Lowestoft Lifeboat Station | |
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Lowestoft Lifeboat Station. | |
General information | |
Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
Location | South Pier |
Address | Royal Plain |
Town or city | Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0AE |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 52°28′18″N1°45′11″E / 52.47167°N 1.75306°E |
Opened | 1801 |
Owner | ![]() |
Website | |
Lowestoft RNLI Lifeboat Station |
Lowestoft Lifeboat Station is located at the mouth of Lowestoft's outer harbour, on South Pier in Lowestoft, the most easterly settlement in the UK, and a port town on the coast of Suffolk.
It is one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom, having been established in 1801, although it only operated for just one year. A lifeboat station was re-opened by the Suffolk Humane Society in 1807, with management passing to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1855. [1]
The station currently operates 13-05 Patsy Knight (ON 1312), a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, on station since 2014. [2]
In 1801, a lifeboat built by Henry Greathead was placed at Lowestoft on a trial basis. Vessels wrecked in the area were usually some distance from the shore, and a rowing boat without sails quickly proved unsuccessful, due to the strength of the currents and tides encountered. [3]
At 12 noon on 19 November 1807, the first 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, the 39-foot Frances Anne, was launched at Lowestoft, under the eye of designer Lionel Lukin of Long Acre, London. It had been constructed by R. Sparrow of Worlingham Hall, and performed to high satisfaction, with 16 crew aboard. [3] [4] [5]
The station was managed by the Suffolk Humane Society (SHS), who would come to place lifeboats at Pakefield, Sizewell, Southwold, Thorpeness, Aldeburgh and Bawdsey. At the Annual General Meeting of the RNLI on 26 April 1855, it was announced that the SHS, now with just three stations at Lowestoft, Pakefield and Southwold, had voluntarily joined the Institution, thereby transferring all remaining stations to the management of the RNLI. [6]
The Frances Anne had been replaced in 1850, with a larger 42-foot lifeboat, built by Sparham of Lowestoft, named Victoria. Whilst the Southwold lifeboat was immediately replaced in 1855, it is assumed that the Lowestoft lifeboat was in good condition, as it was retained by the RNLI, and served at Lowestoft until 1876. [7]
On 1 November 1859, the Lowestoft lifeboat Victoria was launched to the aid of the steamship Shamrock of Dublin, wrecked in a gale on Holm Sands. With seas breaking over the vessel's masthead, the lifeboat anchored, and veered down. Managing to get a line aboard, all 14 crew were pulled through the surf one at a time. Eight of the lifeboat crew were awarded the RNLI Silver Medal. [8] [9]
At the meeting of the RNLI committee of management on 7 May 1868, it was reported that the Institution was in receipt of £620 from an anonymous lady, to defray the costs of a lifeboat station. The gift was appropriated to Lowestoft, and the Victoria was renamed Laetitia, in accordance with the donor's wishes. [10]
An additional lifeboat arrived in February 1870, having been transported to Great Yarmouth, and then sailed to Lowestoft. A 32-foot lifeboat, it was designed for close shore work. This No.2 lifeboat was funded from Miss Leicester of London, and was named George after her late brother. Miss Leicester had previously funded a lifeboat for Whitehaven. A new boathouse was constructed. [11]
In 1921, Lowestoft received their first motor-powered lifeboat. She was renamed Agnes Cross, after the donor, who gifted £3,500 to the Institution in 1919, followed by a further gift of £1,500, for the provision of a lifeboat for Lowestoft. For reasons unknown, the lifeboat had served briefly at Gorleston No.1 as the John and Mary Meiklam of Gladswood (ON 663) in 1921, before being transferred to Lowestoft. The serving Lowestoft lifeboat, Kentwell (ON 543), was relocated to Gorleston No.1. [12]
