Criccieth Lifeboat Station

Add links
Coordinates: 52°55′03″N 4°13′48″W / 52.9175°N 4.2299°W / 52.9175; -4.2299
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Criccieth Lifeboat Station
Criccieth Lifeboat Station is located in Wales
Criccieth Lifeboat Station
Criccieth in Wales
General information
TypeLifeboat station
LocationCriccieth
AddressLôn Felin, Criccieth, Gwynedd, LL52 0DN
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates52°55′03″N 4°13′48″W / 52.9175°N 4.2299°W / 52.9175; -4.2299
Opened1853; 171 years ago (1853)
OwnerRNLI
Website
rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/criccieth-lifeboat-station

Criccieth Lifeboat Station is the base for

B-class (Atlantic 85) and Arancia-class lifeboats
.

History

The

Portmadoc Lifeboat Station was opened by the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society (SFMRBS) in 1853. All SFMRBS lifeboats were handed over to the RNLI in 1854 but it was decided to provide it with a new lifeboat. The station was renamed as Criccieth in 1892. The original building is still in use but has been rebuilt and improved on several occasions, the first time in 1892[1] and most recently in 2018.[2]

The lifeboat was wrecked in October 1910 when it was on a service. A temporary replacement came from the Reserve Fleet but that too was damaged on another service within a month and so another had to be provided from the reserve. A new lifeboat was built and arrived on station in September 1911.[3]

Early lifeboats were known as 'pulling and sailing', which means they were rowed by the crews but had sails for when conditions allowed. The lifeboat station closed in 1931 when a motor lifeboat was stationed at Pwllheli but it was reopened in 1953 with its own motor lifeboat to provide quicker service to the area.[1]

The RNLI started to provide Inshore Lifeboats (ILBs) in the 1960s and one was sent to Criccieth for evaluation in 1967. It proved successful so the old All-weather lifeboat was withdrawn in 1968 and ILBs have been successfully used ever since. On 1 September 1977 it went to the aid of a yacht that was aground on Portmadoc Bar in rough seas and a strong wind. The ILB helmsman, John Owen, and crew members Robert Williams and Kenneth Roberts were presented with 'The Institution's thanks inscribed on Vellum' for the difficult service in which they rescued all four people from the yacht.[3]

Starting in 1983, larger and faster ILBs have been stationed at Criccieth, but since 2009 there has also been a smaller inshore rescue boat of the type more usually used by beach lifeguards. It can get into shallower parts of the

Glaslyn and Dwyryd estuaries than the larger boats can reach.[3]

Lifeboats

All-weather lifeboats

'ON' is the Official Number used in RNLI records from 1884.

At Criccieth ON Name Built Class Comments
1853–1854 – Dauntless 1853 Self-righter SFMRBS lifeboat. [3]
1853–1867 – (no name?) 1853 Peake [3]
1867–1886 – John Ashbury 1867 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [4]
1886–1910 65 Caroline 1886 Standard Self-Righter [5]
1910 275 James and Caroline 1889 Standard Self-Righter Originally based at St Agnes.[6]
1910–1911 348 Jane Hannah MacDonald 1893 Standard Self-Righter Originally the Elinor Roget at Clovelly and Appledore[6]
1911–1931 624 Phillip Woolley 1911 Rubie Sold in 1935 and rebuilt as a yacht.[7]
1953–1961 794 Richard Silver Oliver 1937 Liverpool Motor lifeboat, previously used at Cullercoats, Newquay and Ilfracombe. Sold in 1963 for further use as a lifeboat in Chile. [8]
1961–1968 874 Robert Lindsay 1950 Liverpool Motor lifeboat, previously used at Arbroath and Girvan.[8]

Inshore lifeboats

Launching B-823 Doris Joan

'Op. No.' is the Operational Number seen on the side of the boats.

At Criccieth Op. No. Name Built Class Comments
1967–1971 D-117 (no name) 1967 D-class (RFD PB16) [9]
1972–1974 D-207 (no name) 1854 D-class (Zodiac III) [9]
1974–1980 D-140 (no name) 1967 D-class (RFD PB16) [9]
1980–1983 D-272 (no name) 1980 D-class (Zodiac III) [9]
1983–1984 C-510 (no name) 1983 C-class Initially numbered D-510.[10]
1985–1991 C-510 (no name) 1983 C-class Initially numbered D-510.[10]
1991–1993 C-523 British Diver IV 1990 C-class [10]
1993 C-513 Sebag of Jersey 1984 C-class [10]
1993–1994 B-531 Foresters 1975 Atlantic 21 [11]
1994–2007 B-707 Mercurius 1994 Atlantic 75 [12]
2007–2023 B-823 Doris Joan 2007 Atlantic 85 [13]
2009–2010 A-70 (no name) Arancia [3]
2010–2011 A-73 (no name) Arancia [3]
2011– A-76 Margaret and Nantw Arancia
2023– B-938 Frank Townley 2023 Atlantic 85

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Criccieth lifeboat station, Lon Felin, Criccieth". History Point. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Criccieth RNLI Lifeboat Station officially opens new boathouse". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Criccieth station history". RNLI. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  4. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 12.
  5. ^ Denton, Tony (2010). Handbook 2010. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. p. 3.
  6. ^ a b Denton 2010, pp. 6–7.
  7. ^ Denton 2010, pp. 16–17.
  8. ^ a b Denton 2010, pp. 24–27.
  9. ^ a b c d Denton 2010, pp. 55–57.
  10. ^ a b c d Denton 2010, p. 65.
  11. ^ Denton 2010, p. 49.
  12. ^ Denton 2010, p. 51.
  13. ^ Denton 2010, p. 53.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Criccieth Lifeboat Station.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Criccieth_Lifeboat_Station&oldid=1213035968"