Over the years there are always some events that stick in the mind. Here are some recent, memorable services by Oban Lifeboat.

Three baby girls from the Isle of Mull have been born onboard the lifeboat. The first in 1997 and the most recent in 2005.

August 1997: Hazel Mora Banner

September 2001 : Kerrie Hazel MacGillivray

The lifeboat crew at Oban were called out to the Isle of Mull on Thursday 13 September 2001 for a medical evacuation after Clyde Coastguard received a call at 0340. The casualty was a pregnant lady, Fiona MacGillivray, who needed transferring from Mull to the Lorne and Isles Hospital on the mainland.

Knowing that the birth was imminent the coxswain, Lorne MacKechnie, took the precaution of taking Oban midwife, Hazel Munro; a wise decision because Fiona went into labour on board as the boat entered Oban Bay. Just before reaching the lifeboat station a baby girl was delivered at 0620 with Hazel being assisted by the deputy 2nd coxswain Billy Forteith. Mother and child were later transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital.

The little girl's name is Kerry Hazel MacGillivrary and she weighed in at 8lb 9oz. This is the second birth to actually take place on the lifeboat since 1972.

BBC NEWS STORY (2001 Birth)

October 2005:

BBC NEWS STORY (2005 Birth)

[The original article was published in, The Lifeboat, magazine Winter 2001/02 edition]

Most of Oban was safely tucked up in bed when the lifeboat crew's pagers sounded at 12.50am on Monday, 16 April. Clyde Coastguard had received a report of a man in the water just off South Pier, in Oban Harbour. Second coxswain David Graham and crew member Ronnie MacKillop were at the station within two minutes and, as the lifeboat station is next to the pier, they took a few moments to assess the situation from the shore.

The local Coastguard team told them that there was a man in the water between two fishing vessels. He had been in for about 15 minutes and was starting to suffer from cold and exposure. A second man was also in the water, holding on to a harbour ladder. Realising that someone would have to go in to help the men out, Ronnie volunteered to put on his drysuit so he could enter the water.

The lifeboat launched just 4 minutes after the pagers had gone off and arrived on scene just 1 minute later. To reach the area where the two men were, David had to manoeuvre around a raft of fishing boats five deep before putting the lifeboat alongside the starboard side of a second raft of two fishing boats. It was between these two boats that the casualties were trapped.
As soon as the lifeboat was alongside, Ronnie carefully dropped into the water, glad of the protection of his drysuit and lifejacket. Despite the confused seas, he managed to swim round the bow of the first boat into the gap between them. Once in the gap, he found one man in a life ring being held onto by a fisherman stood on a tyre fender. He reached the man and conducted a rapid assessment of his condition. The man appeared unconscious and was certainly past helping himself.

Ronnie realised that it would be difficult to pull the unconscious man from the water in the confined space, so decided to tow him back to the lifeboat. He tried to start towards the lifeboat but realised that the life ring was tied to the fishing boat. He shouted up at the fishing crew to release it but because of the noise of the wind and the general hubbub at the scene it was a few minutes before he could make those in the boat understand. Once they realised what he wanted, he was able to swim around the bow of the fishing boat towing the unconscious man, taking care he didn't slip out of the life ring.

By the time Ronnie reached the lifeboat he was getting very tired and realised he would need help to finish the rescue. He shouted for assistance and Keith Burnett, who was also wearing a dry suit, came into the water to help. The two men were then able to tow the casualty round to the starboard side of the lifeboat where the crew on board were able to reach down and haul him aboard. Unfortunately the A frame lifting device, ideal for this task, couldn't be used because of the confined area. Ronnie and Keith decided to swim to shore, as this would allow the lifeboat to return more quickly to the boathouse with the casualty.

As soon as the two crew members were safely away from the lifeboat, David returned to shore while the other crew members treated the casualty. An ambulance was waiting on shore and the still-unconscious man was taken straight to hospital. David then returned to the sight of the incident to check that everyone was out of the water and safe. He found one of the fishermen being treated for the effects of hypothermia and decided the safest method of landing him to the ambulance was on the lifeboat. Once this man was safely in the hands of the paramedics, David took the lifeboat back to its berth.

The only way to recover the casualty was to put a man in the water. Ronnie recognised the problem as soon as he arrived and immediately volunteered to take on the task. His clarity of thought and rapid preparation meant that he was ready to act as soon as the lifeboat was on scene.

THE CREW
Chairman's Letter of Thanks
Crew member Ronnie MacKillop for his 'determination to succeed despite the conditions'

David Graham Second Coxswain
James Watson Mechanic
William Forteith Deputy Second Coxswain
Keith Burnett Second Mechanic

THE CONDITIONS
Weather: Overcast
Visibility: Good
Wind: NNW Force 7
Sea State: 1m swell confused by the backwash from the harbour walls and moored fishing vessels

[The original article was published on the RNLI Website]

Three yachtsmen were saved by the volunteer crew of the RNLI Oban lifeboat as their yacht suddenly sank off the southwest tip of the Isle of Kerrera today. The skipper and owner of the ill-fated yacht said: ‘I’ve always believed in the RNLI but I never thought I would have to use them, they saved our lives”.

At 12.18 pm on Saturday 17 September 2005 the RNLI Oban lifeboat, ‘Mora Edith Macdonald’ was requested by HM Coastguard to go to the assistance of the ‘Classic Wave’ a 40ft yacht which had gone aground on the SW tip of the Isle of Kerrera, near Oban. When the lifeboat arrived on scene, they found the yacht well aground and taking on water in a swell of 2.5 to 3 metres, made more hazardous by the backwash of the sea breaking on the rocks. An RNLI crewman, Peter McKinnon, was put aboard the ‘Classic Wave’ with a salvage pump but despite the pumping it was not possible to save the yacht and the decision was made to abandon the ‘Classic Wave’.

The RNLI lifeboat then manoeuvered alongside the ‘Classic Wave’ in driving rain and poor visibility made more difficult and dangerous by the currents and waves breaking around the rocks. After successfully taking off one member of the yacht’s crew, the lifeboat was approaching for a second time when the yacht was swung round by the force of the waves and slipped off the rocks, sinking in a matter of seconds. The two remaining yacht crew on board and the RNLI crewman were thrown into the sea but were then able to grab hold of a liferaft and subsequently taken on board the Oban lifeboat.

Oban lifeboat coxswain, Ronnie MacKillop, said: “It started as a routine job but things can change quickly at sea. At the end of the day we’ve lost a salvage pump but it’s a small price to pay”. All three members of the yacht’s crew and the RNLI crewman were subsequently taken safely to Oban where they received precautionary medical checks but are all now recovering satisfactorily.

BBC NEWS STORY