Barmouth Lifeboat Station is located in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach river in Gwynedd, Wales. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828.[1]
| Barmouth Lifeboat Station (Gorsaf Bad Achub Abermaw) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Barmouth Lifeboat Station | |
  Barmouth, Gwynedd | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Address | The Promenade, |
| Town or city | Barmouth, Gwynedd, LL42 1NF |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°43′15″N 4°03′21″W / 52.720955°N 4.055815°W |
| Opened | 1828 |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Website | |
| Barmouth Lifeboat Station | |
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) currently operate a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337), on station since 2019, and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, Craig Steadman (D-814), on station since 2017.[2]
History
editFollowing a request by the Rev. Frederick Ricketts, a lifeboat was provided to the town by the RNIPLS in 1828. The first lifeboat was a 26-foot six-oar Palmer type, which arrived aboard the sloop Dove on 25 October 1828. The unnamed boat served until 1853.[3]
Local funding provided the first boathouse. It was initially said that a new boathouse would be constructed, but it is possible that an older 1800s building was converted. There are reports of a stone building measuring 30' x 9', with a doorway 6' 6" x 6', and costing £95. It is thought that this building is now the Harbour Master's office.[3]
On 28 December 1851, with the existing lifeboat deteriorating, Capt. Kenyon of Barmouth wrote to the RNIPLS, requesting that the lifeboat be replaced. In October 1853, a new 27-foot Peake 8-oared, self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, costing £135, was built by Forrestt of Limehouse, and was delivered to Caernarfon free of charge by the London and North Western and the Chester and Holyhead Railway companies. The lifeboat was then sailed down to Barmouth by the crew.[3]
In 1859, both the Barmouth and Criccieth lifeboats were taken away, and were extended by 6-feet, the Barmouth lifeboat now being 33-foot long, rowing 12-oars.[3]
In order to accommodate the boat, a new boathouse was constructed 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) south east of the town, where the lifeboat could launch directly into the Afon Mawddach. However, in 1864, the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway began work on the Pwllheli to Aberystwyth Railway, which required the construction of the Barmouth Bridge across the Afon Mawddach. As a result, the line was bridged right over the top of the slipway, creating a unique situation where the boathouse was located to the north of the railway line, and the lifeboat launching underneath the railway line, to the river on the south side.[3]
The third lifeboat at Barmouth was the Ellen, a double banked 10-oar vessel, placed on station in 1867. She was provided by an 'anonymous' gift, from a lady known only as E.P.S. In 1885, the Jones-Gibb (ON 64), with 12 oars double-banked, was placed at Barmouth, remaining in service until 1905. She was followed by a second Jones-Gibb (ON 538) in service until 1939.[4]
On 20 March 1982, Barmouth received a new All-weather lifeboat, a Rother-class lifeboat, built by William Osborne of Littlehampton, costing £240,000, and the first lifeboat to be fitted with Radar. A naming ceremony was planned for later in the year, to coincide with a Royal Visit to Barmouth, and on a cold wet 25 November 1982, Diana, Princess of Wales, named the boat Princess of Wales (ON 1063).[3]
A new lifeboat station was constructed on the promenade, to the west of the town in 2004. Costing £1.23 million, it provided up-to-date facilities for the crew, and is able to house both the All-weather lifeboat, the D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, and both launch tractors. A new Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat arrived in March 2019, and was named 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337) later that year.[5]
Barmouth is an RNLI "Explore" category station whereby, subject to operational requirements and availability of staff, visitors can look around the station. An RNLI Visitor Centre, and gift shop, are also housed within the building.
Station honours
editDuring the lifetime of the station thirteen awards for bravery have been presented.
The following are awards made at Barmouth[1][6]
- For rescuing seven men from the vessel Neptune on 2 February 1825
- Edmond Lewis - 1825
- For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971
- John Henry Stockford - 1971
- Colin Pugh - 1971
- Dr Robert Airdrie Haworth - 1971
- The Ralph Glister Award 1971
(for the most meritorious service of the year performed by the crew of an inshore lifeboat)
- For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971
- John Henry Stockford - 1971
- Colin Pugh - 1971
- Dr Robert Haworth - 1971
- For rescuing two men from the fishing vessel Boy Nick on 22 November 1978.
