Brancaster Lifeboat Station

Last updated

Brancaster Lifeboat Station
Flag of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.svg
View east along Brancaster Beach - geograph.org.uk - 5574032.jpg
Brancaster Beach
Norfolk UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Brancaster, Norfolk
General information
StatusClosed
Type RNLI Lifeboat Station
Town or city Brancaster, Norfolk
Country England
Coordinates 52°58′28.8″N0°38′21.2″E / 52.974667°N 0.639222°E / 52.974667; 0.639222
Opened1874
Closed1935

Brancaster Lifeboat Station was located at Brancaster Beach, near the village of Brancaster, on the north coast of the county of Norfolk.

Contents

It is recorded that in 1823, the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners (NASLSM) decided to place a lifeboat at Brancaster, but there are no records of a boat in their annual report, nor any service records. [1]

A lifeboat was placed at Brancaster by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), who opened a station there in 1874. The station was closed in 1935. [2]

History

Following a number of shipwrecks on the Norfolk coast, including the Alexandrine of Caen, Rev, Kerslake of Burnham Deepdale, and local merchant and ship owner Mr Dewing, wrote to the RNLI in 1872, requesting a lifeboat be placed at Brancaster, to cover the gap of 15 miles (24 km) between to the two flanking lifeboat stations of Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea, being situated mid-way between the two. [1] [3]

Brancaster was visited by the RNLI Inspector in 1873, and having learned that sufficient crew would be available, and that a local committee had been formed to raise funds for the upkeep, a station was agreed. A 33-foot 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, was ordered from Woolfe of Shadwell, along with a launching carriage from Robinson & Napton. Local landowner and committee chairman Simms Reeve offer a plot of land, and a 45-foot long boathouse was constructed by Becton Brothers, for £268-10s-0d. [1]

The lifeboat and carriage were transported to Hunstanton free of charge by the Great Eastern Railway Company, arriving in Brancaster by road on 30 Jun 1874. At a ceremony on 1 July 1874, the boat was named Joseph and Mary (ON 256). However, in 1879, it was decided to assign that name to a boat to be placed at Poole Lifeboat Station, and the Brancaster boat was renamed Lily Bird, attributed to the gift of £600 from Samuel Bird of Belsize Park, London, for a Norfolk or Suffolk Lifeboat. As it wasn't a new boat, Mr Bird was assured that the name would be carried forward to a future replacement. [1] [2]

On passage from Arendal to Cardiff, the Norwegian barque Lydia became stranded on Burnham Flats. With increasing depth of water in the hold, 14 men were rescued. The following day, in better weather, the lifeboat returned to the Lydia, salvaging personal possessions of the crew, before the Lydia was totally wrecked. [4]

A new 34-foot 10-oared lifeboat arrived in Brancaster in November 1892. At a ceremony on 11 January 1893, the boat was named Alfred S. Genth (ON 332), after the donor's late husband. This was not without controversy. Soon afterwards, Mr Samuel Bird indicated his disappointment in the naming, and that he had been promised in writing by the Brancaster Honorary Secretary, that a replacement boat would also be named Lily Bird. To resolve this issue, the new Dunwich lifeboat was named Lily Bird (ON 370), serving from 1894 to 1903. [1]

When burning flares were spotted at 10:20pm on 16 October 1896, the Alfred S. Genth was launched. The flares soon disappeared, and the vessel couldn't be found in the dark. Instead of returning home, the lifeboat set anchor, and waited until daylight, which revealed the wreck of the trawler Silver King on Middle Sand Bank. The crew had taken to a small boat, now drifting helplessly towards breaking seas. Six crew were rescued and landed at Hunstanton. [5]

Disaster struck on 21 November 1909, when the carriage axle broke during a launch to the Brilliant of Goole, pitching the lifeboat sideways onto the sand. The lifeboat couldn't be launched, and three lives were lost off the Brilliant, the Wells-next-the-Sea lifeboat not arriving soon enough. [1]

Brancaster would receive their third and final boat in May 1916, along with a new carriage from Bristol Wagon works. The boathouse was altered with wider doors, and lengthened, along with the construction of a storage annexe. There are no records of a naming ceremony, likely due to World War I, but the boat was named Winlaton (ON 666) at the bequest of Mr Thomas Thompson. In 1923, a Clayton launch tractor was supplied, but saw little use, as from 1916 to 1935, Winlaton would be launched just 5 times, with no lives saved. With fewer wrecks, due to better sea navigation and engine powered vessels, less shipping traffic due to the railways, and increasing numbers of motor-powered lifeboats, especially at Skegness from 1932, the days of Brancaster lifeboat station were numbered. Brancaster Lifeboat Station was closed at the end of April 1935. [1] [2]

In 61 years, the Brancaster lifeboat had been launched 32 times, saving 34 lives and 5 vessels. Winlaton (ON 666) was sold locally, and was last reported as a yacht in 2005. No evidence remains of the boathouse. A storm in 1933 had destroyed the launchway, and undermined the boathouse, which was then demolished before the station closure. However, the station Service Board had been saved by lifeboat tractor driver Joe Powell. It was rediscovered by historian/author Michael Softley, and now hangs on display in the church of St Mary the Virgin in Brancaster. [2] [6]

Brancaster lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing lifeboats

ON [lower-alpha 1] NameIn service [2] ClassComments
256Joseph and Mary,
Lily Bird(1879–)
1874−189233-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 1]
332Alfred S. Genth1892−191634-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 2]
666Winlaton1916−193535-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]

Launch and Recovery Tractors

Op. No. [lower-alpha 2] Reg. No.TypeIn service [2] Comments
T10AH 9213Clayton1923–1935
  1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat or vehicle.

