Scarborough Lifeboat Station

Scarborough Lifeboat Station
Scarborough RNLI station showing slipway
Location within North Yorkshire
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Location	Foreshore Road, West Pier, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 1PB, England
Coordinates	54°17′00″N0°23′35″W / 54.2833°N 0.3930°W / 54.2833; -0.3930
Opened	1801 1861 RNLI
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Scarborough RNLI Lifeboat Station

Scarborough Lifeboat Station is located at West Pier on Foreshore Road in Scarborough, a seaside resort and port on the east coast of North Yorkshire, England.

A lifeboat was established at Scarborough in 1801, which makes it the third oldest operational lifeboat station in the United Kingdom (after Montrose and Sunderland). Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1861. ^[1]

The station currently operates 13-15 Frederick William Plaxton (ON 1322), a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, on station since 2016, and the John Wesley Hillard IV (D-856), an Inshore D-class lifeboat, on station since 2021. ^[2]

History

The first lifeboat in Scarborough was instituted by public donation costing just over £212. ^[3] and saw its first launch in November 1801, when it went to the aid of a stricken vessel named Aurora in Scarborough Bay. ^[4] The first boat was actually built in Scarborough to a design by Henry Greathead, who had designed and built a boat for Whitby and Redcar lifeboat stations. ^[5]

A replacement boat was built and supplied to the rescue crews in the town in 1823. ^[6] The first lifeboat station was at the junction of Foreshore Road and Valley Road in the town. In 1821, the station was relocated near to its present site by the West Pier in Scarborough Harbour, however it was on the landward side of Foreshore Road. ^[4]

At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 4 April 1861, in reference to a letter from John Woodall of Scarborough, and with copies of resolutions, it was decided to accept the request of the Scarborough Lifeboat Committee, who had unanimously agreed to join the Institution, and that a new lifeboat and carriage were to be provided to Scarborough. ^[7]

The station was renovated, and Amelia, a new 32-foot (9.8 m) Peake-class self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with both sails and (10) oars, arrived in Scarborough on 26 September 1861. ^[8]

Just 5 weeks later, on 2 November 1861, the Amelia was wrecked, on its first service, after being launched to the aid of the schooner Coupland. (See Notable launches). Within a week, a replacement lifeboat was dispatched to Scarborough. Formerly the Royal Thames Yacht Club at Walmer, the boat had been at the boat-builders to be lengthened. Funded from the gift of Mrs Cockroft of Scarborough, the lifeboat was named Mary on arrival in Scarborough. ^[9]

In the early 1870s, two cast iron pillar collection boxes were erected to aid with fundraising, one at the Old Cliff, next to the gates to the Spa Bridge, near the Grand Hotel, and a second one, outside the Crown Hotel on The Esplanade. ^[10]

In 1914, the Scarborough lifeboat Queensbury (ON 111) was launched to assist in the rescue of the SS Rohilla off the coast at Whitby. Like many other lifeboats used in the rescue, she couldn't get near to the Rohilla because of the swell. ^[11]

In 1940, a new lifeboat station was built next to the West Pier; the old lifeboat house was later converted into an amusement arcade on the seafront. ^[12] The 1940 lifeboat house had to be adapted for the larger Mersey-class lifeboat Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs in 1991, which involved widening and heightening the door. ^[13]

A new lifeboat station was opened in 2016, which had been designed by the York architectural firm of Brierley Groom. ^[14] Approval for the new £3 million building was granted by the Borough Council in 2014. ^[15]

In 2018, the coxswain of the crew was dismissed; the RNLI released a statement that he had organised an operational training exercise without proper authority. The former coxswain stated that he had "the blessing and clearance of the lifeboat operations manager and several others". ^[16] After a groundswell of support for the sacked individual, the RNLI later released a further statement detailing their decision to stand down the coxswain citing the lack of trained professionals on the boat when she was put to sea in rough weather. ^[17]

Notable launches

The Mersey-class lifeboat 12-18 Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs (ON 1175) in Scarborough's old station, 2013.

