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Bridlington RNLI lifeboat launch into thick fog for medical evacuation

Lifeboats News Release

Bridlington RNLI requested to attend drilling platform for a medical evacuation in thick fog.

Bridlington RNLI All Weather Boat 'Antony Patrick Jones' preparing for launch in the fog.

RNLI/Anna Needham

Bridlington RNLI All Weather Boat 'Antony Patrick Jones' preparing for launch in the fog.

Bridlington RNLI volunteers were called into action on Friday 27 December after receiving a launch request, at 8.12pm, from the HM Coastguard. Information was received by the volunteer lifeboat crew that a male had been taken ill on a drilling platform 26 nautical miles from Flamborough Head. Normally the HM Coastguard would deploy their search and rescue helicopter but this was not possible due to the weather conditions.

The Bridlington RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) ‘Antony Patrick Jones, with a crew of six, was launched shortly after the tasking request and set off at good speed to rendezvous with the platform. The weather was thick fog which had engulfed the East Yorkshire Coast making visibility very poor, the sea state was slight with a light south westerly wind blowing. The skill of the volunteer crew soon had the ALB alongside the drilling platform by 10pm.

The casualty was removed from the platform and taken onboard the lifeboat, which departed the scene at 11pm and made its way back through the fog towards Bridlington harbour. Upon reaching Bridlington, the casualty was handed over to the waiting ambulance, where he was taken to hospital for medical attention. The volunteer crew onboard the ALB returned to the beach, was recovered, washed down and refuelled by 1am the following morning.

Volunteer Andy Rodgers, who was the navigator on the night, said ‘due to the dense fog, visibility was drastically diminished which made navigation of the lifeboat critical. We train regularly for such occasions so we are ready to act when such weather conditions prevail. All the crew step up with increased lookouts, extra vigilance on the radar and increased position checks to ensure we are staying on route to the casualty and the same on the way home again’.

Notes to editors.

Photographs are also attached as jpeg images credited as per media release.

Bridlington RNLI All Weather Boat 'Antony Patrick Jones' wash down after recovery.

RNLI/Steve Clarke

Bridlington RNLI All Weather Boat 'Antony Patrick Jones' wash down after recovery.
Bridlington RNLI All Weather Boat 'Antony Patrick Jones' preparing recovery, (previous recovery).

RNLI/Mike Milner

Bridlington RNLI All Weather Boat 'Antony Patrick Jones' recovery, (Previous recovery).

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

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