The station currently operates a Severn-class All-weather lifeboat, 17-39 Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey (ON 1270), on station since 2003.[2]
History
In 1937, it was decided to place a lifeboat at the town of Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull, a location ideally situated to cover the sea areas of western Scotland. The nine-year-old 40ft 6in Watson-class lifeboat J. & W. (ON 722) was temporarily placed on station in October 1938.[1][3]
Meanwhile, the new station boat, a 46ft Watson-class lifeboat, which had been constructed in early 1938 at Sandbank on Holy Loch, by Alexander Robertson & Sons, had been placed on display at the Empire Exhibition in Glasgow in May 1938, remaining there until October 1938. When the exhibition closed, the boat was dispatched to its new home at Tobermory, stopping at Ardrishaig on Loch Gilp on the voyage, where 300 people took a further opportunity to view the boat. Finally, she transited the Crinan Canal to Tobermory. At a ceremony on 28 November 1938, the boat was named Sir Arthur Rose (ON 801).[3]
The boat had been funded by the late Miss Margaret Lithgow, of Dhunara Castle, on the estate of Glen Gorm, Mull, and who was the sister of the shipbuilder, Sir James Lithgow.[4]
On Sunday 31 March 1940, the steamshipNydalen, on passage from Runcorn to Methil via Kirkwall, ran aground at full speed on a reef at Arinagour, on the island of Coll. She was so far aground, that they couldn't initially launch the ships lifeboats until high water. Tobermory lifeboat Sir Arthur Rose arrived to find Captain Jensen and 13 crew in the lifeboats, sheltering under the stern of the vessel. All 14 men were landed at Arinagour.[5]
HMS Western Isles was a command ship of the Royal Navy during World War II, and was the flagship of the Anti-Submarine Training School based at Tobermory. It is not known who made up the crew of the lifeboat during the period of the war, but it may be no coincidence that after the withdrawal of HMS Western Isles from Tobermory, and the departure of Naval personnel, by 1947, Tobermory lifeboat station was experiencing great difficulty maintaining a crew. In December 1947, Tobermory station was closed, and the lifeboat was transferred to a new station at Mallaig, which opened in January 1948.[1][6]
It was decided to reopen the station in 1990, after a local campaign highlighted the growing number of leisure boats and incidents in the area. The Waveney lifeboat 44-016 Ralph and Joy Swan (ON 1042) was initially placed on service, but was replaced the following year with the larger 54-foot Arun lifeboat 54-07 City of Bradford IV (ON 1052).[2]
In 1940, Tobermory lifeboat had been presented with a small version of the 'St John's Cross of Iona', by the Reverend George MacLeod, later Lord MacLeod of Fuinary, and it was carried on the lifeboat on all service launches. When the station closed, the cross remained aboard the lifeboat, which was transferred to operate from the new station at Mallaig, and was carried on board all subsequent Mallaig lifeboats. On 26 May 1991, with the Tobermory station re-established, the Mallaig Arun-class lifeboat, 52-21 The Davina and Charles Matthews Hunter (ON 1078), stopped in at Tobermory, and following a presentation ceremony, a small version of the 'St John's Cross of Iona' is now once again being carried aboard the Tobermory lifeboat.[7]
Tobermory Severn-class lifeboat 17-39 Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey (ON 1270)
In 1992, a row of five lock-up garages was purchased alongside Mishnish Pier, and work was carried out to convert the buildings, to provide facilities for the RNLI crew and volunteers, and an office for H.M. Coastguard. The building was officially opened at a ceremony on 26 March 1994, funded from a local appeal which raised over £61,000. The appeal was started in the memory of Robert 'Bobby' MacLeod, a veteran of the 1947 lifeboat crew, and one of those people instrumental in the campaign to reopen the lifeboat station.[8]
An alongside berth was completed in 2000. In 2003, Tobermory would receive their latest lifeboat, a 17m (56ft)Severn-class lifeboat, 17-39 Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey (ON 1270).[2]
On 27 January 2013, the Tobermory lifeboat was called to the aid of a fishing boat with gearbox failure, located 7 miles (11km) west of the Isle of Coll. The boat was towed back to the Isle of Tiree, where another boat awaited to take up the tow, but the rope parted, and the fishing boat ended on the rocks. Lines and tows were set up several times by the lifeboat, and the fishing boat was finally retrieved to Tobermory. In all, the service had taken 11 hours.[9]
↑ 46-foot Watson-class lifeboat, built by Alexander Robertson & Sons, Sandbank, Dunoon.
Related Research Articles
Angle Lifeboat Station is located near the village of Angle, on the southern side of the entrance to the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Falmouth Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Falmouth, Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1867 and the present station was opened in 1993. It operates a Severn Class all-weather Lifeboat (ALB) and an Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Pwllheli Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Pwllheli, which sits on the Llŷn Peninsula, in the historic county of Gwynedd, Wales.
Skegness Lifeboat Station is located at Tower Esplanade, in the town of Skegness, on the east coast of England, south of the Humber Estuary and north of The Wash, in the county of Lincolnshire.
Bembridge Lifeboat Station is located in the village of Bembridge on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. The station is located on the eastern approaches to The Solent, south of the area known as Spithead. The station is on one of the busiest shipping lanes in United Kingdom waters. The main boathouse stands away from the shore on a piled platform with slipway, and is linked to the shore by a pier gangway.
Moelfre Lifeboat Station is located in the village of Moelfre, on the north east coast of Anglesey, Wales.
New Brighton Lifeboat Station is located on Kings Parade in the town of New Brighton, on the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside. A lifeboat was first stationed at Magazines village by the Liverpool Dock Trustees in 1827. The station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1863.
Douglas Lifeboat Station is located at Battery Pier, Douglas Head, in Douglas, capital of the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependancy.
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.
Stromness Lifeboat Station is located in the harbour town of Stromness, the second largest town of Mainland, Orkney, in the isles of Orkney, Scotland.
Amble Lifeboat Station is located at Radcliffe Quay, Warkworth Harbour, in the town of Amble, at the mouth of the River Coquet, in the county of Northumberland.
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.
Oban Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour town of Oban, on the Firth of Lorn, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
Peterhead Lifeboat Station is located at West Pier, in the harbour town of Peterhead, in the NE corner of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station is located at the bottom of Fort Street, in the town of Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee on the north shore of the River Tay estuary, in the historic county of Angus, Scotland.
Leverburgh Lifeboat Station is located at Leverburgh, a village at the southern end of the Isle of Harris, part of the Outer Hebrides, an archipelago sitting off the north-west coast of Scotland.
Stornoway Lifeboat Station is located at Stornoway, a harbour town on the east coast of the Isle of Lewis, part of the Outer Hebrides, an archipelago sitting off the north-west coast of Scotland.
Mallaig Lifeboat Station is located at Harbour Road in Mallaig, a harbour town at the top of the north Morar peninsula, on the north-west coast of Scotland.
Barra Island Lifeboat Station is located at Castlebay, a village at the southern end of the Isle of Barra, part of the Outer Hebrides, an archipelago sitting off the north-west coast of Scotland.
Islay Lifeboat Station is located in the harbour village of Port Askaig, which sits on the Sound of Islay, in the north east corner of the Isle of Islay, off the north-west coast of Scotland.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution 