• 17 February 1836 – The crew launched to help a sloop named John as it was trying to enter the harbour area at Scarborough to shelter from the storm. As the lifeboat came close to the sloop, it capsized and ten of her crew were washed out to sea on a strong ebb tide. One crew member managed to get back onto the boat and three others were underneath the boat, having secured themselves to the boat to prevent the same fate that had befallen ten of their comrades. The three used the 'conduiting pipes' (used to drain seawater out of the boat) ^[4] set into the boat to allow them to breathe. A human chain was formed of spectators who eventually managed to rescue the four men from the sea. ^[18]

• 2 November 1861 – the crew launched their new life boat Amelia, after a storm besieged the east coast. Many ships were trying to make port in Scarborough, and one, the Coupland, missed the harbour entrance and was driven ashore in the South Bay, near the Spa Theatre. In the rough conditions, the lifeboat pitched violently, crashing against the sea-wall, first throwing the Coxswain overboard, followed by several members of the crew. Two lifeboat men died, along with three members of the public, including Lord Charles Beauclerk, who had been spectators on the shore, but had waded into the water to help. The crew of the Coupland, which had been carrying a cargo of granite, had been relatively safe once their vessel washed ashore, and were rescued by the Rocket Brigade. The lifeboat was a complete wreck. It is estimated that 24 lives were lost in the area during the storm. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

• 9 December 1951 – the Dutch vessel Westkust ran into trouble some 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) off the coast of Scarborough. The ECJR was launched at 11:30, but due to the heavy seas, she took over seven hours to reach the Westkust. As the lifeboat came alongside the sinking ship, two of the lifeboatmen jumped onto the Westkust to assess the situation, whilst the crew of the Westkust got into the lifeboat. As the two craft were side by side, they were being buffeted together and apart by the strong swell of the sea. One lifeboat man managed to jump back into the lifeboat, but a freak wave wrenched the two ships apart, leaving Bowman Frank Dalton clinging to the rails of the Westkust. The swell then pushed the two boats together again, and crushed the lifeboatman between them. He fell into the lifeboat with a crushed pelvis and died of his injuries before they reached the port of Bridlington. ^[22]
• 8 December 1954 – whilst escorting ships into harbour during a storm, the lifeboat overturned in the South Bay at Scarborough. Three crew members died. ^[23]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Scarborough ^{[24] [25]}

• RNIPLS Silver Medal

James Fowler, Master Mariner – 1824

Smith Tindall, Master Mariner – 1824

Thomas Claybourn, Coxswain – 1828

• RNLI Silver Medal

Henry Wyrill, Boatman – 1857

Lord Charles Beauclerk – 1861 (post.)

William Tindall – 1861 (post.)

John Iles – 1861 (post.)

Michael Hick, Ship Owner – 1861

Joseph Rutter, Eng. Superintendent, Scarborough Railway Station – 1861

Oliver Sarony, Photographic Artist – 1861

(all members of the public)

John Owston, Coxswain – 1880

William Sheader, Coxswain – 1970

• RNLI Bronze Medal

John Nicholas Sheader, Coxswain – 1952

Thomas Jenkinson Mainprize, Assistant Motor Mechanic – 1952

Frank Dalton, Bowman – 1952 (post.)

Thomas Rowley, Acting Coxswain – 1973

Rudi Barman, Helm – 2015 ^[26]

• The Maud Smith Award 1969
  (for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
  awarded jointly to:

William Sheader, Coxswain of Scarborough Lifeboat – 1970

(and Eric Offer, Coxswain of Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat – 1970)

