Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station

Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station
Lytham St Annes All-weather Lifeboat Station
Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station is located in Lancashire
Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station
Location within Lancashire
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
Location121-123 South Promenade,, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, FY8 1SW, England
Coordinates53°44′48.8″N 3°01′57.7″W / 53.746889°N 3.032694°W / 53.746889; -3.032694
Opened1931
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Lytham St Annes RNLI Lifeboat Station

Lytham St Annes Lifeboat Station was created in 1931, with the amalgamation of two Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) branches, Lytham (1851–1931) and St Annes (1881–1925).[1]

The primary location is at South Promenade in St Annes, on the Fylde coast of Lancashire, from where it operates an All-weather lifeboat. The Shannon-class lifeboat 13-24 Barbara Anne (ON 1331) has been on station since 2018.[2]

There is also a secondary location, the former 1960s station, located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away at East Beach, Lytham, from where it operates a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, currently MOAM (D-800), on station since 2016.[3]

History

For earlier information about Lytham or St Annes lifeboat stations, please see;

On the 12 March 1931, the Lytham branch of the RNLI, which was still operational, joined with the St Annes branch, their station having closed in 1925, and thus was created 'Lytham St Annes' Lifeboat Station.[4]

Less than one month later, on 7 April 1931, Lytham St Annes lifeboat station received a new 35-foot 6in self-righting (motor) lifeboat, constructed by J. Samuel White of Cowes, and costing £3,281. She had a 35-hp engine, delivering a speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). She was named the Johnson Webster, Henry Butterworth and William and Catherine Rashleigh lifeboat, all named on a plaque inside the boat, but known as J.H.W. (ON 738). The boat was to heavy to be housed in the boathouse, so was moored off Lytham Pier, the boathouse being used to store equipment, along with a small boarding boat. J.H.W. would serve for eight years, being transferred to Padstow in 1939.[5][4]

The Dunleary (ON 658) arrived in Lytham St Annes on 29 January 1939. A much older motor-lifeboat, built in 1919, she had served at Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire), but was larger, faster and much better equipped. In March 1939, the crew was joined by Motor Mechanic George 'Ginger' Harrison. He would go on to serve as mechanic for 40 years, the longest serving RNLI Mechanic.[6][4]

There had been some discussion about closing the Lytham St Annes station in 1938, but this was never actioned. This was probably quite fortunate, as the outbreak of World War II brought extra duties. Rifle practice was required, as was carrying a member of the Naval forces on the boat. Permission to launch was under Admiralty control. In November 1939, the Dunleary provided exceptional service to H.M.Trawler Gaul, saving the boat and 15 crew. In 1942, six lives, and H.M. Patrol Vessel Seilestier, were saved. Five lifeboat crewmen were awarded the 1939–1945 Star for their wartime service.[4][7]

The Sarah Townsend Porritt (ON 886) arrived on 19 April 1951, a 46ft 9in Watson-class lifeboat, with twin diesel engines, delivering 8.36 knots (15.48 km/h; 9.62 mph). She cost £24,427, and was provided from the legacy of Kate Isabel Porritt of Rossendale, Lancashire. Sarah would serve 27 years, and be credited with two medal rescues. On 3 July 1955, she was called to the yacht Penboch, aground on Angry Brow two miles north of Southport. After a difficult service, with the lifeboat being battered and grounding several times, five people were rescued. Coxswain Joe Parkinson would receive the bronze medal. In a service on 21 July 1962 to the yacht Lone Seeker, stranded on Salter's Bank, four people and the yacht were saved, but only after George Harrison got burned on the hand when the line rocket jammed. Coxswain Harold Parkinson was awarded the bronze medal, with George Harrison receiving 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum'.[7]

1960 Lytham Lifeboat Station

A mussel cleaning plant had been constructed on the waterfront at Lytham in 1935, but it was no longer needed by 1957. On hearing of the intended demolition, RNLI Mechanic George Harrison was reported as saying "What a pity to pull down the place. It'd make a nice life-boat station." On 26 June 1960, Lytham St Annes got a new base to house their boarding boat and equipment, moving from the 1863 boathouse next to Lytham Windmill. It turned out to be the ideal home for the D-class (RFD PB16) Inshore lifeboat (D-120), that arrived in 1967.[8][9]

In 1997, a number of Tyne-class lifeboats were removed from station because of engine problems, and replaced with a variety of relief lifeboats. Lytham St Annes boat 47-037 Sarah Emily Harrop (ON 1155) was sent away for repairs, only never to return. In her place, Mersey-class lifeboat 12-21 Margaret Jean (ON 1178) arrived on station, and for now would still be moored afloat off the Lytham Central Beach Station.[10]

Mersey-class lifeboat 12-30 Her Majesty The Queen (ON 1189)

