Landguard Fort Lifeboat

Last updated

The Landguard Fort Lifeboat is an example of early attempts to design an unsinkable vessel. Several years before the foundation of the RNLI, Richard Hall Gower had been addressing the special problems of lifeboat design. Bayleys at Ipswich built one to his design, being paid for by public subscription initiated by Admiral Page. They launched her from the yard near Stoke Bridge in April 1821 and thoroughly tested her on the Orwell. She took station at Landguard Fort, South of Felixstowe. There is a plan of this vessel in Gower's "Original Observations".

She had a long flat floor, flared out to project at both head and stern. She was steered by a long sweep over the stern. Fourteen copper-clad water-tight cases, five on each side and four down the mid line provided buoyancy. Oars and two foul-weather sprit-sails provided propulsion and there was provision for self-draining when she was fully waterlogged. About 30' overall and 7' breadth, she was capable of supporting 25 men even when flooded. Her normal crew was six oarsmen and a coxswain. Gower remarked very emphatically that a coxswain should be in constant charge of her; for without such an experienced man, she would be almost useless.

Related Research Articles

<i>Transit</i> (ship)

Transit was the name given to an innovative sailing ship designed for speed by Captain Richard Hall Gower and built in 1800. Gower also designed two similar ships with the same name. He hoped to have his designs adopted by the British Admiralty but failed to achieve his aim.

Captain Richard Hall Gower (1768–1833) was an English mariner, empirical philosopher, nautical inventor, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.

SS <i>English Trader</i> Merchant ship

The SS English Trader was a British merchant ship wrecked off the coast of Norfolk, England in October 1941. After falling behind a convoy during the Second World War of which she was a part, the ship ran aground on the Hammond's Knoll sandbank and began to break up during a gale. Several rescue attempts by lifeboats failed, but a further attempt the following day by the Cromer Lifeboat rescued 44 of the crew, three having already been lost.

SS <i>Georgia</i> Oil tanker lost at Haisborough Sands off the coast of Norfolk, England

SS Georgia was an oil tanker lost at Haisborough Sands off the coast of Norfolk, England in November 1927.

RNLB <i>H F Bailey</i> (ON 777)

RNLB H F Bailey is the most famous Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat to have served from Cromer, because she was used by Coxswain Henry Blogg to perform many of his most famous lifesaving exploits. The lifeboat was on station for the ten years between 1935 and 1945. She is now part of the National Historic Fleet and has been preserved in the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum in Cromer.

1901 Caister lifeboat disaster RNLI boat wrecked in the Great Storm

The Caister lifeboat disaster of 13 November 1901 occurred off the coast of Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk, England. It took place during what became known as the "Great Storm", which caused havoc down the east coasts of England and Scotland.

RNLB <i>Henry Blogg</i> (ON 840)

RNLB Henry Blogg was the eighteenth lifeboat to be stationed at Cromer in the county of Norfolk.

RNLB <i>Lester</i> (ON 1287)

RNLB Lester is the ALB lifeboat stationed at Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. Cromer is the first lifeboat station on the east of England coast to receive the latest Tamar-class all-weather lifeboat. The lifeboat became officially operational at 3:55 pm on 6 January 2008. The lifeboat was officially christened Lester on Monday 8 September by the Duke of Kent. The lifeboats name Lester has been created by using parts of the surnames of Derek Clifton Lethern and William Foster, both of whom have been long-term supporters and members of the RNLI. Mr Lethern left £1.23m to the RNLI when he died in 1992 and asked for a new lifeboat to be bought in memory of him and his friend Mr Foster.

