Weymouth Lifeboat Station

Weymouth Lifeboat Station
Flag of the RNLI
Weymouth Lifeboat Station in 2013
Weymouth Lifeboat Station is located in Dorset
Weymouth Lifeboat Station
Location within Dorset
General information
TypeLifeboat station
LocationNothe Parade, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8TX, England
Coordinates50°36′26″N 2°27′01″W / 50.607306°N 2.450167°W / 50.607306; -2.450167
Opened1869
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Weymouth RNLI Lifeboat Station

Weymouth Lifeboat Station can be found at Nothe Parade on the Nothe Peninsula, a landform on the south side of the mouth of the River Wey in Weymouth, a seaside resort approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the county town of Dorchester, overlooking the Isle of Portland, and sitting mid-way between Lyme Regis and Swanage, on the Jurassic coast of Dorset, England.

A lifeboat station was established at Weymouth by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1869.

Severn-class All-weather lifeboat 17-32 Ernest and Mabel (ON 1261)

The station currently operates a Severn-class All-weather lifeboat (ALB), 17-32 Ernest and Mabel (ON 1261), on station since 2002, and a B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat (ILB), Jack & Phyl Cleare (B-917), on station since 2021.[1]

History

Ever since its founding in 1824, the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS), later to become the RNLI in 1854, would award medals for deeds of gallantry at sea, even if no lifeboats were involved. On 14 December 1825, the ship Vigilant was wrecked at Lulworth Cove, with the loss of the Master, two crewmen, and two boys. A group of coastguards, led by Boatman Owen Lloyd, managed to throw a line, and save the Mate, hauling him up a cliff. Lloyd was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.[2]

A lifeboat was placed at Portland by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) the following year, operated by the Dorset Shipwreck Association.[1]

On 30 November 1841, the brig Amyntas, on passage from Quebec, was wrecked at West Bay. The Master and three crew drowned attempting to get ashore, but local man John Hansford rushed into the water, saving the lives of two other men. Hansford was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.[3]

By 1851, the Portland lifeboat had been condemned and was not replaced. It would be another 18 years, before another lifeboat would serve the area.[1][4]

Further medals were awarded at Weymouth before the establishment of a lifeboat station. Capt. Pierre Picard, Master of the fishing smack Victoire Désirée was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal, when he and his crew rescued five people from the Dart of Lyme Regis on 8 March 1857. William Flann and Joseph White were each awarded the RNLI Silver Medal, when they, along with five other men, put off in a small boat at Chesil Beach on 30 December 1860, and saved the five crew of the schooner Norval of Plymouth.[5]

A lifeboat station was finally established at Weymouth in 1869. Rather than being re-located at Portland, it was considered that Weymouth was better placed to aid vessels in distress on the north and east sides of Weymouth Bay. A boathouse was constructed on the west side of the harbour, costing £189, with a slipway costing a further £136.[6][7]

A 33-foot-long (10 m) Peake-class self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat was constructed by Forrestt of Limehouse, at a cost of £276, funded by the donation of £450 from The Earl of Strafford, arrived in Weymouth in January 1869.[6][7][8]

On the 26 January, the latter part of the day being designated a general holiday, the lifeboat was drawn on its carriage by eight horses, in grand procession through the town to the Esplanade sands, followed by various civic dignitaries, Naval officers, men of the coastguard, and members of benevolent societies, accompanied by various bands of music. After a short service by the Rev. Talbot A. Greaves, the lifeboat was named Agnes Harriet, before being launched on demonstration to the assembled crowd.[6]

Motor Lifeboats

The boathouse was rebuilt in 1921, at a cost of £5000, to allow it to receive a motor lifeboat, although it would be three years before one was placed on station. At a ceremony on 10 September 1924, the 40-foot Watson-class motor lifeboat Samuel Oakes (ON 651) was launched, and the new boathouse was formally opened by Lady Ilchester. The boathouse had been funded via Hannam Edward Albany Ward, as noted by an inscribed table:[9]

"This Life-boat House has been presented to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution through the generous initiative of Albany Ward, Esq., in bringing the claims of the Life-boat Service before the Patrons of the Albany Ward Theatres, Ltd., Jersey and Guernsey Amusements Company, Ltd., and Albany Ward's Theatres."

