Colleagues of veteran Fairmont Southampton Princess employee John Pierce Smith were in mourning last night after discovering he drowned at the weekend.

A man driving along South Road spotted Mr. Smith, 57, floating in the water off Watch Hill Park in Smiths at 5.15 p.m. on Saturday.

Marine Police were called and Mr. Smith was pronounced dead at 6.10 p.m..

He is the second Bermudian to perish in the Island's waters in the past month after 19-year-old Trey Swan died off North Shore in Devonshire on June 10.

Mr. Smith, of Camp Hill Road, Southampton, had been a plumber at the Southampton Princess since 1975, joining the Island's biggest hotel not long after it opened.

His manager, Magdy Antone, the director of engineering at the hotel, told The Royal Gazette last night that Mr. Smith had a great sense of humour and was well liked by his colleagues.

He said he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the workings of Southampton Princess and was greatly relied on by his colleagues and outside contractors whenever the hotel was being repaired.

"This is a big shock to all of us. He was here for so many years that everyone in the department depended on him," said Mr. Antone.

"He knew everything about the system, the pipes, the layout, everything by heart, inside out and back to front. He didn't need drawings because everything was in his head.

"Sometimes when contractors came, he would show them where everything is because it is a big, complicated building.

"Some people heard about it on the news and were in tears. He had such spirit and sense of humour and he was always the star of our morning meetings with his sense of humour and support for everyone. He was always laughing and joking."

The rocks at Watch Hill Park are a popular spot for fishermen and Police said it was believed Mr. Smith went there regularly to fish.