Aberdeen Lifeboat rescues woman from harbour in wee small hours
Aberdeen’s inshore lifeboat (ILB) was paged at 1.42am this morning, Saturday 14 October 2017, to reports of a woman in danger in the water in Aberdeen Harbour at Regent Quay, opposite the foot of Marischal Street.
The ILB sped to the scene and found the woman, in the freezing water at the foot of quayside pilings, clinging to the bottom rung of a vertical ladder.
The casualty was taken aboard the inshore lifeboat which then raced back to Aberdeen Lifeboat Station where a process of warming the woman in a controlled manner in the Station shower was begun, prior to her being transferred to the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service
Aberdeen Inshore Lifeboat helm on this rescue, Cal Reed (full time mechanic and deputy 2nd coxswain with Aberdeen Lifeboat), says: “This lady was fully immersed in cold seawater, was clinging to the ladder, but was unable to climb out of the water. She was in imminent danger of losing her grip on the ladder and drowning. This was one of those nights that makes being a lifeboatman special: our presence saved this woman’s life.”
The other two volunteer crew members on this rescue were Ciaran McRae and Stephen Bremner.
Aberdeen Coastguard reported that the total time elapsed, from the pagers being activated to the lifeboat returning the woman to Aberdeen Lifeboat Station, was less than 15 minutes.
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