The 46-foot Watson-class lifeboat Michael Stephens (ON 838) was placed on service in 1939. Just one year later, she took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. With a Royal Navy crew instead of lifeboat men, the boat was initially used to ferry troops from the harbour and beaches, to larger vessels. It is not known how many men were rescued, but she did eventually return to Dover with 52 soldiers on board. [13]
South Broads Lifeboat Station, an Inshore lifeboat station, was established on the outskirts of Lowestoft in 2001. It operated at Oulton Broad until 2011, when a coastal review decided better coverage for the area was better served from Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. [14]
After 21:00 on 19 November 1922, the steamship Hopelyn of Newcastle-upon-Tyne was wrecked in a north-east gale on North Scroby Sands, near Great Yarmouth. The Caister lifeboat was called, but was unable to launch. The Gorleston No.1 lifeboat Kentwell (ON 543) was launched at 23:00, and towed to the vessel by the tugboat George Jewson. The lifeboat stood by until daybreak, but after two hours, and no onboard activity, concluded there were no survivors, and returned home at 09:00.At 10:00 on 20 November, a flag was spotted on the wreck. The Gorlston lifeboat launched again, but couldn't get close, due to the conditions and an old wreck nearby. [15]
The motor-powered Lowestoft lifeboat Agnes Cross was called at 15:45, calling first at Gorleston to collect Cmdr. Edward Carver, District Inspector of Lifeboats, before heading to the wreck. On arrival, it was decided too dangerous to attempt any rescue in the dark, so the lifeboat returned to Gorleston, launching again at 04:30. Still in gale-force conditions, the lifeboat veered down to the vessel, 24 men, and a black kitten were rescued, and all were landed at Gorleston at 07:00 on the 21 October, some 32 hours after the first launch. For this service, 27 RNLI medals for gallantry were awarded to the Lowestoft and Gorleston crews. [15]
Crews from Lowestoft have received 45 awards for gallantry, including 39 medals. The RNLI Gold Medal has been awarded twice. The first award was to Lieutenant R. B. Matthews, RN, in October 1827. Coxswain John Swan was the second recipient, for his actions during the rescue of the crew of the merchant ship SS Hopelyn, wrecked on North Scroby Sands in October 1922.
The following are awards made at Lowestoft. [16] [8]
On Station [18] | ON [a] | Name | Built | Class | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1801–1802 | – | Unnamed | 1800 | Greathead | [3] |
1807–1850 | – | Frances Anne | 1807 | Norfolk and Suffolk | . [Note 1] [3] |
1850–1868 1868–1876 | Pre-229 | Victoria, Laetitia | 1850 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 2] [19] |
1876–1905 | 22 | Samuel Plimsoll | 1876 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 3] [20] |
1905–1921 | 543 | Kentwell | 1905 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 4] [21] Transferred to Gorleston No.1 in 1922. |
On Station [22] | ON [a] | Name | Built | Class | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1870–1886 | Pre-521 | George | 1869 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 5] [23] |
1886–1890 | 23 | The Two Sisters, Mary and Hannah | 1872 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 6] On loan from Pakefield |
1890–1892 | 288 | Stock Exchange | 1890 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 7] [24] [25] Transferred to Gorleston No.1 in 1892. |
1893–1912 | 356 | Stock Exchange | 1893 | Norfolk and Suffolk | [Note 8] [26] |
On Station [27] | ON [a] | Op. No. [b] | Name | Built | Class | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1921–1939 | 663 | – | Agnes Cross | 1921 | 46-foot 6in Norfolk and Suffolk | Previously John and Mary Meiklam of Gladswood at Gorleston. |
1939–1963 | 838 | – | Michael Stephens | 1939 | 46-foot Watson | Later stationed at Exmouth. Sold in 1976 and now used as a pleasure boat on the River Yealm. [28] |
1963–1986 | 970 | – | Frederick Edward Crick | 1963 | 47-foot Watson | |
1986–1987 | 924 | – | Archibald and Alexander M. Paterson | 1955 | 52-foot Barnett | [29] |
1987–2014 | 1132 | 47-020 | Spirit of Lowestoft | 1987 | Tyne | On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since June 2019. |
2014– | 1312 | 13-05 | Patsy Knight | 2014 | Shannon | [30] |