Dover Lifeboat Station
Dover Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station[1] located in the town of Dover in the English county of Kent.[2] The station first opened in 1837, becoming under the RNLI’s control in 1855.[3]
History
The first rescue service at Dover was called the Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution which was established in September 1837.[4] This first services former boathouse is at the Western Docks, Dover and along with the clock tower which stands next to it have been designated Grade II listed buildings.[5]
First Closure
From its inception up until the First World War the Dover station operated using rowing and sailing lifeboats. In September 1914 following the outbreak of the war the station was forced to close due to the fact that there were not enough men to man the Lifeboat safely. After the War had finished plans were made to re-open the station. In 1919 the station finally re-opened and was given a new steam lifeboat called James Stevens No. 3. Built in 1898 this lifeboat, one of only six steam driven lifeboats, was designed to be ready to steam, immediately, at all times. Unfortunately the lifeboat still took at least 20 minutes to get up to steam and required a large technical crew to keep her fired up. The lifeboat was driven through the water vie a single propeller. This lifeboat was launched only five times before the station was closed again in 1922.[6]
Camber (East Docks) station
With the increasing numbers of shipping and the advent of private and commercial air traffic the RNLI realised that the need for a lifeboat station in Dover would again be required.[6] In 1929 the lifeboat station re-opened at a new location. The boathouse was now in the Eastern Docks at Camber[7] The re-opened station was also supplied with a new faster lifeboat. The Sir William Hillary (ON 725),[6] named after the founder of the RNLI, arrived on station in 1930 and she was powered by twin 375 horsepower petrol engines with a top speed of 17.25 Knots. This was almost twice the speed of the rest of the RNLI’s fleet of lifeboats most of which were capable of 9 Knots.[6] The Dover station operated from this location until the Second World War. At the time of the Dunkirk evacuation the Sir William Hillary was away having a refit and overhaul. The relief lifeboat Agnes Cross, remained on Dover station until 1941 when station closed down again for the duration of the War.
Post-War re-opening
In 1947 the Dover station began operations again. This time they once again were re-located to what had been used as the Motor Torpedo Boat pens in the East Docks area.[6] The rapid expansion of the Dover ferry terminal in the 1980s saw the lifeboat station moved again. The station was to be located to the Tug Haven situated in the inner harbour across from the Cross Wall Quay.
1990s to present
In the late 1990s work began on a new station which has been built on Cross Wall Quay. The construction work was completed in 2000 and the service from the station began in August 2001. The current lifeboat is a Severn-class[8] lifeboat called City of London (ON 1220) [9] which has been on station since 1997 and is the seventeenth lifeboat to be stationed at Dover.
Fleet
| Dates in service | Class | ON | Op. No. | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1837–1853 | 37ft Self-Righter (12 oar, Pulling & Sailing) | Unnamed | Operated by Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution. | ||
| 1853–1857 | 28ft Self-Righter (6 oar, Pulling & Sailing) | Unnamed | Operated by Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution. | ||
| 1857–1864 | 28ft Self-Righter (6 oar, Pulling & Sailing) | Unnamed | |||
| 1864–1878 | 32ft Self-Righter (10 oar, Pulling & Sailing) | Royal Wiltshire | |||
| 1878–1888 | Self-Righter (Pulling & Sailing) | Henry William Pickersgill | |||
| 1888–1901 | 37ft Self-Righter (12 oar, Pulling & Sailing) | ON 197 | Lewis Morice | ||
| 1901–1914 | 37ft Self-Righter (12 oar, Pulling & Sailing) | ON 461 | Mary Hamer Hoyle | ||
| Station closed due to WWI | |||||
| 1919–1922 | Steam-class | ON 420 | James Stevens No. 3 | ||
| Station closed | |||||
| 1930–1940 | Self-Righter | ON 725 | Sir William Hillary | ||
| 1940–1941 | Self-Righter | ON 633 | Agnes Cross | Relief lifeboat while Sir William Hillary was being refitted. | |
| Station closed due to WWII | |||||
| 1949–1967 | Barnett-class | ON 860 | Southern Africa | ||
| 1967–1997 | Waveney-class | ON 1003 | 44-004 | Faithful Forrester | |
| 1997–present | Severn-class | ON 1220 | 17-09 | City of London II | |
Neighbouring Stations to Dover | |
|---|---|
References
- ^ "Dover Lifeboat Station". The Official Dover RNLI website. RNLI web site. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ OS Explorer Map 138 – Dover, Folkestone & Hythe.Published: Ordnance Survey – Southampton. ISBN 978 0 319 2351 26.
- ^ Heroes All! – The story of the RNLI. Author: Beilby, Alec. Publisher: 1992, Patrick Stephens Ltd – Part of the Haynes Publishing Group.Work: Chapter 18 – The Lifeboat Stations – Part 2 The Kent Stations, Dover, Pages 164. ISBN 1 85260 419 0
- ^ Reference to the Date of Formation of the Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution publisher:The Dover Society retrieved 17 September 2013
- ^ List Entry – Clock Tower and Former Boat House retrieved 17 September 2013
- ^ a b c d e Mayday Mayday – The History of Coastal Rescue in Britain and Ireland. Authors;Farrington, Karen – Constable, Nick.Publisher: Collins 2011. Work: Chapter: 4 – South, page: 99 – Dover Lifeboat Station. ISBN 978 0 00 744338 3
- ^ "Eastern Docks – to 1945". Reference to the re-opening of the lifeboat station at Camber in 1929. Dover Historian web site. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
- ^ "Severn Class Lifeboat". Technical specifications of Severn Class Lifeboats. RNLI web site. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- ^ "Severn Class 17 mt". List of Severn Class lifeboats including City of London. NavyNuts web site. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
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