Lynmouth Lifeboat Station
Lynmouth Lifeboat Station | |
---|---|
RNLI Lifeboat Station | |
Location | Devon |
Country | United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 51°13′51″N 3°49′52″W / 51.2309°N 3.8312°W |
Opened | 1867 |
Lynmouth Lifeboat Station was the base for
History
Lynmouth is on the north coast of Devon facing the Bristol Channel. In the nineteenth century this was a busy waterway carrying ships to ports such as Cardiff and Bristol. A lifeboat station was established in the town on 20 January 1869, five months after the nearby wreck of the sailing vessel Home. The lifeboat was kept in a shed on the beach until a purpose-built boat house was built at the harbour. This was rebuilt in 1898 and enlarged in 1906–07.[1]
The RNLI introduced motor lifeboats to the area in the 1930s.
Launch from Porlock Weir
The Forrest Hall, a 1,900 ton three-masted ship with thirteen crew and five
Louisa was 34 feet (10 m) long[1] and weighed 10 tons on its carriage. Six men were sent ahead to widen some parts of the road that were too narrow while about 100 people,[4] helped by 18 horses from Lynton, hauled the boat up the 1 in 4 (25%) Countisbury Hill. The carriage had to be repaired at one point when a wheel came off. At the top of the hill they took refreshments at the Blue Ball Inn then most of the people including the women and children turned back,[5] leaving just 20 men to control the boat as it descended another 1 in 4 hill down into Porlock. More horses were obtained from local farmers to bring the team up to about 20 (although four died during the journey).[6] At Porlock the road was too narrow because of a wall but the owner let the men take down the corner of the house so that they could pass. Lower down a road had been washed away by the sea so a detour was necessary. The lifeboat finally reached the sea at 06:30 on 13 January.[3]
The crew launched straight away. After their 11-hour journey across Exmoor, they now had to row for an hour into the storm to reach the Forrest Hall which was anchored close to
The journey was re-enacted in daylight on 12 January 1999. The roads had been improved in the intervening hundred years, but the weather was similarly poor.[3]
Another re-enactment was planned for 13 January 2024.[7]
Lifeboats
'ON' is the RNLI's sequential Official Number. All boats were of the self-righting type.
ON | Name | At Lynmouth | Length | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
– | Henry | 1869–1887 | 30 feet (9.1 m) | [1] |
54 | Louisa | 1887–1906 | 34 feet (10.4 m) | [1] |
558 | Pritchard Frederick Gainer | 1906–1944 | 35 feet (10.7 m) | Reported as cabin cruiser at Bedford in 2007.[8] moved to Felixstowe Ferry in 2009 as a house boat. |
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-906294-72-7.
- ^ Denton, Tony (2009). LBES Members' Handbook 2009. Shrewsbury: Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 60.
- ^ a b c d Fisher, E.J. (1999). "The Strange and Heroic Journey of the Louisa". Lerwill Life. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "History". Minehead Lifeboat Station. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Tom Richards". Oral history recordings. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ^ a b Story, Bob (2008). "Lynmouth Overland Lifeboat Rescue". Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "125th anniversary of lifeboat hauled over Exmoor to rescue stricken ship off Porlock". Somerset County Gazette. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ Denton (2009), pp. 8–9