RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat launches for search after report of distress signal.
At the request of HM Coastguard, Lerwick lifeboat launched at 1.50pm this afternoon, to a report of an automated distress signal, in the seas to the north east of Shetland.
HM Coastguard contacted vessels known to be in the area, and the Sumburgh-based Coastguard Rescue helicopter also conducted a detailed search from the air.
After a thorough search, nothing was found and the lifeboat was stood down just after 6pm. The crew returned to Lerwick Harbour for around 8pm to refuel the lifeboat, ready for service again.
Sea conditions were good, with light northerly winds and an air temperature of eight to nine degrees.
John Connor, RNLI Coxswain Afloat Mechanic, who is currently providing Coxswain cover for Lerwick Lifeboat said: “Our volunteer crew are always on call for any request to go to the aid of a vessel or persons in distress. Circumstances could have been very different but we didn’t find anything on this search, which we consider to be a good outcome.”
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The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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