There had long been concerns about the river silt, and even as early as 1995, relief Mersey lifeboat 12-30 Her Majesty The Queen (ON 1189) had been sent on trial, operating from North Beach car park, north of St Annes. A second Mersey was sent on trials to Lytham St Annes in 1999, 12-001 Peggy and Alex Caird (ON 1124), this time operating out of Fairhaven Road car park. All went very well, and at the crew's request, the station would change to have a carriage launched lifeboat.[4]

Mersey-class lifeboat 12-33 Fisherman's Friend (ON 1192) replaced relief boat Margaret Jean on 27 March 1999, and on 28 March 1999, she was the last boat to depart the Lytham mooring, ending its regular use after 68 years. She was recovered to the Fairhaven Road car park site in St Annes, where a temporary station was constructed in July 1999. Lytham St Annes received their permanent boat on 16 December 1999, the 1995 trial boat Her Majesty the Queen. She would serve Lytham St Annes for the next 18 years.[11]

Shannon-class lifeboat 13-24 Barbara Ann (ON 1331)

Construction of a new station started in 2001, completing in 2003, The site, down the slipway at the end of Eastbank Road in St Annes, was exactly where the first St Annes lifeboat had been launched 120 years previously.[4]

In 2018, Lytham St Annes station received a new Shannon-class lifeboat, 13-24 Barbara Anne (ON 1331). Costing £2.2million, she is capable of 25 knots, nearly 50% faster than the previous lifeboat.[12]

Following a review of RNLI service calls between 2017 and 2022, it was revealed that 98% of the calls were within 10 nautical miles of the shore, with just 1.8% between 10 and 25 nautical miles, and only 0.2% of incidents at a range greater than 25 nautical miles from the shore. It was announced in October 2025 that in 2027, Lytham St Annes will be the first station to receive a Mk.4 B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat, replacing the All-weather Shannon-class lifeboat, which will be withdrawn.[13]

After service

Mersey-class lifeboat 12-30 Her Majesty The Queen on display at the RNLI College

Having served at Lytham St Annes for 18 years, and later at Newcastle, the Mersey-class lifeboat 12-30 Her Majesty The Queen (ON 1189) was retired in 2023. This happened to coincide with the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and it was felt to be inappropriate to sell the lifeboat from service. After having the engines removed, the boat was first placed on display at Chatham Historic Dockyard. She has since returned to Poole, and now sits on permanent display at the RNLI College.[14][15]

Another former Lytham St Annes lifeboat, the medal-winning 46-foot 9in Watson-class Sarah Townsend Porritt (ON 886), was sold in 1982, and spend many years as Sarah, as a well-kept former lifeboat. However, a change of circumstance, a subsequent sinking, and a failed restoration plan, has left the lifeboat in a sorry state. As of 2026, she is being given one last chance. She sits in a yard at Hayle in Cornwall, available free to anyone interested, hoping for a new owner and restoration, before she is scrapped.[16]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Lytham St Annes:[4][7][11]

  • 1939–1945 Star
    Edward Rimmer
    Hugh Rimmer
    Joseph Harold Parkinson
    George Harrison
    J. R. Parkinson
  • RNLI Silver Medal
    John James Parkinson, Coxswain – 1940
  • RNLI Bronze Medal
    George Harrison, Motor Mechanic – 1940
    Joseph Harold Parkinson, Coxswain – 1955
    Harold Parkinson, Coxswain – 1962
    Arthur Wignall, Coxswain – 1981
    Brian Pearson, Assistant Mechanic – 1981
  • Medal Service Certificate
    Tony West, Motor Mechanic – 1981
    Harry Bamber, crew member – 1981
    David Topping, crew member – 1981
    Robert Kennedy, crew member – 1981
    Russell Wignall, crew member – 1981
    Gary Miller, crew member – 1981
    Daniel Chester, crew member – 1981
    Paul Francis, crew member – 1981
  • 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum'
    George Harrison, Mechanic – 1956
    Keith Morris, Reserve Mechanic – 1956
    G Harrison, Mechanic – 1962
    Harold Parkinson, Coxswain – 1969
    Kenneth Smith – 1969
    Robert Kennedy, crew member – 1981
  • 'A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution'
    Gary Miller, Helm – 1994
    Russell Wignall, crew member – 1994
    Martin Jaggs, crew member – 1994
  • A special framed certificate for First Aid Service
    Gary Bird, Second Mechanic – 2005
  • Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
    Tony West, Second Coxswain / Mechanic – 1996NYH[17]
    Martin Jaggs, Coxswain/Mechanic – 2016QBH[18][19]
  • British Empire Medal
    George Harrison, Mechanic – 1972NYH[20]
    Arthur Robert Wignall – 1987NYH[21]
    David Forshaw, Deputy Launching Authority, Press Officer – 2022NYH[22][23]

