The Solway Harvester was a scallop dredger from Kirkcudbright, Scotland which sank off the coast of Douglas, Isle of Man in heavy seas on 11 January 2000 with the loss of all seven crew members.

The weather meanwhile had begun to worsen, and skipper Craig Mills decided to seek shelter in Ramsey Bay, Isle of Man.

A search and rescue mission was quickly organised, with lifeboats from Workington, Barrow, Douglas and Ramsey and Port St Mary being launched.

Larger vessels also joined the search, with RFA Bayleaf and the Ben-my-Chree, the Isle of Man ferry moving into the area to help.

Sandown eventually located the wreck of the Solway Harvester on 15 January lying in 115 feet (35 m) of water, 11 miles (18 km) off the Isle of Man.

In a report published in 2003, they concluded that the Solway Harvester’s fish room had flooded, making her unstable and eventually causing her to capsize.

Parts of his report were heavily critical of Solway Harvester owner Richard Gidney over the ship's standard of maintenance and equipment, as well as her past safety record.

The role of Reverend Alex Currie, who became the spokesperson for the bereaved families, was featured in a BBC Radio 4 documentary "A Life Less Ordinary", first broadcast on 13 October 2012.

Following the subsequent raising of the Solway Harvester, the vessel lay tied up at Douglas Harbour during a protracted and laborious legal wrangle.