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St Mary's Lifeboat Station

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Coordinates: 49°55′8.4″N 6°18′25.2″W / 49.919000°N 6.307000°W / 49.919000; -6.307000
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St Mary's Lifeboat Station
St Mary's Lifeboat Station is located in Cornwall
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 / 49.919000°N 6.307000°W / 49.919000; -6.307000
Opened1837
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution

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.

History

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A lifeboat station was provided in 1874 at a cost of £280 (equivalent to £32,800 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 £213,300 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

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St Mary's Lifeboat RNLB Whiteheads (ON 1229)
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 £678,800 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 £1,060,400 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

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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]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d 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 7 May 2024.
  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. ^ a b Leach, Nicholas (2006). Cornwall's Lifeboat Heritage (2nd ed.). Twelveheads Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-906294-43-6.
  5. ^ "Scilly Islands Lifeboat". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 5 August 1874. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 12–13.
  7. ^ "Royal National Life-Boat Institution". Shields Daily Gazette. England. 10 May 1890. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "The Lifeboat Service". The Cornish Telegraph. England. 8 October 1891. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 14–15.
  10. ^ "New Life-Boat for the Scilly Islands". Cornishman. England. 22 October 1919. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 28–29.
  12. ^ "New Lifeboat for Scilly". Cornishman. England. 14 August 1930. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 32–33.
  15. ^ "£32,000 Lifeboat". Portsmouth Evening News. England. 13 December 1955. Retrieved 9 October 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 40–41.
  17. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 48–49.
  18. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 56.
  19. ^ "St Mary's Lifeboat Station: history". RNLI. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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