Middlesbrough Lifeboat Station

Middlesbrough Lifeboat Station
Middlesbrough Dock Cut
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
General information
Status	Closed
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Town or city	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Coordinates	54°34′49.2″N1°13′10.7″W / 54.580333°N 1.219639°W / 54.580333; -1.219639
Opened	1854
Closed	1895

Middlesbrough Lifeboat Station was located on the North Wharf side of the Middlesbrough Dock Cut from the River Tees, in the town of Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire.

A lifeboat was first stationed here in 1854 by the Tees Bay Lifeboat Society. Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat in 1858. ^[1]

Middlesbrough lifeboat station was closed in 1895. ^[1]

History

In 1854, the Tees Bay Lifeboat Society decided to place a lifeboat at Middlesbrough. The lifeboat was a 30-foot self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, and was constructed locally by R. Craggs of Stockton-on-Tees, to the design of James Peake. A boathouse was constructed on the quay at the Dock Cut, near to the Dock Masters office. ^[2]

At the request of the Tees Bay Lifeboat Society, the management of their three stations, Redcar, Saltburn and Middlesbrough, was transferred to the RNLI in 1858. Each was visited prior to the transfer by Capt. John Ward, RNLI Inspector of Lifeboats, who requested alterations to the Middlesbrough boat. It was transported to lifeboat builders Forrest of Limehouse, London, where it was lengthened to 33-feet, at a cost of £11-10s-0d. After passing trials, the boat was returned to the station in February 1859. ^[2]

On the 7 April 1861, the Middlesbrough lifeboat was launched to the aid of the schooner Oregon, on passage from Grangemouth to Middlesbrough, which had run aground on South Gare Sands, at the mouth of the River Tees. The lifeboat managed to rescue four of the five crew, one man having been washed overboard when the vessel struck the sand. ^[3]

In 1864, Redcar Lifeboat Station had received a new 33-foot Self-righting lifeboat, but they had found that they needed a larger boat. A replacement was ordered, which arrived on station in 1867. The 33-foot boat, built by Forrest of Limehouse, was then transferred to Middlesbrough. The boat was named Crossley, having been funded out of a gift to the Institution by John Crossley, Carpet Manufacturer of Halifax, Yorkshire. ^{[1] [2]}

The first service of the Crossley was on 28 February 1870, when she was launched to the aid of the schooner Johns. The vessel had been on passage from Santander, Spain to Middlesbrough when she was wrecked on the North Gare sands. The lifeboatmen had to battle heavy seas in a severe southerly gale to reach the vessel, finally managing to rescue the six crew. ^{[4] [5]}

In 1878, funds from the legacy of Mr. Thomas Firbank were appropriated to the Saltburn Lifeboat Station. A new 34-foot lifeboat was provided to Middlesbrough in 1884, funded from the same legacy, and was named Thomas and Isabella Firbank (ON 6). In 1892, the named would be changed to Thomas and Isabella Firbank of Kingston-upon-Hull. The boat was launched just twice in her 11 years on station, but recorded no lives saved. ^{[1] [2]}

It was decided to close the Middlesbrough lifeboat station in 1895. Thomas and Isabella Firbank of Kingston-upon-Hull (ON 6) was transferred to Scarborough, where the boat was renamed Queensbury. The station had been sited on a busy dockyard. The North Wharf was re-developed, and a map of the area produced in 1913 shows no trace of the lifeboat house. ^{[1] [6]}

Middlesbrough lifeboats

ON [lower-alpha 1]	Name	In service [7]	Class	Comments
Pre-282	Unnamed	1854–1867	30-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 1]
Pre-418	Crossley	1867–1884	33-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 2]
6	Thomas and Isabella Firbank, Thomas and Isabella Firbank of Kingston-upon-Hull(from 1892–)	1884–1895	34-foot 4in Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 3]

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• List of former RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

Notes

1. 30-foot (10-Oared) Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by R. Craggs of Stockton-on-Tees, costing £140.
2. 33-foot (10-Oared) Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrest of Limehouse.
3. 34-foot 4in (10-Oared) Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, costing £349.

References

1. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
2. Morris, Jeff (November 2005). The Closed Lifeboat Stations of Yorkshire. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–46.
3. "Lifeboat Services". Preston Chronicle. No. 2530. London. 13 April 1861.
4. "Shipping Intelligence". Northern Echo. No. 51. Darlington. 1 March 1870.
5. "Mercantile Ship News". The Standard. No. 14221. London. 2 March 1870. p. 7.
6. "Middlesbrough". Maps. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
7. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–120.

External links

• Redcar Lifeboat Station