A fishing vessel operating north east of Flamborough Head became the focus of an early morning rescue operation in the early hours of this morning – 2 April, 2026, after HM Coastguard requested urgent assistance.
The Bridlington all-weather lifeboat was launched at 4:01am following reports that a crew member required medical evacuation. Volunteers promptly and made their way to the vessel in challenging early morning conditions.
Due to the seriousness of the situation, a Coastguard search and rescue helicopter was also tasked to assist.
A spokesperson for Bridington RNLI said: “The crew of the RNLI all-weather lifeboat Antony Patrick Jones was paged by HM Coastguard at 4.01am following reports that a crew member, onboard a fishing vessel located approximately four nautical miles east of Flamborough Head, required urgent medical attention.
Five” RNLI volunteers onboard the RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched from Bridlington beach at 4.30am, making good speed towards the casualty vessel in challenging sea conditions.
Upon arrival and after assessing the sea state, Coxswain Jason Webber, liaised with the skipper of the fishing vessel and HM Coastguard. All parties agreed that transferring the casualty to the lifeboat would not be safe, and that a HM Coastguard rescue helicopter would be the most appropriate asset to complete the evacuation. The RNLI crew were subsequently stood down shortly before 5.30am and returned to Bridlington, where the lifeboat was recovered, washed down and made ready for service by 7.50am.”
Coxswain Jason Webber said: ‘When we arrived on scene, it was clear that the sea conditions were not suitable for us to safely transfer the casualty from the fishing vessel. After discussions with the skipper and HM Coastguard, the decision was made for the helicopter to carry out the evacuation.
“We were stood down and returned to station while the helicopter completed the extraction. The casualty was taken ashore for treatment by NHS staff in Scarborough.”
The condition of the individual has not yet been disclosed.