• The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum

Samuel Rawling – 1861

Matthew Byfield – 1861

William Bland – 1861

The Scarborough Lifeboat Crew – 1970

Richard Constantine, Coxswain/Mechanic – 1994

• A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution

Each member of the Scarborough Lifeboat crew – 1966

C. J. Bean, – 1968

R. Swalwell – 1968

Paul Stonehouse, Helm – 1995

Craig Burnett, crew member – 2015

Adam Beston, crew member – 2015

• Letters of thanks from the Operations Director

Dr Peter Billingsley – 2015

Jason Hedges – 2015

• Two silver mounted pipes presented by The Prince of Wales

John Owston, Coxswain – 1902

• Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Stuart Edwin Ogden, Coxswain – 1994QBH ^[27]

Richard Francis Constantine, Former Coxswain/Mechanic – 2003QBH ^[28]

• British Empire Medal

Donna Loveland – 2020QBH ^{[29] [30]}

John Percy Porter, Visits Officer, Water Safety Advisor and Fundraiser – 2024KBH ^[31]

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost at Scarborough. ^{[32] [33] [34]}

• Lost when the lifeboat capsized, on service to the sloop John and Agnes of Aberdeen, 17 February 1836.

J. Allen

T. Boyes

T. Cross

J. O. Dale

J. Clayburn

J. Day

R. Marchman

J. Maw

T. Walker

J. Waugh

• Lifeboat Amelia, on service to the schooner Coupland, 2 November 1861

Lord Charles Beauclerk

Thomas Brewster

John Burton

William Tindall

John Iles

• Crushed between the lifeboat E. C. J. R. (ON 879) and the vessel Westkust, 9 December 1951

Frank Dalton, Bowman (57)

• Lost when lifeboat E. C. J. R. (ON 879) capsized whilst searching for fishing boats, 8 December 1954.

John 'Jack' Nicholas Sheader, Coxswain (63)

John. H. Cammish, Second Coxswain (55)

Francis Bayes, Signalman (29)

Scarborough lifeboats

Scarborough lifeboat committee lifeboats

ON [a]	Name	Built	On station [35]	Class	Comments [36]
–	Unknown	1801	1801–1823	27-foot 6in North Country	[Note 1]
–	Unknown	1823	1823–c.1852	28-foot North Country	[Note 2]
Pre-252	Unnamed	1852	1852–1861	25-foot Peake Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 3] This was the first self-righting lifeboat to serve at Scarborough. [13] [37]

RNLI Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats

ON [a]	Name	Built	On station [38]	Class	Comments
Pre-379	Amelia	1860	1861	32-foot Peake Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 4] Wrecked in the storm of 2 December 1861. [39] [40]
Pre-300	Mary	1856	1861–1872	33-foot Peake Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 5] Previously 29-foot 5in lifeboat Royal Thames Yacht Club at Walmer, lengthened in 1861.
Pre-570	Lady Leigh	1872	1872–1887	35-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 6] [41]
111	Queensbury	1887	1887–1895	37-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 7] [37]
6	Queensbury	1884	1895–1901	34-foot 4in Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 8] [37] Previously Thomas and Isabella Firbank at Middlesbrough
344	Edward and Lucille	1892	1901–1902	34-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 9] [37] Previously at Rye
484	Queensbury	1901	1902–1918	35-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 10] [37] [42]
574	Brothers Brickwood	1907	1918–1924	35-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 11] Previously at Brighstone Grange [37]

All-weather lifeboats

ON [a]	Op. No. [b]	Name	Built	On station [43]	Class	Comments
683	–	Herbert Joy	1923	1924–1931	35-foot Self-righting (Single Motor)	Donated by Alex Joy and named after his brother who drowned in the bay at Scarborough. [44] [13] [37]
742	–	Herbert Joy II	1931	1931–1951	35ft 6in Self-righting motor	[37] [12]
879	–	E. C. J. R.	1950	1951–1956	35ft 6in Self-righting motor	[37]
792	–	Annie, Ronald and Isabella Forrest	1936	1956–1958	Liverpool	[37]
942	37-01	J. G. Graves of Sheffield	1958	1958–1978	Oakley	The prototype Oakley Class lifeboat. [37]
979	37-12	Amelia	1964	1978–1991	Oakley	[37] [45]
1175	12-18	Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs	1991	1991–2016	Mersey	Sold to the Chilean rescue service in 2018 and works out of Valparaíso, 75 miles (121 km) to the north west of the capital, Santiago. [46] [47]
1322	13-15	Frederick William Plaxton	2016	2016–	Shannon	Officially unveiled by the Duke of Kent in April 2017 [48] [49] [50]

