Harbour-class lifeboat

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RNLI Chatham Helen Blake 8410.JPG
Helen Blake (ON 809) at Chatham Historic Dockyard
Class overview
BuildersGroves and Guttridge of Cowes
Operators Flag of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.svg Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Cost£1.893
Built1938
In service1938–1959
Planned10
Completed1
Retired1
Preserved1
General characteristics
Displacement3.25 tons
Length28 ft (8.5 m)
Beam8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion1 × 20-hp Hyland petrol engine
Speed7.5 knots (8.6 mph; 13.9 km/h)
Range40  nmi (74 km)
Capacity23
Complement5

The Harbour-class lifeboat was the first lifeboat to be classed as an Inshore lifeboat, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Only one was constructed, and operated at Poolbeg in Dublin Bay, Ireland for its entire service life. [1]

Contents

History

Sometime around 1936, the RNLI Boat Committee called for a new design of lifeboat, intended for close shore work within an estuary. The result was a 28-foot single screw wooden lifeboat, known as a "Harbour-class". An order for ten of these "Inshore" lifeboats was planned, but with the outbreak of World War II, only one ever reached the stage of being built, fully tried and tested, and then placed on service. [2]

Design

The only Harbour-class lifeboat was built in 1938 by Groves & Gutteridge, Ltd at their Cowes boatyard. The 28-foot x 8-foot 3¼-ton lifeboat was of conventional RNLI construction, with double diagonal mahogany planking on solid grown oak frames. A single 20-hp Hyland petrol-engine, in a watertight engine-room, powered the single-screw, and provided a top speed of 7.5 knots, with a range of 40 miles. The boat was divided into eight water-tight compartments and was fitted with 29 air-cases. The vessel also had a single mast supported a dipping lugsail, and fore-sail, and a set of oars as backup. 18 casualties could be transported in addition to the five crew. [2] [3]

Service

After trials in the Solent, the lifeboat was placed on station in 1938 at Poolbeg in Ireland, ideally suited to the confined waters of the River Liffey. Lifeboat coverage for the larger Dublin Bay area was adequately covered by lifeboats at Dún Laoghaire and Howth. The boat, costing £1,893, had been funded from the legacy of the late Mrs Helen Blake of Handcross, Sussex. An official naming ceremony was planned for September 1939, but was postponed due the outbreak of war. The boat was named after the donor, Helen Blake (ON 809). [3]

Harbour-class lifeboat Helen Blake (ON 809) at Chatham Harbour Class ON809 Helen Blake at Chatham.jpg
Harbour-class lifeboat Helen Blake (ON 809) at Chatham

Helen Blake (ON 809) was launched 13 times on service, and saved 5 lives. The lifeboat was retired and subsequently sold from service, when the Poolbeg station was closed in 1959. Now fully restored, she sits on display as part of the RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard museum. [1] [4]

Fleet

ON [a] NameBuiltIn service [1] Principal StationComments
809Helen Blake19381938–1959 Poolbeg
  1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. p. 36.
  2. 1 2 "Life Boat Donated To RNLI Museum". Ships Nostalgia. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Poolbeg". The Lifeboat. XXXI (341): 257. April 1940. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  4. "Helen Blake, Poolbeg". Calm Before the Storm exhibition. RNLI. Retrieved 17 November 2024.