Scarborough and Bridlington lifeboat crews tell of 12-hour operation to find pilot of jet which crashed into sea

The teams were part of a major, multi-agency search for First Lieutenant Kenneth Allen, who was taking part in a routine training mission when the crash happened on Monday morning.
His F-15C Eagle went into the sea 74 nautical miles off Flamborough Head. 
HM Coastguard tasked Scarborough and Bridlington RNLI to join the search operation just before 10am on Monday.
Volunteer crews at both stations launched their Shannon all-weather lifeboats within minutes.
Co-ordinated by the coastguard, they joined military aircraft, the coastguard helicopter and various other vessels in the search. 
They said sea conditions were calm but the operation was made more difficult by low cloud cover and fog.
At 6.20pm on Monday, a spokesperson from 48th Fighter Wing confirmed the pilot had died.
Both lifeboats returned to their stations and were made ready for service by 10pm, after some 12 hours at sea.
Scarborough Lifeboat Coxswain Lee Marton said: “The crews and other volunteers of RNLI Bridlington and Scarborough would like to offer their deepest sympathies to the family of the pilot and to all at 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath.
“Our Shannon lifeboats have a range of some 250 nautical miles and are perfectly suited to this kind of task, but any 12-hour operation takes its toll on the crews, especially when there is such a sad outcome.
“I’d like to thank both volunteer crews and all parties involved in the search for their cooperation and professionalism during this major operation in what were very challenging conditions.”
First Lieutenant Allen’s age and nationality have not been confirmed, although he was serving with the USAF’s 48th Fighter Wing.
He was married and is survived by his wife and parents.
The airman - the assistant chief of weapons and tactics for his squadron - had been based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, which is home to thousands of American personnel, since February.