A new 40ft 6in Watson-class lifeboat, Lady Klysant (ON 721), gift of the Royal Mail and Union Castle steamship company, was placed at the station in 1929. It was one of a number of boats funded by the leading shipping companies, in response to an appeal by The Prince of Wales, subsequently Duke of Windsor. The lifeboat, with a single 50-hp Weyburn CE4 engine, was soon found to be under-powered for the location, and was replaced the following year with a 51-foot Barnett-class lifeboat, William and Clara Ryland (ON 735), powered by twin 60-hp Weyburn CE6 engines. Being too large for the boathouse, the lifeboat was kept at moorings in the harbour, an arrangement that continues to this day.[10]

1990s onwards

Since 1995, the All-weather lifeboat has been supported by a B-class Inshore lifeboat (ILB). The B-class (Atlantic 21) Elizabeth Bestwick (B-541) arrived on station on 29 June 1995. The old Ferrymans Hut and Mast Store were demolished in 1996, for the construction of a new boathouse nearer the entrance of the harbour, to house the Inshore lifeboat. Works were also carried out on the 1921 boathouse, to provide better crew facilities.[7]

The Severn-class All-weather lifeboat 17-32 Ernest and Mabel (ON 1261) was placed on service in 2002. The lifeboat, costing £1.8m, was funded primarily via the gift of Miss Beryl Taylor of Esher in Surrey, and was named in memory of her late parents. A bequest from Eileen Cressy, and a gift in memory of Chester Balch from his widow, provided additional funding. After naming the lifeboat, the 86-year-old Miss Taylor was taken on a trip around the harbour.[11][12]

In 2003, access to the boat was made easier by the construction of a floating pontoon, at a cost of £130,000. Honorary Secretary Derek John Sargent was awarded the MBE in the Queen's New years Honours.[7]

Major refurbishment work to improve the station building was scheduled to commence in May 2026. A two-storey extension has been carefully designed to respect the heritage of the building, whilst re-configuring the internal layout, improving all facilities, and upgrading the fabric of the building for greater efficiency.[13]

Description

The 1869 lifeboat station is still used for crew facilities. It is built from stone and faces the harbour. Above the boat doors is a bay window lookout. At the top of the gable is a date stone carved '1924' to commemorate when the building was modified for the arrival of its first motor lifeboat, the Samuel Oakes. Opposite the boathouse is a metal bridge leading to the floating pontoon where the ALB is moored. Much closer to the harbour entrance is the boathouse built in 1996. This is a long, low building that opens immediately onto a wide slipway, down which the ILB is pushed on its carriage to reach the water.

Area of operation

Phyl Clare III and the boarding boat, with Ernest and Mabel behind

The RNLI aims to reach any casualty up to 50 miles (80 km) from its stations, and within two hours in good weather. To do this the Severn-class lifeboat at Weymouth has an operating range of 250 nautical miles (460 km) and a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h).[14] Adjacent All-weather lifeboats are stationed at Swanage to the east, and Exmouth to the west. There is also an Inshore lifeboat at Lyme Regis, between Weymouth and Exmouth.[15]

Service awards

The volunteer crews of the RNLI do not expect reward or recognition for their work, but many rescues have been recognised by letters, certificates and medals from the RNLI management. The following are just some of the most notable.[7]

In 1948, three people were rescued from the yacht Mite, during an operation that lasted eleven hours. For this service, Coxswain Frederick Palmer was awarded the RNLI Bronze medal. The following year he received the RNLI Silver medal, with Motor Mechanic James McDermott awarded a bronze medal, for their rescue of four people from a steam tug.

