History
In 1803, the 12 members of the St Peter Port Douzaine decided that a lifeboat was required. An order for a lifeboat costing £170 was placed with Henry Greathead. The lifeboat would be stationed at St Sampson. It is not known for how long the lifeboat operated. [1]
Ever since its founding in 1824, the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS), later to become the RNLI in 1854, would award medals for deeds of gallantry at sea, even if no lifeboats were involved. In 1851, the RNIPLS Silver Medal was awarded to Pilot John Mitchell for the rescue of three people from the Cutter Adele. Five more RNLI Silver Medals were awarded for the efforts to save the 15 crew of the barque Boadicea, on passage from Alexandria to Antwerp, when she was wrecked on Tautenay rock on 5 January 1857. Just six of the 15 crew were rescued. [1] [3]
As a result of the wreck of the Boadicea, Mr Gustavus Carrington and Capt. Richard Peake arranged a public subscription for the purchase of a new lifeboat. £115-19s-10d was raised in just seven days. Rescue, a new 28-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and oars, arrived on 20 July. Without a carriage, the boat was stored at Stonelake's yard in St Sampson. [1]
On 30 May 1861, a resolution was passed at the public meeting, to request that the RNLI take over the management of St Sampson Lifeboat Station. The request was forwarded by Mr Henri Tupper, on behalf of the Guernsey lifeboat committee, and following the visit and report of the RNLI Inspector, the request was agreed at a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on 4 July 1861. A new lifeboat carriage was ordered, along with the commissioning of a new lifeboat house, to be built on North Side Street, St Sampson, at a cost of £134. [4]
In 1862, the RNLI supplied a replacement 30-foot (6-oared) lifeboat and carriage. Initially unnamed, the RNLI would receive the bequest of £1000 from the late Miss Louisa Hall in 1868. The funds were appropriated to the station, and the lifeboat named Louisa Hall. [6]
Victor Hugo presented the Harbour Master Capt. Abraham Martin, as a ‘mark of esteem’ with his own design of lifejacket and belt in 1870. [1]
In 1875, a larger 32-feet 10-oared lifeboat, along with its carriage, was sent to Guernsey. In a grand celebration, the lifeboat was drawn by 8 horses through the principle towns of the island, escorted by a band and a large crowd of spectators. At a service and naming ceremony, the lifeboat, funded by a gift to the Institution by Mrs. and the Misses Lockett of Liverpool, in memory of a deceased son and brother, was named John Lockett. [7] [8]
In 1878, the lifeboat house was sold to the States for £143-10s-0d, and the John Lockett was transferred to the new La Lande Lifeboat Station, established in the north-east corner of the Island, near what is now Beaucette Marina. A new boathouse had been constructed, at a cost of £334. However, after problems maintaining a crew in that location, it was decided to relocate the lifeboat once again, this time to a new station at St Peter Port. The lifeboat was returned to St Sampson in 1880 for storage, until the new station was ready. [1]
In 1881, St Peter Port Lifeboat Station was established at Saint Peter Port Harbour castle emplacement, with the Castle slipway being amended to suit lifeboat launches. [9] : 12 1896 saw the introduction of maroons to summon the crew. [1]
In June 1940 the relief lifeboat Alfred and Clara Heath ON 672 was strafed by German aircraft and Harold Hobbs, son of the Coxswain Fred Hobbs, was killed. This lifeboat stayed in Guernsey during the occupation and was used by the Kriegsmarine (Nazi German navy). [10]
Lifeboat house built on St Julians Emplacement in 1946. [10]
In 1952 the Flying Christine, an ex seaplane tender was brought into service by St John Ambulance as an ambulance boat, to work closely with the RNLI. [10]
RNLI Gold Medal and Norwegian Lifeboat Service Gold Medal awarded to Hubert Petit for rescue crew of 9 from Johann Collett in 1963. [10] In 1977 maroons were replaced by ‘bleepers’, which were followed in 1983 with pagers. [10]
In 1978 Coxswain John Petit was awarded a silver medal and the ‘Maud Smith’ award for the bravest act of lifesaving that year following the rescue from the oil rig Orion. [10]
RNLI Gold Medal awarded to Coxwain Michael Scales for the rescue of 29 from Bonita in December 1981 as well as the ‘Maud Smith’ Award for the bravest act of lifesaving that year. [10]
In 1992 Coxswain Peter Bisson received a silver medal for the rescue from the yacht Sena Siorra and the ‘Maud Smith’ Award for the bravest act of lifesaving that year. [10]
From 2015, the Guernsey Joint Emergency Services Control Centre handles all 999 emergency calls including radio Mayday, Pan-pan and Sécurité messages. [11]
2020 saw the RNLI's 1,500th call out from Guernsey, during which time 600 lives have been saved and 2,000 people taken to safety. [12]
In 2024, St Peter Port received a new B-class (Atlantic 85) lifeboat, Harold Hobbs (B-943), in memory of the RNLI volunteer who was killed by German forces while serving on a Guernsey lifeboat in 1940. [13]
Royal National Lifeboat Institution 