- Evan Jones, Coxswain - 1979
- Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum
- For the rescue of two men from the vessel Isabel on 18 September 1858
- Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858
- For saving the boat and crew of the American ship Troy on 19 November 1859
- Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858
- For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957
- George Berridge - 1957
- William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1957
- For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982
- Edward Leonard Vaughan, Acting Coxswain - 1982
- Vellum Service Certificate
- For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982
- Kenneth Ingram, Mechanic - 1982
- Harry Allday, Acting Second Coxswain - 1982
- Robert Buckley, crew member - 1982
- John Stockford, crew member - 1982
- Llewelyn Griffin, crew member - 1982
- Maud Smith Award 1957
- (for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew).
- For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957
- William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1958
- Testimonial on Parchment, awarded by the Royal Humane Society
- For entering the sea to rescue a man who had jumped from Barmouth Viaduct on 19 October 1980
- John Henry Stockford - 1980
- George Kenneth Jeffs, Coxswain Assistant Mechanic - 1989NYH[7]
Barmouth lifeboats
editAll-weather lifeboats
edit| ON[a] | Op.No.[b] | Name | In service[5] | Class | Comments[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | Unnamed | 1828–1853 | 26-foot Palmer | [Note 1] |
| Pre-269 | – | Unnamed | 1853–1867 | 27-foot Peake | [Note 2] |
| Pre-505 | – | Ellen | 1867–1885 | 34-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | [Note 3] |
| 64 | – | Jones-Gibb | 1885–1905 | 37-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | [Note 4] |
| 538 | – | Jones-Gibb | 1905–1939 | 38-foot Watson (P&S) | [Note 5] |
| 817 | – | Laurence Ardern, Stockport | 1939–1949 | Surf | [Note 6] |
| 864 | – | Chieftain | 1949–1982 | Liverpool | [Note 7] |
| 1063 | 37-38 | Princess of Wales | 1982–1992 | Rother | [Note 8] |
| 1185 | 12-26 | Moira Barrie | 1992–2019 | Mersey | [Note 9] |
| 1337 | 13-30 | Ella Larsen | 2019– | Shannon | [8] |
- Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.
Inshore lifeboats
edit| Op.No.[b] | Name | In service[4] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-137 | Unnamed | 1967–1978 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-268 | Unnamed | 1979–1988 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-374 | Unnamed | 1988–1997 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-524 | Pilgrim | 1997–2007 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-514 | Lord Kitchener | 2007 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-678 | Rotarian Clive Tanner | 2007–2017 | D-class (IB1) | |
| D-814 | Craig Steadman | 2017– | D-class (IB1) | [9] |
Launch and recovery tractors
edit| Op. No.[b] | Reg. No. | Type | In service[4] | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T97 | C282 LNT | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2004 | |
| T121 | DX04 YZG | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2004–2019 | |
| SC-T18 | HF68 DDL | SLARS (Clayton) | 2019– |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ 26-foot x 6-foot (6-Oared) Palmer Type non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Harton of Limehouse, costing £56.
- ^ 27-foot x 7-foot 6in Peake-class, 8-oared, self-righting lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, costing £135.
- ^ 34-foot x 8-foot 4in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, costing £300-10s-6d.
- ^ 37-foot x 8-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, costing £390.
- ^ 38-foot Watson-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £1,032.
- ^ 32-foot Surf-class non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 12hp 'Weyburn' F2 petrol-engines, delivering 6½ knots, costing £3,492.
- ^ 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 18hp 'Weyburn' AE4 petrol-engines, delivering 7¼ knots, costing £9,943.
- ^ 37-foot 6in Rother-class self-righting lifeboat, built by William Osborne of Littlehampton, costing £240,000.
- ^ 12m Mersey-class self-righting lifeboat, with twin 285hp Caterpillar 3208T diesel-engines, producing 17 knots, costing £650,000.
References
edit- ^ a b "Barmouth's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "RNLI - Barmouth Lifeboat Station". RNLI. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Morris, Jeff (December 2004). The Story of the Barmouth Lifeboats. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–50.
- ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–120.
- ^ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.
- ^ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "New £2.2m lifeboat arrives at Barmouth RNLI". BBC. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ "Barmouth RNLI's new lifeboat named in memory of Holyhead crew member". RNLI. Retrieved 25 September 2017.