The rescue of five crew members from the yacht Dehra resulted in the award of a Bronze Medal to lifeboat man Donald Laker in 1965. Another bronze was awarded in 1972, to Coxswain Alfred Pavey, following the rescue of an injured crewman from the yacht Nomis.

On 14 October 1976, the lifeboat put to sea in a hurricane, to assist the yacht Latifa and her crew of eight. In charge of the rescue was Second Coxswain Victor Pitman. He did not have a full crew of trained lifeboat men and so two fishermen volunteered to make the crew up to strength. The lifeboat crew had an average age of 50. For the rescue on a day that none could remember worse conditions, Pitman was awarded the RNLI silver medal, with all the crew – both regular volunteers and the fishermen – accorded "The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum".

A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Derek Sargent, for leading the rescue of the crew of five from the catamaran Sunbeam Chaser during a storm off Portland Bill on 16 October 1987.

The following are awards made at Weymouth:[7][16]

  • RNLI Silver Medal
    Capt. Pierre Picard, Master of the fishing smack Victoire Désirée – 1857
    William Flann – 1861
    Joseph White – 1861
    Frank Perry – 1890
    Frederick Carter – 1890
    Frederick James Palmer, Coxswain – 1949
    Victor James Pitman, Second Coxswain – 1977
  • RNLI Bronze Medal
    Frederick James Palmer, Coxswain – 1948
    James McDermott, Motor Mechanic – 1949
    Donald Laker, crew member – 1965
    Alfred Thomas Pavey, Coxswain – 1972
    Derek John Sargent, Coxswain/Mechanic – 1988
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
    Frederick James Palmer, Coxswain – 1961
    The Coxswain and crew – 1965
    Dr E. J. Gordon Wallace – 1967
    Dr E. J. Gordon Wallace, Chairman and Honorary Medical Adviser – 1969
    Bertie Legge, Bowman – 1972
    Dr Jeremy Parkinson, the Honorary Medical Adviser – 1972
    Weymouth lifeboat crew – 1977
    Victor James Pitman, Second Coxswain – 1978
    Victor James Pitman, Coxswain – 1985
    Christopher William Tett, Second Coxswain – 1986
  • A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
    Coxswain and crew – 1967
    B. A. C. Legge, Bowman – 1968
    Coxswain Alfred Thomas Pavey and the other seven members of the lifeboat crew – 1969
  • Letters of Appreciation
    E. A. Hall – 1965
    D. S. Southcombe – 1965
    Dr E. J. Gordon Wallace – 1965

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving at Weymouth:[7]

  • Washed into the sea and drowned whilst on shore duties, assisting the Weymouth lifeboat when on service to the US Tank Landing Craft 2425, in difficulties off Chesil Beach, 13 October 1944
    Cdr. J. R. Pennington Legh, DSC, RN (ret'd), H.M. Coastguard (55)
    Robert H. Treadwell, H.M. Coastguard (35)

Isle of Portland lifeboat

Pulling and sailing lifeboats

On station[18] ON[a] Name Built Class Comments[4]
1826–1851 Pre-116 Unnamed 1826 20-foot Plenty [Note 1]
Condemned and sold in 1851.

Weymouth lifeboats

Pulling and sailing lifeboats

On station[19] ON[a] Name Built Class Comments[19][20]
1869–1887 Pre-522 Agnes Harriet 1869 33-foot Peake Self-righting (P&S) [Note 2]
Sold in 1891.
1887–1903 141 Friern Watch 1887 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]
Broken up in November 1904.
1903–1924 513 Friern Watch 1903 38-foot Watson (P&S) [Note 4]
Sold in 1925. Renamed Easting Down. Lost off Ijmuiden in 1965.
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Motor lifeboats

