St Mary's Lifeboat Station

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.

St Mary's Lifeboat Station
St Mary's, Isles of Scilly
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationSt Mary's Lifeboat Station, Harbour Bay, Hugh Town, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, UK
CountryUK
Coordinates49°55′8.4″N 6°18′25.2″W
Opened1837
OwnerRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
St Mary's Lifeboat RNLB Whiteheads

History

A lifeboat station was provided in 1874 at a cost of £280 (equivalent to £26,200 in 2019).[1] In 1899 this was replaced by a new station at Carn Thomas with a slipway, at a cost of £1,500 (equivalent to £170,100 in 2019).[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 £541,300 in 2019).[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 £845,700 in 2019).[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, including 26 RNLI medals for bravery, comprising one gold, nine silver and 16 bronze. 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
  1. 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 2 February 2020.
  2. "Station history". RNLI. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  3. "Islands of Scilly". Cornishman. England. 25 September 1902. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Scilly Islands Lifeboat". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 5 August 1874. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Royal National Life-Boat Institution". Shields Daily Gazette. England. 10 May 1890. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "The Lifeboat Service". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 8 October 1891. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "New Life-Boat for the Scilly Islands". Cornishman. England. 22 October 1919. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "New Lifeboat for Scilly". Cornishman. England. 14 August 1930. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "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.
  10. "£32,000 Lifeboat". Portsmouth Evening News. England. 13 December 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "St Mary's Lifeboat Station: history". RNLI. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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