Lytham St Annes lifeboats and tractors

Lytham St Annes

ON[a] Op.No.[b] Name Built On station[24] Class Comments[24]
738 – J. H. W. 1931 1931−1939 35-foot 6in self-righting (motor) Transferred to Padstow.
658 – Dunleary 1919 1939−1951 45-foot Watson Previously at Kingstown.
886 – Sarah Townsend Porritt 1951 1951−1978 46-foot 9in Watson [25]
911 – City of Bradford III 1954 1978−1985 46-foot 9in Watson Previously at Humber.
955 The Robert 1960 1985−1988 47-foot Watson Previously at Broughty Ferry and Baltimore. Transferred to Beaumaris.
1146 47-031 Voluntary Worker 1988 1988−1990 Tyne Previously in the Relief fleet. Later at Selsey.
1155 47-037 Sarah Emily Harrop 1989 1990−1997 Tyne Transferred to the Relief fleet. Later at Calshot.
1178 12-21 Margaret Jean 1991 1997−1999 Mersey Previously in the Relief fleet. Later at Exmouth.
1192 12-33 Fisherman's Friend 1993 1999 Mersey Previously in the Relief fleet. Later at Clifden.
1189 12-30 Her Majesty The Queen 1992 1999–2018 Mersey Previously in the Relief fleet. Later at Newcastle.
1331 13-24 Barbara Anne 2017 2018− Shannon [12]
More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

Lytham St Annes No. 2 (trials)

ON[c] Op.No.[b] Name Built On station[26] Class Comments[26]
1124 12-001 Peggy and Alex Caird 1988 1999 Mersey Previously at Bridlington. Later at Bembridge.

Inshore lifeboats

D class

Op.No.[b] Name On station[27] Class Comments
D-120 Unnamed 1967–1976 D-class (RFD PB16)
D-251 Unnamed 1977–1988 D-class (Zodiac III) [Note 1]
D-360 Unnamed 1988–1996 D-class (EA16)
D-509 John Kennedy 1996–2006 D-class (EA16) [Note 2]
D-657 Sally 2006–2016 D-class (IB1)
D-800 MOAM 2016– D-class (IB1)

Launch and Recovery tractors

Op.No.[b] Reg. No. Type On Station[28] Comments
T38 HYU 15 Case L 1961–1964 Used for the Boarding Boat
T31 FGU 821 Case L 1964–1969 Used for the Boarding Boat
T35 FYM 558 Case L 1969–1973 Used for the Boarding Boat
T120 P514 HAW Talus MB-H Crawler 1999–2001
T107 F415 EAW Talus MB-H Crawler 2001–2008
T95 B188 GAW Talus MB-H Crawler 2008–2018
SC-T13 HF67 DSO SLARS (SC Innovation) 2018–2019
SC-T05 HF14 HLJ SLARS (Supacat) 2019–2021
SC-T13 HF67 DSO SLARS (SC Innovation) 2021–2023
2025–
  1. ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.
  3. ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Provided from an appeal for Green Shield Stamps by the Bramhall and Woodford Ladies Lifeboat Guild.
  2. ↑ Named in memory of the former Honorary Secretary, by his widow Doreen on 13 April 1997.

References

  1. ↑ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2026). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2026. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 105.
  2. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, p. 55.
  3. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, p. 114.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Forshaw, David (2006). On Those Infernal Ribble Banks. Great Northern Publishing. pp. 11–224.
  5. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 28–29.
  6. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 26–27.
  7. 1 2 3 Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0907605893.
  8. ↑ "The Mussel Tank, Lytham". Lancashire Past. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Focus on Lytham-St. Anne's". The Lifeboat. XXXXI (426). December 1968. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Lifeboats struck by engine fault". The Herald. 22 December 1997. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Lytham St Annes' station history". RNLI. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  12. 1 2 Forshaw, David (25 February 2018). "The new Lytham St Annes Shannon Lifeboat Barbara Anne has arrived". RNLI. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Rush, Danielle (2 October 2025). "Lytham St Annes first to receive modern new inshore lifeboat". RNLI. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  14. ↑ "HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh joins RNLI for retirement of HM The Queen lifeboat". RNLI. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Her Majesty The Queen". Facebook. RNLI. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "46ft Watson-Class Lifeboat". Responsible Boat Disposal. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". 1996 New Years Honours. The Gazette. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ↑ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". 2016 Birthday Honours. The Gazette. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "Staunch RNLI volunteer awarded MBE in Queen's birthday honours". RNLI. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". 1972 New Years Honours. The Gazette. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  21. ↑ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". 1987 New Years Honours. The Gazette. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  22. ↑ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". 2022 New years Honours. The Gazette. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  23. ↑ Naylor, Callum (1 January 2022). "British Empire Medal For Lytham St Anne's Long Serving RNLI Volunteer". Lytham St Annes news. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  24. 1 2 Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 28–55.
  25. ↑ "Sarah Townsend Porritt". National Historic Ship Register. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  26. 1 2 Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 48–49.
  27. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 88–99.
  28. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 87–90, 95–96.
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