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

Inshore lifeboats

Op. No. [b]	Name	On station [51]	Class	Comments
D-68	Unnamed	1965	D-class (Dunlop)
D-85	Unnamed	1966–1967	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-20	Unnamed	1967	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-40	Unnamed	1968–1969	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-183	The Young People of Scarborough	1970–1984	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-304	Unnamed	1984–1992	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-434	John Wesley Hillard	1992–2001	D-class (EA16)
D-560	John Wesley Hillard II	2001–2009	D-class (EA16)
D-724	John Wesley Hillard III	2009–2021	D-class (IB1)	[52]
D-856	John Wesley Hillard IV	2021–	D-class (IB1)	[53] [54]

Launch and recovery tractors

Op. No. [b]	Reg. No.	Type	On station [55]	Comments
T5	IJ 3424	Clayton	1947–1950
T25	UW 3881	FWD Ltd	1949–1955
T42	JXR 933	Case LA	1955–1958
T64	PXF 575	Fowler Challenger III	1958–1967
T62	PLA 698	Fowler Challenger III	1967–1976
T61	PLA 561	Fowler Challenger III	1976–1984
T63	PXF 163	Fowler Challenger III	1984–1988
T106	F760 BUJ	Talus MB-H Crawler	1988–2001
T103	E589 WAW	Talus MB-H Crawler	2001–2015
SC-T10	HF65 HPJ	SLARS (Clayton)	2016–	The Cairns

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
2. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

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

Notes

1. 27-foot 6in x 10-foot (10-oared) North Country non-self-righting lifeboat, funded by local subscription and a gift from Lloyd's of London, built by Charles Smith of Scarborough, costing £147.
2. 28-foot x 9-foot (10-oared) North Country non-self-righting lifeboat, funded by local subscription and a gift from Lloyd's of London, built by Skelton of Scarborough, costing £85.
3. 25-foot x 9-foot (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting lifeboat, built by Edmonds of Scarborough.
4. 32-foot x 7-foot 11in (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr W. Banting of London, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £178.
5. 32-foot x 8-foot 2in (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mrs Cockroft of Scarborough, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £169.
6. 35-foot x 9-foot (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of the Freemasons or Warwickshire, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £339.
7. 37-foot x 8-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Foster Ltd of Queensbury, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £442.
8. 37-foot x 8-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Col. Foster of Queensbury, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £349 when new.
9. 34-foot x 8-foot (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Miss L. Collinson of London, built by Chambers and Colby of Lowestoft, costing £386 when new.
10. 34-foot x 8-foot (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Foster Ltd of Queensbury, built by Thames Ironworks, costing £729.
11. 35-foot x 8-foot 6in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr E. D. Brickwood of Boscombe, built by Thames Ironworks, costing £871 when new.