See also

Notes

  1. 33-foot 10-oared Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, costing £315-15s-6d
  2. 34-foot 10-oared Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by R. McAlister of Dumbarton, costing £373-8s-0d
  3. 35-foot 10-oared Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by S. E. Saunders of Cowes, costing £1000

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blyth Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI Lifeboat Station in Northumberland, UK

Blyth Lifeboat Station is located at the Port and seaside town of Blyth, in the south east corner of the county of Northumberland, approx. 13 miles (21 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angle Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station in Wales

Angle Lifeboat Station is located near the village of Angle, on the southern side of the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunstanton Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI Lifeboat Station in Hunstanton Lifeboat Station, England

Hunstanton Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution operated lifeboat station located in the village of Old Hunstanton in the English county of Norfolk. This is the only lifeboat station on the east coast of England which faces westward, being positioned on the east side of the square-mouthed bay and estuary known as The Wash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happisburgh Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station on the East coast of England in the UK

Happisburgh Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Inshore lifeboat station close to the village of Happisburgh in the English county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. Since 2003 the station boathouse has been re-located from the village to an area south called Cart Gap. This is because the beach below Happisburgh disappeared due to coastal erosion and the stations slipway and access was washed away. The original boathouse in the village is now used for training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyemouth Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station in Scotland

Eyemouth Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour town of Eyemouth, in the Scottish Borders, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arklow Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station in Ireland

Arklow Lifeboat Station is located at South Quay in Arklow, County Wicklow, a harbour town at the mouth of the River Avoca, on the east coast of Ireland.

Palling Lifeboat Station was located at the town of Palling, on the north-east coast of Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seascale Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station in Cumbria, England

Seascale Lifeboat Station was located in the village of Seascale, Cumberland, Cumbria.

Chapel Lifeboat Station was located at the village of Chapel St Leonards, in the county of Lincolnshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ackergill Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Scotland

Ackergill Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, located at Ackergill Harbour, Highland, in the NE corner of Scotland near the town of Wick, in the historic county of Caithness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamburgh Castle Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Northumberland, England

Bamburgh Castle Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which was located at the village of Bamburgh in the county of Northumberland. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the RNLI in 1882.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alnmouth Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Northumberland, England

Alnmouth Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which was located at the village of Alnmouth, near the town of Alnwick, in the county of Northumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhoscolyn Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Anglesey, Wales

Rhoscolyn Lifeboat Station was located at Porth-y-Corwgl, near the village of Rhoscolyn, on the west coast of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bull Bay Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Anglesey, Wales

Bull Bay Lifeboat Station was located at Bull Bay, near the town of Amlwch, on the north coast of Anglesey, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanddwyn Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Anglesey, Wales

Llanddwyn Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station, located on Ynys Llanddwyn, a small tidal island near the village of Newborough, Anglesey, on the south west coast of Anglesey, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Annes Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Lancashire, England

St Annes Lifeboat Station is a former lifeboat station, located on Eastbank Road, in the Fylde coast town of St Annes, Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsdown Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Kent, England

Kingsdown Lifeboat Station was located on the shore off Wellington Parade, Kingsdown, a village situated at the north end of the White Cliffs of Dover, Kent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaham Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in County Durham, England

Seaham Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which was located at the harbour town of Seaham, in County Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitburn Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in County Durham, England

Whitburn Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which was located in the village of Whitburn, in the county of Tyne and Wear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanaelhaearn Lifeboat Station</span> Former lifeboat station in Conwy County Borough, Wales

Llanaelhaearn Lifeboat Station was actually located at Trefor harbour, some 2 miles (3.2 km) north west of the village of Llanaelhaearn, sitting between Porthdinllaen and Caernarfon on the Llŷn Peninsula, in Gwynedd, North Wales

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Softley, Michael (2000). The Brancaster Lifeboats 1874–1935 (1st ed.). Norfolk & Suffolk Research Group. pp. 1–36. ISBN   0952279940.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  3. "Latest Shipping Intelligence". Daily News. No. 8285. London. 15 November 1872.
  4. "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 30334. London. 25 October 1881. col F, p. 7.
  5. "Summary of the Meetings of the Committee". The Lifeboat. 16 (183). February 1897. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  6. "Brancaster, Norfolk, St Mary's Church". Britain Express. Retrieved 30 May 2024.