Lowestoft Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) operated lifeboat station in the town of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The station is located at the mouth of Lowestoft's outer harbour on the South pier. It is one of the oldest lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom, having been established in 1801.
| Lowestoft Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Lowestoft Lifeboat Station. | |
  | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Lowestoft, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°28′18″N 1°45′11″E / 52.47167°N 1.75306°E |
| Owner |  Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
History
editThe station was established in 1801, when a lifeboat built by Henry Greathead began operating from the town. In 1807 the station became the first to operate a sailing lifeboat, the Frances Anne, which operated until 1850 and saved over 300 lives. The RNLI took control of the station in 1855.[1]
A second station operated in the town between 1870 and 1912, whilst the South Broads Lifeboat Station, an inshore station, operated at Oulton Broad between 2001 and 2011.[2]
Station honours
editCrews from Lowestoft have received 45 awards for gallantry, including 39 medals. The RNLI Gold Medal has been awarded twice. The first award was to Lieutenant R B Matthews RN in October 1827. Coxswain John Swan was the second recipient, for his actions during the rescue of the crew of the merchant ship SS Hopelyn, wrecked on North Scroby Sands in October 1922.[1] The lifeboat Michael Stephens took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.[1]
The following are awards made at Lowestoft[3][4]
- John Thompson Swan - 1924[5]
- Lieut Robert Bates Matthews, RN - 1827
- John Thompson Swan, Coxswain - 1922
- Lieut John Crouchley Evison, RN - 1834
- Lieut Richard Joachim, RN - 1836
- Mr Francis Stannard, Master of the schooner Glenmoriston - 1853
- Lieut Richard Joachim, RN - 1855 (Second-Service clasp)
- Captain Richard Joachim, RN - 1857 (Third-Service clasp)
- Robert Hook, Coxswain - 1859
- Nathaniel Colby, crew member - 1859
- Francis Smith, crew member - 1859
- James Butcher, crew member - 1859
- William Rose, crew member - 1859
- Alfred Mewse, crew member - 1859
- Thomas Liffen, crew member - 1859
- Richard Butcher crew member - 1859
- Captain Richard Joachim, RN - 1861 (Fourth-Service clasp)
- Robert Hook, Coxswain - 1873 (Second-Service clasp)
- Mr George Edward Hall, master of the fishing boat Trial - 1882
- John Thompson Swan, Coxswain - 1914
- John Thompson Swan, Coxswain - 1918 (Second-Service clasp)
- Ralph A W Scott, Motor Mechanic - 1922
- Albert Spurgeon, Coxswain - 1927
- George Ayers, Second Coxswain - 1918
- George William Ayers, crew member 1922 (Second-Service clasp)
- John Rose, crew member 1922
- H Allerton, crew member 1922
- J Ayers, crew member 1922
- W Butcher, crew member 1922
- C Mewse, crew member 1922
- Albert Spurgeon, crew member 1922
- F Swan, crew member 1922
- Albert Spurgeon, Coxswain - 1943 (Second-Service clasp)
- Thomas Victor Knott, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1974
- Peter Gibbons, Second Coxswain - 1974
- Thomas Victor Knott, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1976 (Second-Service clasp)
- John Catchpole, Coxswain - 1988
- Shane Gordon Coleman, Coxswain and sole crew member of the Lowestoft Pilot boat,
(also Second Coxswain/Mechanic of the Lowestoft lifeboat) - 1990
- Shane Gordon Coleman, Coxswain and sole crew member of the Lowestoft Pilot boat,
- John Catchpole, Coxswain - 1996 (Second-Service clasp)
- The Maud Smith Award 1988
(for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
- John Catchpole, Coxswain - 1988
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- Shane Coleman, Second Coxswain/Mechanic - 1996
- John Fox, Coxswain/Mechanic - 2010
- A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- Michael Knott 1976
- John W Catchpole, Second Coxswain - 1981
- Coxswain J Catchpole - 1989
- Shane G Coleman, Second Coxswain/Mechanic - 1990
- Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- S Coleman, Second Coxswain/Mechanic - 1989
- Silver Medals from the Austrian Government
- Crew of 1866 Lowestoft Lifeboat - 1893
Lowestoft lifeboats
editPulling and sailing lifeboats
edit| On station | ON | Name | Class | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1801–1802 | – | Greathead | |||
| 1807–1850 | – | Frances Ann | Norfolk and Suffolk | 39 ft 0 in (11.89 m) |
Designed by Lionel Lukin, the forerunner of the Norfolk and Suffolk type.[6][7] |
| 1850–1876 | – | Victoria | Norfolk and Suffolk | 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m) |
Number 1 lifeboat. Renamed Laetitia by 1874.[8] |
| 1870–1886 | – | George | Norfolk and Suffolk | 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m) |
Number 2 lifeboat.[9][8] |
| 1875–1905 | 22 | Samuel Plimsoll | Norfolk and Suffolk | 44 ft 4 in (13.51 m) |
Number 1 lifeboat.[10] |
| 1886–1890 | 23 | The Two Sisters | Norfolk and Suffolk | 46 ft 3 in (14.10 m) |
Number 2 lifeboat. Originally in service at Pakefield with the name Sisters.[10] |
| 1890–1892 | 288 | Stock Exchange | Norfolk and Suffolk | 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m) |
Number 2 lifeboat.[11][12] |
| 1893–1912 | 356 | Stock Exchange | Norfolk and Suffolk | 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m) |
Number 2 lifeboat.[13] |
| 1905–1921 | 543 | Kentwell | Norfolk and Suffolk | 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m) |
Number 1 lifeboat.[14] |
Motor lifeboats
edit| On station | ON | Op. No. | Name | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921–1939 | 663 | – | Agnes Cross | Norfolk and Suffolk | Previously John and Mary Meiklam Of Gladswood at Gorleston.[15] |
| 1939–1963 | 838 | – | Michael Stephens | Watson | Later stationed at Exmouth. Sold in 1976 and now used as a pleasure boat on the River Yealm.[16][17] |
| 1963–1986 | 970 | – | Frederick Edward Crick | Watson | [18] |
| 1986–1987 | 924 | – | Archibald and Alexander M. Paterson | Barnett | [19] |
| 1987–2014 | 1132 | 47-020 | Spirit of Lowestoft | Tyne | On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since June 2019.[20] |
| 2014– | 1312 | 13-05 | Patsy Knight | Shannon | [21][22] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Lowestoft Lifeboat Station, Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
- ^ RNLI closes South Broads lifeboat station at Oulton Broad, BBC news website, 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
- ^ "Lowestoft's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.
- ^ "Medal of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for Gallantry" (PDF). London Gazette. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Sketch of the progress made in the construction of coast life-boats 1795-1900". Life-boat. Vol. 17, no. 195. 1905. pp. 551–554.
- ^ Wake-Walker, Edward (2007). The Lifeboats Story. The History Press. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-7509-4858-6.
- ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
- ^ "Additional stations and new life-boats". Life-boat. Vol. 7, no. 77. 1870. p. 509.
- ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–5.
- ^ "Additional stations and new life-boats". Life-boat. Vol. 14, no. 157. 1890. pp. 395–399.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 14–15.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 28–29.
- ^ "Michael Stephens". Assoc. Dunkirk Little Ships. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 42–43.
- ^ "Archibald & Alexander M Paterson". National Historic Ship Register. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 40–41.
- ^ "Historic occasion is celebrated as Duke of Kent attends lifeboat naming ceremony in Lowestoft". The Lowestoft Journal. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 57.