On station[21] ON[a] Op. No.[b] Name Built Class Comments[21]
1924–1929 651 — Samuel Oakes 1918 40-foot Watson Previously at Humber. Later transferred to Shoreham Harbour
1929–1930 721 — Lady Kylsant 1929 40-foot 6in Watson Transferred to Howth
1930–1957 735 — William and Clara Ryland 1930 51-foot Barnett Sold in 1958. Under restoration as a house boat following sinking at Hoo, August 2024.
1957–1976 939 — Frank Spiller Locke 1957 52-foot Barnett (Mk. II) Transferred to Galway Bay
1976–1999 1049 54-04 Tony Vandervell 1975 Arun Sold in 1999 for further use as lifeboat MacElliott at Porkkala, Helsinki, Finland. Now a hydrographic survey boat at Kronstadt, St Petersburg, Russia, November 2025
1999 1160 52-46 Duke of Atholl 1990 Arun Sold in 2007 for further use as a lifeboat in Iceland. Last reported being broken for spares, December 2025.
1999–2002 1073 52-18 Robert Edgar 1981 Arun Sold 2003. Training boat 52-18 at Nelson, New Zealand, December 2024.
2002– 1261 17-32 Ernest and Mabel 2002 Severn
More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

Inshore lifeboats

B-class

On station[22] Op. No.[b] Name Class Comments
1995–1996 B-541 Elizabeth Bestwick B-class (Atlantic 21)
1996 B-544 Catherine Plumbley B-class (Atlantic 21)
1996–1997 B-543 Round Table B-class (Atlantic 21)
1997–1998 B-512 U.S. Navy League B-class (Atlantic 21)
1998 B-525 Spix's Macaw B-class (Atlantic 21)
1998–2015 B-746 Phyl Clare 3 B-class (Atlantic 75)
2015–2021 B-774 Braemar B-class (Atlantic 75)
2021– B-917 Jack & Phyl Cleare B-class (Atlantic 85) [23]
  1. 1 2 3 ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. 1 2 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 20 ft 0 in (6.10 m) x 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) (6-oared) Plenty-class non-self-righting lifeboat, gift of the RNIPLS, built by William Plenty of Newbury, Berkshire, costing £100.
  2. ↑ 33 ft 0 in (10.06 m) x 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of The Earl of Strafford, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £276.
  3. ↑ 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m) x 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr E. Homan of Finchley, built by Hansen of East Cowes, costing £347.
  4. ↑ 38 ft 0 in (11.58 m) x 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) (12-oared) Watson-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr E. Homan of Finchley, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £1,023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2026). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2026. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. p. 102.
  2. ↑ Cox 1998, p. 13.
  3. ↑ Cox 1998, p. 75.
  4. 1 2 Farr & Morris 1992, p. 13.
  5. ↑ Cox 1998, pp. 115, 127.
  6. 1 2 3 "Additional Stations and New Life-Boats". The Life-boat. VII (74): 269–270. 1 October 1869. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Weymouth's station history". Weymouth Lifeboat Station. RNLI. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 12–13.
  9. ↑ "The Centenary: In the South-West of England". The Life-boat. XXV (282): 235. November 1924. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Morris, Jeff (2008). List of British Lifeboats Part 3 (Third ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. pp. 18, 26.
  11. ↑ Morris 2008, p. 80.
  12. ↑ "Lifeboat is named by principal donor". Dorset Echo. 16 September 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Major refurbishment to begin at Weymouth RNLI Lifeboat Station". RNLI. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Wake-Walker, Edward (2008). The Lifeboats Story. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-0750948586.
  15. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 111–112.
  16. ↑ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0907605893.
  17. ↑ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  18. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 2.
  19. 1 2 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. pp. 12–37.
  20. ↑ Farr, Grahame; Morris, Jeff (1992). List of British Lifeboats Part 1 & 2 (Second ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. pp. 23, 47, 60.
  21. 1 2 Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 26–54.
  22. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2026, pp. 62–67.
  23. ↑ "Weymouth RNLI names new Inshore Lifeboat". RNLI. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
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