St Abbs Lifeboat Station
St Abbs Lifeboat Station is a marine-rescue facility in St Abbs, Berwickshire, Scotland. Which operates independently from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
A campaign to found a lifeboat station in the port was started after the sinking of the S.S. Alfred Erlandsen and the loss of crew in 1907 on rocks, known as the Ebb Carrs, near the shore of the village. Lifeboats were launched from Dunbar Lifeboat Station and Eyemouth but took too long to reach the wreck and all 17 crew members were lost.[1]
In 1911 the station was founded by with the formation of a slipway and the campaign organiser Jane Hay was made secretary of the station in recognition of her effort. The boathouse, still in use today, was added later in 1915. The station's final all weather lifeboat was a 37-foot Oakley-class, on station from 1964 until 1974 when it was withdrawn having averaged only two launches per year and replaced by an inshore D-class lifeboat as the nearby Eyemouth station had taken on a new fast Waveney-class boat. Since then the station has had a C-class, B-Class and housed the Dorothy and Katherine Barr II Atlantic 75. The RNLI withdraw its lifeboat from the station on 8 September 2015.
The stations crew have received 4 Silver Medals of honour during its service.
The St Abbs Lifeboat has now been setup as an independent rescue service not part of the RNLI. Scottish Company - Thomas Tunnock & Sons Ltd has contributed £250,000 towards the purchase of a new lifeboat to be called the "Thomas Tunnock".
Fleet
| Dates in service | Class | ON | Op. No. | Name | Launches/saved | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911–1936 | 38ft Watson-class | ON 603 | Helen Smitton | 27/37 | ||
| 1936–1949 | Liverpool-class Single engine | ON 792 | Annie Ronald and Isabella Forrest | 28/73 | ||
| 1949–1953 | Liverpool-class Twin engine | ON 872 | J.B. Couper of Glasgow | 4/1 | ||
| 1953–1964 | Liverpool-class Twin engine | ON 906 | W. Ross MacArthur of Glasgow | 32/13 | ||
| 1964–1974 | 37ft Oakley-class | ON 974 | 37-07 | Jane Hay | 20/8 | |
| 1974–1979 | D-class | D- | ||||
| 1979–1986 | C-class | C- | Unnamed | |||
| 1986–2001 | Atlantic 21-class | B-572 | Dorothy and Katherine Barr | |||
| 2001–2002 | Atlantic 21-class | B-579 | Institute of London Underwriters | |||
| 2002–2002 | Atlantic 21-class | B-568 | Burton Brewer | |||
| 2002–2015 | Atlantic 75-class | B-783 | Dorothy and Katherine Barr II | |||
| 2015 | Atlantic 75-class | B-770 | The Boys Brigade |
References
- ^ Berwickshire News (10 October 2007). "The loss of the Alfred Erlandsen 100 years ago led to lifeboat station for St Abbs". Retrieved 10 January 2014.
External links
- St Abbs Lifeboat Website.
- St Abbs Lifeboat Facebook Page.