Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station is located at the end of Harbour Road, on the west bank of the River Rother estuary, in the village of Rye Harbour, in the county of East Sussex.
The station currently operates a B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat, Hello Herbie II (B-900), on station since 2017.[2]
History
In addition to the lifeboat already stationed at Rye (Camber Sands), it was decided to locate another lifeboat 8mi (13km) further west, and Winchelsea Lifeboat Station was opened in 1862. A 30-foot unnamed Self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, was placed on station.[2]
On 13 February 1864, William C. Buck, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for the rescue of just one man, the Master, of the five crew of the fishing boat Thetis, but this was at the cost of coastguard man, G. Terry, who was lost during the rescue.[3]
The first lifeboat would be replaced after just five years, in 1867, with a larger 33-foot boat, named Storm Sprite. Soon after 18:45 on 22 December 1877, the Storm Sprite was launched to the aid of the schoonerVier Broders, on passage from Groningen to Portsmouth, when she stranded in low water and later broke up. Four crew were rescued from the rigging.[4][5][6]
1882 Lifeboat House
In 1882, a new lifeboat house was constructed by a local builder, Mr M. Anne, on the shore at Winchelsea, at a cost of £245. Built of pre-cast "no-fines" shingle based concrete, it was funded from RNLI donations.[7]
Both the Rye and Winchelsea lifeboats were launched to the aid of the steamshipMedea on 4 November 1882. 16 crew were taken off the Medea by the Rye lifeboat. The Winchelsea lifeboat was capsized twice during her rescue attempts, and crewman Edward Robus was swept away and drowned.[8][9]
In 1901 Rye Lifeboat Station was closed. Winchelsea lifeboat station was renamed Rye Harbour Lifeboat Station in 1910.[1]
Mary Stanford Lifeboat Memorial window at Winchelsea Church
The 35-foot lifeboat John William Dudley (ON 453), on station since 1900, was replaced in 1916, with a 38-foot Liverpool-class lifeboat, named Mary Stanford (ON 661).[2]
On the 15 November 1928, Rye Harbour lifeboat Mary Stanford (ON 661) was launched into a south west gale, to the aid of the Alice of Riga. News was received that the crew had been rescued by another vessel, and the recall signal was fired three times - but was never heard. Entering the harbour on its return, the lifeboat was seen to capsize, and all 17 crew were lost.[10]
A memorial tablet made of Manx stone was presented to Rye Harbour by the people of the Isle of Man. A memorial stained glass window was placed in Winchelsea Church. It depicts a lifeboat putting out to a ship in distress while figures on the shore watch it as it goes.[1]
Rye Harbour lifeboat station was closed soon afterwards, with the boat being broken up.[2]
In 1964, in response to an increasing amount of water-based leisure activity, the RNLI placed 25 small fast Inshore lifeboats around the country. These were easily launched with just a few people, ideal to respond quickly to local emergencies.[11]
More stations were opened, and in June 1966, a lifeboat station at Rye Harbour was re-established, with the arrival of a D-class (RFD PB16) Inshore lifeboat, the unnamed (D-105).[2]
In preparation for the arrival of a new B-class (Atlantic 75), a new boathouse was constructed in 1996, to be shared with the National River Authority. In addition to housing the Atlantic-class lifeboat, bespoke 'Drive-Off - Drive On' (Do-Do) trailer, and Talus MB-4H amphibious tractor, new crew facilities were provided, with a kit room, workshop and toilets, and a retail outlet. A new timber slipway and an elevated walkway leading to the boathouse was also constructed. At a double ceremony on 19 October 1996, the boathouse was officially opened, along with the naming of the new B-class (Atlantic 75) lifeboat Commander & Mrs Rodney Wells (B-727).[1][12]
Station honours
The following are awards made at Rye Harbour.[1][3]
RNLB Mary Stanford was a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Liverpool-class pulling and sailing type lifeboat stationed in Rye Harbour. On 15 November 1928 the Mary Stanford capsized, drowning the entire crew of 17.
Blyth Lifeboat Station is located at the Port and seaside town of Blyth, in the south east corner of the county of Northumberland, approx. 13 miles (21 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne.
The Mumbles Lifeboat Station is at Mumbles Pier, located at the south-western corner of Swansea Bay, near the village of Mumbles, within the city and county of Swansea, in the historic county of Glamorgan, Wales.
Hayling Island Lifeboat Station is located on the eastern side of Hayling Island, Hampshire, opposite the village of West Wittering, at the entrance to Chichester Harbour, where it joins the major shipping route of the Solent. This major shipping route is busy at all times of the year and there are estimated to be 10,000 boats in the Chichester area alone.
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Littlehampton, in West Sussex, on the south coast of England. The station is on the harbour side on the eastern bank of the River Arun, a quarter mile from the harbour entrance and the pier. The current lifeboat house on Fisherman's Quay was built in 2002.
Eastbourne Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station in the town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. Founded two years before the RNLI was established, the station has operated continuously since 1822, and its lifeboats have been responsible for saving over 700 lives.
Brighton Lifeboat Station is located in the seaside town of Brighton in the county of East Sussex.
Fleetwood Lifeboat Station is located on The Esplanade at the port of Fleetwood, a Lancashire town at the north end of The Fylde, situated at the mouth of the River Wyre.
Cullercoats Lifeboat Station is located on the north side of Cullercoats Harbour, in the town of Cullercoats, North Tyneside, in the county of Tyne and Wear.
Arbroath Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour town and former royal burgh of Arbroath, on the North Sea coast, 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Dundee, in Angus, Scotland.
Berwick-upon-Tweed Lifeboat Station is located on the south bank of the River Tweed at Tweedmouth, part of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the county of Northumberland.
Worthing Lifeboat Station was located on Marine Parade, in the town of Worthing, in West Sussex.
Courtmacsherry Harbour Lifeboat Station is located on Sea Road, in the village of Courtmacsherry, County Cork, on the southern shore of the Argideen River estuary, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) south west of Cork, on the south coast of Ireland.
Stonehaven Lifeboat Station is located at Old Pier, in the harbour town of Stonehaven, on the North Sea coast, 14.5 miles (23.3 km) south of Aberdeen, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Youghal Lifeboat Station is located on The Mall, in Youghal, a town situated on the western bank of the River Blackwater estuary in County Cork, approximately 48.5 kilometres (30.1 mi) east of the city of Cork, on the south coast of Ireland.
Skerries Lifeboat Station is situated at Harbour Road, on Red Island, a tied island at Skerries, County Dublin, a town approximately 31 kilometres (19 mi) north of Dublin in the administrative region of Fingal, on the east coast of Ireland.
Howth Lifeboat Station sits on the middle pier at Howth Harbour in the fishing village of Howth, on Howth Head, a peninsula located on the north side of Dublin Bay, in the administrative region of Fingal, historically County Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland.
Tramore Lifeboat Station is located on The Cove, near The Pier at Newtown, a suburb of Tramore, a seaside town in County Waterford, approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Waterford, on the south coast of Ireland.
Portrush Lifeboat Station is situated on Kerr Street, in Portrush, a harbour town and seaside resort in County Antrim, sitting on the Ramore Head peninsula, on the northern coast of Northern Ireland.
Ardrossan Lifeboat Station was located on the outer west pier at the harbour at Ardrossan, a town overlooking the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Arran, in the county of North Ayrshire, historically Ayrshire, on the south-west coast of Scotland.
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Royal National Lifeboat Institution 