References

1. Chrystal 2012, p. 56.
2. "Scarborough's lifeboats". rnli.org. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
3. "Supporting Scarborough's lifeboat heroes". York Press. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
4. "Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre | Lifeboat – early years". www.scarboroughsmaritimeheritage.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
5. Theakston 1847, p. 101.
6. Theakston 1847, p. 102.
7. "Summary of the Meetings of the Committee". The Lifeboat. IV (42): 500. 1 October 1861. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
8. "New Life-Boats and Additional Stations". The Lifeboat. V (43): 5. 1 January 1862. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
9. Morris, Jeff (January 1998). The Story of the Scarborough Lifeboats (2nd ed.). p. 3.
10. "List of Annual Subscriptions and Donations (Scarborough Branch)". RNLI Annual Report. 8 (88): 507. 1 May 1873. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
11. "Heroic role in Rohilla tragedy". Whitby Gazette. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
12. Chrystal 2012, p. 55.
13. Berry 2016, p. 30.
14. Leach 2018, p. 124.
15. "New lifeboat station plans approved". BBC News. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
16. "Lifeboat coxswain hits back at sacking". BBC News. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
17. Newton, Grace (15 April 2018). "RNLI reveals why they sacked Scarborough coxswain in damning statement". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
18. "Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre | 200 year history of Scarborough's RNLI". www.scarboroughsmaritimeheritage.org.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
19. "The Destruction of the Scarborough Life-Boat". The Lifeboat. V (43): 1–2. 1 January 1862. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
20. "Loss of the Scarborough Lifeboat November 2nd, 1861". Scarborough Maritme Heritage Centre. Scarboroughmaritimeheritage.org. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
21. "The Storm in the North of England". The Times. No. 24082. London. 5 November 1861. col. E-F, p. 8.
22. "Single release to raise funds for the RNLI". The Scarborough News. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
23. "Plaque commemorates lifeboat disaster". BBC News. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
24. "Scarborough's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
25. Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN   0907605893.
26. "Scarborough lifeboat volunteer gets bravery award". BBC News. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
27. "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
28. "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said. Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
29. "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
30. "Queen's Birthday Honour for Scarborough RNLI Water Safety Pioneer". ThisIsTheCoast. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
31. "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
32. Morris 1998, pp. 2, 3, 14, 31.
33. "Names on the RNLI Memorial". RNLI Memorial. RNLI. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
34. Berry 2016, p. 32.
35. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 8–9.
36. Farr, Grahame; Morris, Jeff (1992). List of British Lifeboats Part 1 & 2 (Second ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4, 6, 29.
37. Berry 2016, p. 28.
38. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 8–38.
39. "RNLI and the Scarborough lifeboat of 1861". Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
40. "Loss of the Scarborough Lifeboat November 2nd, 1861". Scarboroughs Maritime Heritage Centre. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
41. Coggins 1991, p. 125.
42. Coggins 1991, p. 127.
43. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 44–71.
44. Coggins 1991, p. 128.
45. "Name Amelia | National Historic Ships". www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
46. MacDonald, Corinne (4 July 2019). "PHOTOS: See old Scarborough lifeboat enjoy new life in Chile". The Scarborough News. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
47. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 66–67.
48. "Royal naming for new Scarborough lifeboat". Ships Monthly. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
49. "RNLI £2m lifeboat arrives at new home". BBC News. 27 November 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
50. Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 71.
51. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 87–100.
52. Leach, Nicholas (29 May 2018). "The Scarborough Lifeboat Service – History, Timeline and Facts. The famous life saving service in Scarborough is one of the county's best-known and most-loved institutions – Nicholas Leach looks at the history". On: Yorkshire Magazine | Yorkshire's Online Publication. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
53. "New D class lifeboat for Scarborough RNLI". RNLI. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
54. Mitchinson, James, ed. (11 October 2021). "Resorts lifeboat is named and shown off by RNLI crew". The Yorkshire Post. p. 8. ISSN   0963-1496.
55. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 103–106, 113.

Sources

• Berry, Dave (December 2016). "The Dawn of a New Era for Scarborough RNLI". Scarborough Review. No. 40. Derby: Hold the Front Page. OCLC   1065135198.
• Chrystal, Paul (2012). Lifeboat Stations of North East England; From Sunderland to The Humber, Through Time. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN   9781445613765.
• Coggins, Denis (1991). Scarborough in Old Photographs. Stroud: Alan Sutton. ISBN   0862999324.
• Leach, Nicholas (2018). The Lifeboat Service in England; the North East Coast, Station by Station. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN   9781445668321.
• Theakson, Solomon Wilkinson (1847). Theakston's guide to Scarborough (3 ed.). Scarborough: Theakson. OCLC   26770480.

External links

• Scarborough RNLI Lifeboat Station