St Mary's Lifeboat Station
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Lifeboat_RNLB_Whiteheads.jpg/220px-Lifeboat_RNLB_Whiteheads.jpg)
St Mary's Lifeboat Station is situated in St Mary's Harbour, Isles of Scilly and has been an important station for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution since the service began in 1837, however without a service between 1855 and 1874.
History
A lifeboat station was provided in 1874 at a cost of £280 (equivalent to £32,800 in 2023).[1] In 1899 this was replaced by a new station at Carn Thomas with a slipway, at a cost of £1,500 (equivalent to £213,300 in 2023).[1] In 1902 the slipway was extended by 40 feet (12 m)[2] by Robert Hicks[3] to enable the lifeboat to be launched at any state of the tide.
The lifeboat house was adapted in 1914 to receive a new motor lifeboat, but this didn't arrive on the station until 1919.
Since the arrival of the Robert Edgar in 1981, the lifeboat has been moored in the harbour, rather than the lifeboat house.
Lifeboats at St Mary's
Dates in service | Class | ON | Op. No. | Name | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1874–1890 | 37ft Oared lifeboat | Henry Dundas[4] | 37 feet (11 m) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) wide with rows of 12 oars, double-banked. Paid for by Mrs. S.J. Dundas. | ||
1890–1891 | Sailing lifeboat[5] | ||||
1891–1919 | 38ft Self-righter | ON 271 | Henry Dundas (later renamed Tom & Jenny) | 38 feet (12 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) wide[6] | |
1919–1930 | 45ft Watson-class | ON 648 | Elsie[7] | First motor lifeboat at station. 45 feet (14 m) long, 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m) wide with a 60 BHP Tylor motor and Gardner reverse gear, giving a speed of 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h). | |
1930–1953 | 45ft 6in Watson-class | ON 728 | Cunard[8] | Given by the Cunard Steamship Company. Two 40 hp engines giving a speed of 8.25 knots (9.49 mph; 15.28 km/h). Cost £8,500[9] (equivalent to £678,800 in 2023).[1] | |
1955–1981 | 46ft 9in Watson-class | ON 926 | Guy and Clare Hunter | Last slipway launched boat. Speed 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h). Cost £32,000[10] (equivalent to £1,060,400 in 2023).[1] | |
1981–1997 | Arun-class | ON 1073 | 52-18 | Robert Edgar | Speed 18.5 knots (21.3 mph; 34.3 km/h) |
1997–present | Severn-class | ON 1229 | 17-11 | The Whiteheads | Speed 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h) |
Awards
St Mary's Lifeboat has received fifty-six awards for gallantry. The most recent was in 2004 when Bronze Medals were awarded to Coxswain Andrew Howells and Crew Members Mark Bromham and Philip Roberts for the rescue of an injured man from a yacht on 29 October 2003.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Station history". RNLI. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Scilly Islands Lifeboat". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 5 August 1874. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Royal National Life-Boat Institution". Shields Daily Gazette. England. 10 May 1890. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "The Lifeboat Service". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 8 October 1891. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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ignored (|url-access=
suggested) (help) - ^ "New Life-Boat for the Scilly Islands". Cornishman. England. 22 October 1919. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "New Lifeboat. Naming of the Cunard at St. Mary's". Western Morning News. England. 12 August 1930. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "St Mary's Lifeboat Station". RNLI. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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