchers had located the Kilda.⁠¹³⁠⁵

Police Scotland says the effort is continuing with assistance from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and local maritime experts. Inspector Neil Taylor stressed the need to obtain answers while also warning people who want to help not to expose themselves to danger.⁠¹

“It is imperative we get answers for everyone involved and please be assured our efforts are continuing,” Taylor said. His appeal places a clear limit on public participation: the wish to help should not lead anyone into an area where they could be harmed.⁠¹

Day also said the Northern Lighthouse Board’s thoughts remained with the families and everyone affected by the tragedy. That concern accompanies an operation whose outcome is still unknown. The next development to establish is whether Pharos deploys as planned, followed by what its survey work can confirm. Until then, Murray and Morrison remain missing, and the search for the Kilda remains unresolved.⁠¹⁠¹¹