RNLB <i>Ruby and Arthur Reed II</i> (ON 1097)

RNLB Ruby and Arthur Reed II was a Tyne-class lifeboat stationed at Cromer in the English county of Norfolk from 16 December 1985 and was the No 1 lifeboat between various relief’s until she was replaced after 21 years service by the Tamar-class RNLB Lester (ON 1287) in December 2007. Between 1996 and 1999, during the rebuilding of the pier head lifeboat house and slipway, she was temporarily replaced by a carriage launched Mersey-class lifeboat, RNLB Her Majesty The Queen (ON 1189). During the time that the Ruby and Arthur Reed was on station at Cromer she performed 120 service launches, rescuing 102 lives including 3 dogs. Nearly 50% of her launches took place during the hours of darkness and 17 of them saw her facing gale force 7 winds. Her service launches included helping 48 merchant and fishing vessels and 47 pleasure craft.

A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-inflatable combination-hulled vessels.

<i>Augusta</i> (lifeboat)

The Augusta was a private lifeboat which was stationed in the town of Sheringham in the English county of Norfolk She was launched on 14 November 1838 and stayed on station for 56 years until she was retired from service in 1894 after an inspection declared her to be unseaworthy.

<i>Alf</i> (barque) Three-masted Norwegian barque

Alf was a three-masted Norwegian barque which became stranded and then wrecked on 23 November 1909 on Haisbro Sands, off the coast of Norfolk. She was originally built in 1876 as Inchgreen for Scottish owners. In the 1890s she was sold to Danish owners and renamed Adolph Harboe. Around the turn of the 20th century she was sold to Norwegian owners and renamed Alf, serving until she was wrecked off the coast of Norfolk.

SS Hopelyn was a Merchant vessel from Newcastle which became stranded and then wrecked on Scroby Sands of the Norfolk coast on 17 October 1922.

Torbay Lifeboat Station

Torbay Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Brixham, Devon in England. Brixham Lifeboat Station was opened in 1866 but since 1924 has been known as 'Torbay'. Since 2005 it has operated a Severn-class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) together with a D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).

RNLB <i>Foresters Centenary</i> (ON 786)

RNLB Foresters Centenary is a retired Liverpool-class lifeboat of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), stationed in the English coastal town of Sheringham in the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom. The lifeboat was on station for 25 years between 1936 and 1961 when she was sold. She has been restored to her original condition and is exhibited in Sheringham Museum.

RNLB <i>Cecil Paine</i> (ON 850)

RNLB Cecil Paine is a retired Liverpool-class non-self-righting lifeboat of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It was the second motor lifeboat to be stationed in the English coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea in the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom, and was on station at Wells from 25 July 1945 until she was sold in June 1965.

Henry Ramey Upcher

Henry Ramey Upcher was the second private lifeboat to be stationed in the English town of Sheringham in the county of Norfolk She was launched on 4 September 1894 and stayed on station for 41 years until she was slowly retired from duty and by 1935 had ceased rescue work completely. The Lifeboat is now on permanent display in her own museum housed in her converted original boat shed.

Harwich Lifeboat Station

Harwich Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Harwich in the English county of Essex. The station is positioned on the southern side at the mouth of the River Orwell estuary. The station serves a particularly busy section of coastline with Harwich being a very busy ferry terminal. Across the estuary is the Port of Felixstowe which is the United Kingdom's busiest container port. There is also a considerable amount of commercial traffic as well as a great number of pleasure craft using the area.

Bembridge Lifeboat Station

Bembridge Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the village of Bembridge on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom.

Yarmouth Lifeboat Station

Yarmouth Lifeboat station is an RNLI station located in the town of Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. The station has been based in Yarmouth's harbour since 1924. Previously the station had been in Totland Bay, west of Yarmouth, until it was decided that the station need a motor lifeboat. The current Severn-class lifeboat is moored afloat and shore facilities are on the quayside in Yarmouth. The station covers the western Solent with its all-weather lifeboat Eric and Susan Hiscock (Wanderer) (ON-1249) which has been on service at Yarmouth since 2001.

References

Gower, R. H. (1834). Original Observations regarding the inability of ships to perform their duty etc. S. Piper, Albion Press, Ipswich.Ch. IX pp. 67-74