St Mary's Lifeboat Station
Lifeboat station on the Isles of Scilly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | St Mary's Lifeboat Station, Harbour Bay, Hugh Town, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, UK, UK |
| Coordinates | 49°55′8.4″N 6°18′25.2″W |
| Opened | 1837 |
| Owner |  Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
History
A lifeboat station was provided in 1874 at a cost of £280 (equivalent to £26,200 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 £159,500 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.
St Mary's lifeboats
| At St Mary's | ON | Op. No. | Name | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1837–1839 | — | — | (no name) | Plenty | 20 ft (6.1 m) lifeboat, originally built for Brighton.[4] |
| 1840–1855 | — | — | (no name) | Plenty | 26 ft (7.9 m) lifeboat, originally built for Plymouth.[4] |
| 1874–1890 | — | — | Henry Dundas | Self-Righter | 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.[5] |
| 1890–1991 | 271 | — | Henry Dundas | Self-Righter | 42 ft 7 in (12.98 m) lifeboat. Later renamed Tom & Jenny.[6][7] |
| 1891–1899 | 313 | — | Henry Dundas | Self-Righter | 38 feet (12 m) long and 8 feet (2.4 m) wide.[8][9] |
| 1899–1919 | 434 | — | Henry Dundas | Watson | 38 ft (12 m) non-self-righting lifeboat. |
| 1919–1930 | 648 | — | Elsie | Watson | First motor lifeboat at station. 45 ft (14 m) long and 12 ft 6 in (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).[10][11] |
| 1930–1953 | 728 | — | Cunard | Watson | 45 ft 6 in (13.87 m) motor lifeboat. 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 (equivalent to £459,700 in 2023).[1][12][13][14] |
| 1955–1981 | 926 | — | Guy and Clare Hunter | Watson | Last slipway launched boat. 46 ft 9 in (14.25 m) long, speed 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h). Cost £32,000 (equivalent to £696,400 in 2023).[1][15][16] |
| 1981–1997 | 1073 | 52-18 | Robert Edgar | Arun | Sold in 2002 for use as a training boat in New Zealand.[17] |
| 1997– | 1229 | 17-11 | The Whiteheads | Severn | [18] |
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.[19]
