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Rhyl Lifeboat Station

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Rhyl Lifeboat Station is located in the North Wales town of Rhyl. For over 150 years, the Lifeboat Crew in Rhyl have been saving lives at sea. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1853 and the present station was opened in December 2001. The station operates a Mersey-class all-weather boat (ALB) and an IB1 inshore lifeboat (ILB).

History

In 1852, the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariner’s Society placed a lifeboat at Rhyl. Shortly after, in 1853, the lifeboat "Gwylan y Mor", capsized with the loss of six of her crew.[1]

In 1963, Rhyl Lifeboat (Anthony Robert Marshall) was launched on service to the first lifeboat rescue of a hovercraft.[2] For this service, a silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Harold Campini.

In 1967, the first D Class ILB Lifeboat was put on service in Rhyl to accompany the All-Weather Lifeboat for inshore rescues.

In 1973, the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Helmsman Don Archer-Jones for the courage and seamanship he displayed when the ILB rescued 2 boys cut off by the tide, and clinging to a perch marking the sewer outfall between Rhyl and Prestatyn, in a gale force westerly wind and a rough sea on 7 August. Crew member Paul Frost was awarded a medal service certificate.

In 2002, HRH The Duke of Kent, presented the lifeboat station with an anniversary Vellum to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rhyl lifeboat.

Description

The lifeboat station is built on the promenade in Rhyl. The building contains the All-Weather Lifeboat, Inshore Lifeboat, Talus tractor, and Softrac used for Search and Rescue operations off the coast in Rhyl. The station also has a short concrete slipway that leads down to the beach. Each boat is kept on a carriage attached to a tractor which propels it down to the water and brings it back after use. A fund-raising shop is situated on the west side of the boathouse.

Area of operation

The Mersey-class All-Weather lifeboat at Rhyl has a top speed of 17 knots (31 km/h). The lifeboat covers from Llanddulas (west) to Mostyn (east). North of the station the All-Weather lifeboat covers the Oil and Gas platforms of the Douglas and Hamilton fields, and also the windfarms of North Hoyle; Rhyl Flats; and the Gwynt-Y-Mor fields. Rhyl Lifeboat is a part of the contingency plan for any evacuation of the rigs. The area also covers the outer approaches to Liverpool. Adjacent ALBs are at Llandudno Lifeboat Station to the west, and Hoylake to the east. There is also an ILB at Flint to the east.

Fleet

All Weather Boats

Dates in service Class ON Op. No. Name
1852–1856 Gwylan-y-Mor
1856–1893 Tubular-type Morgan
1878–1888 Self-Righter Jane Dalton
1888–1899 Self-Righter ON 166 Jane Martin
1893–1897 Tubular-type ON 287 Caroline Richardson
1939–1949 Surf-class ON 835 Gordon Warren
1949–1968 Liverpool-class ON 869 Anthony Robert Marshall
1968–1990 Oakley-class ON 993 37-22 Har Lil
1990–1992 Rother-class ON 1000 37-29 Mary Gabriel
1992–present Mersey-class ON 1183 12-24 Lil Cunningham

Inshore Lifeboats

Dates in service Class Op. No. Name
1967–1975 D-class (RFD PB16) D-141 unnamed
1976–1987 D-class (Zodiac III) D-243 unnamed
1987–1995 D-class (EA16) D-348 Banks' Staff I
1995–2004 D-class (EA16) D-485 Stafford with Rugeley
2004–2014 D-class (IB1) D-632 Godfrey and Desmond Nall
2014–present D-class (IB1) D-770 Mary Maxwell

Notable Rescues

  • 1962 - ALB, First service ever made by a lifeboat to a hovercraft [3]
  • 1973 - ILB, Rescue to children stuck on sewer outfall [4]
  • 1990 - Towyn and Pensarn floods [5]
  • 2011 - ALB, Rescue kayaker with hypothermia [6]
  • 2011 - ILB, Rescue to mother and son with hypothermia [7]
  • 2012 - ALB, Rescue to cargo ship in Llanddulas [8]

See also

References

  1. ^ A Melancholy Catastrophe 1853
  2. ^ The World's first rescue by Lifeboat of a hovercraft
  3. ^ Rhyl History
  4. ^ 1973 - Rhyl - Don Archer-Jones
  5. ^ Towyn floods remembered: 20 years on
  6. ^ Kayaker rescued five hours after paddling out to windfarm
  7. ^ Rhyl RNLI volunteers rescue mother and son with hypothermia
  8. ^ Oil leaks from Carrier off Llanddulas after crew saved
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