Kyle of Lochalsh Lifeboat Station

Last updated

Kyle of Lochalsh Lifeboat Station
Flag of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.svg
Kyle Lifeboat Station - geograph.org.uk - 497319.jpg
Kyle of Lochalsh Lifeboat Station
Ross and Cromarty UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kyle of Lochalsh, Ross and Cromarty
General information
Type RNLI Lifeboat Station
AddressKyle Prospect Road
Town or city Kyle of Lochalsh, Highland, IV40 8AJ
Country Scotland
Coordinates 57°16′48.3″N5°42′53.7″W / 57.280083°N 5.714917°W / 57.280083; -5.714917
Opened23 April 1995
Owner Flag of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.svg Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Kyle of Lochalsh RNLI Lifeboat Station

Kyle of Lochalsh Lifeboat Station is located next to the Fisheries Pier, on Kyle Prospect Road, in Kyle of Lochalsh, a village at the end of the Lochalsh peninsula in north-west Scotland, formerly in Ross and Cromarty, now in the administrative region of Highland.

Contents

A B-class (Atlantic 21) Inshore lifeboat was first stationed at Kyle of Lochalsh by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on 23 April 1995. [1]

The station currently operates the B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat, Spirit of Fred. Olsen (B-856), on station since 2011. [2]

History

At a meeting of the RNLI Executive Committee held on 23 November 1994, it was resolved that an Inshore lifeboat station be established at Kyle of Lochalsh in 1995, with an Atlantic B-class lifeboat placed on station for an evaluation period of one-year. [1]

The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes is the largest fraternal order in England. They are a charitable organisation, and have been supporting the RNLI since 1887. Their first lifeboat, R.A.O.B. (ON 130), was a 34-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, and was the first lifeboat to be placed at Dungeness. In 1995, a B-class (Atlantic 21) Inshore lifeboat R.A.O.B. (B-535), which had already served at Hartlepool and Berwick-upon-Tweed since 1975, was the first lifeboat placed at the new Kyle of Lochalsh station. The R.A.O.B. (B-535) was replaced after two years, by the larger Atlantic 75-class, Alexander Cattanach (B-740). [2]

Torpedo Coin Collection Box Money collecting vessel outside RNLI Kyle of Lochalsh Station - geograph.org.uk - 969965.jpg
Torpedo Coin Collection Box

A station building was constructed, and completed in August 2000. It provides housing for the lifeboat and launch tractor, crew facilities, workshop and a retail outlet, and also accommodates the harbour master's office. [3]

One of the more unusual items to be found at Kyle of Lochalsh lifeboat station, is a Tigerfish Torpedo, converted to be a donation collection box. The torpedo was donated by the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre, who are based in Kyle of Lochalsh, and were established in the 1970s to test and evaluate equipment for the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence. It is reported that the propellers on top were hastily fitted replacements, when it was realised that the torpedo was still fitted with the top secret version. A brass plate reads "This unusual collecting vessel was gifted to the R.N.L.I. (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) to symbolise the vital role B.U.T.E.C.(British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre) played in the birth of the Kyle Lifeboat Station". [4] [5]

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines are the longest-running corporate partner of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The company has been supporting the RNLI since 1971, and in 2011, its generous passengers raised £95,424 for the RNLI. In 2011, Kyle of Lochalsh would receive a new Atlantic 85-class lifeboat, funded by guests onboard Fred. Olsen's four ships Balmoral, Black Watch, Braemar and Boudicca. At a ceremony in April 2012, the lifeboat was named Spirit of Fred. Olsen (B-856). [6] [7]

On Saturday 21 November 2020, Kyle of Lochalsh lifeboat was called to the aid of nine divers, when their dive boat lost power, and drifted away from the dive site. All divers were recovered, and the boat was later towed to harbour. [8]

Kyle of Lochalsh lifeboats

Op.No. [lower-alpha 1] NameIn service [2] ClassComments
B-535R.A.O.B.1995–1997 B-class (Atlantic 21)
B-740Alexander Cattanach1997–2011 B-class (Atlantic 75)
B-856Spirit of Fred. Olsen2011– B-class (Atlantic 85)

Launch and recovery tractors

Op. No. [lower-alpha 1] Reg. No.TypeIn service [2] Comments
TA80CU07 HDZNew Holland TL802015–
  1. 1 2 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat or vehicle carried on the hull.

See also

Related Research Articles

Atlantic 75-class lifeboat Fleet of rigid inflatable boats used for lifesaving and coastal operations on the British Isles

The Atlantic 75 is the second generation Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), in the B-class series of Inshore lifeboats, that were operated around the shores of the British Isles and the Channel Islands, by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) between 1993 and 2021. This lifeboat was a development of, and gradually replaced, the Atlantic 21-class lifeboat, but have now been superseded by the new Atlantic 85-class lifeboat.

Atlantic 85-class lifeboat Fleet of rigid inflatable boats used for lifesaving and costal operations on the British Isles

The Atlantic 85 is the third generation Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), in the B-class series of Inshore lifeboats, operated around the shores of the British Isles and the Channel Islands by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Developed from the Atlantic 21 and the later Atlantic 75, it was first placed on service in 2005, and has gradually now replaced the older Atlantic 75-class. The Atlantic design of the B-class of lifeboats is named after Atlantic College, where the design was originally developed.

Atlantic 21-class lifeboat Fleet of rigid inflatable boats used for lifesaving and coastal operations on the British Isles

The Atlantic 21 Inshore lifeboat was the first generation rigid inflatable boat (RIB), in the B-class series of Inshore lifeboats, that were operated around the shores of the British Isles and the Channel Islands by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), between 1972 and 2008.

Since its inception, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has provided lifeboats to lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penarth Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI lifeboat station in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

Penarth Lifeboat Station is located on the Esplanade in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station in Somerset, UK

Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset in England. A lifeboat was stationed in the town from 1836 until 1930. The present station was opened in 2003. It operates two inshore lifeboats (ILBs), a B-Class rigid-inflatable boat and an inflatable D-Class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI lifeboat station in Suffolk

Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Aldeburgh, in the English county of Suffolk.

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

Whitstable Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in Whitstable in the English county of Kent.

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

Hunstanton Lifeboat Station is located in the village of Old Hunstanton, in the English county of Norfolk. It 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">Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI lifeboat station in Ceredigion, Wales

Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station is located at South Marine Terrace, in the coastal resort of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, which sits on Cardigan Bay, on the west coast of Wales.

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

Tighnabruaich Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour at Tighnabruaich, a village on the Cowal peninsula, on the Kyles of Bute, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI Lifeboat Station in Wales, UK

Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station is located in Trearddur, Anglesey, Wales and opened in 1967 as an inshore lifeboat station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berwick-upon-Tweed Lifeboat Station</span> Lifeboat station in Northumberland

Berwick-upon-Tweed Lifeboat Station is located at Tweedmouth, on the south bank of the River Tweed, part of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the county of Northumberland.

Littlestone-on-Sea Lifeboat Station is located on Coast Drive, actually at Greatstone-on-Sea, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south east of New Romney, on the Kent coast.

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

Silloth Lifeboat Station is located at the end of Lawn Terrace, in Silloth, a port town sitting on the Solway Firth, approximately 20 miles (32 km) due west of Carlisle, on the north west coast of Cumbria.

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

Lymington Lifeboat Station is located at the end of Bath Road, on the west bank of the Lymington River in Lymington, a port town on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Mersea Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI Lifeboat station in Essex, England

West Mersea Lifeboat Station is located on the Coast Road in West Mersea, at the western end of Mersea Island, situated between the Blackwater and Colne river estuaries, 10 miles (16 km) south of Colchester, in the county of Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helensburgh Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI Lifeboat station in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Helensburgh Lifeboat Station is actually located at Rhu Marina, in the village of Rhu, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north west of the town of Helensburgh. The station is situated on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde, at the entrance to Gare Loch, formerly in Dunbartonshire, now in the administrative region of Argyll and Bute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arran Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI Lifeboat station in North Ayrshire, Scotland

Arran Lifeboat Station, sometimes known as 'Arran (Lamlash) Lifeboat Station', is located at Lamlash Pier in Lamlash, a village on the Isle of Arran, which sits in the Firth of Clyde, in the administrative region of North Ayrshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangor Lifeboat Station</span> RNLI lifeboat station in County Down, Northern Ireland

Bangor Lifeboat Station is located at Sea Cliff Road, Bangor, a city located at the top of the Ards Peninsula, overlooking Belfast Lough, 13 miles (21 km) north-east of Belfast, in County Down, Northern Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kyle of Lochalsh's station history". Kyle of Lochalsh Lifeboat Station. RNLI. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  3. ↑ "Building into the millennium" (PDF). The Lifeboat (558): 34. Winter 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "Tigerfish Torpedo". Flickr. January 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  5. ↑ "British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre". Secret Scotland. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "Fred. Olsen & the RNLI". fredolsencruises.com. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "Spirit of Fred. Olsen". The Lifeboat. 61 (600): 6. Summer 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "RNLI lifeboat crew rescue nine stranded divers". BBC. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.