Ramsgate Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in the Port of Ramsgate in the English county of Kent. The station is one of the oldest to operate in the British Isles and has launched to many notable services. Among the awards won by its crews over the years are 42 RNLI medals, including 2 gold, 39 silver and 1 bronze, the last being awarded in 2000.[1]
| Ramsgate Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Ramsgate Lifeboat Station. | |
  | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Ramsgate Lifeboat Station, Western Crosswall, Ramsgate Royal Harbour, Ramsgate, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°19′44″N 1°25′10″E / 51.32889°N 1.41944°E |
| Opened | 1802 The first lifeboat, built by Henry Greathead, was provided by the Trustees of Ramsgate Harbour. |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Fabricated steelwork clad with timber, and concrete |
History
editA lifeboat station was first established at Ramsgate Harbour in 1802 by the trustees of the harbour,[1] pre dating the formation of any national lifeboat organisation by more than 20 years. After a lapse in service between 1824 and 1851 a station was re-established by the trustees.
In 1865, the lifeboat station was taken over by the Board of Trade and the RNLI, who ran it jointly until 1922, when the RNLI it took over full responsibility, and who run the service to this day.[1]
The current lifeboat station, on the harbour wall between the inner and outer pools of the main harbour, opened in 1998, and services both an inshore lifeboat, the D-class (IB1) Claire & David Delves (B-878) and offshore Tamar-class lifeboat, the RNLB 16-23 Diamond Jubilee (ON 1303).[2]
RNLI 16-23 Diamond Jubilee (ON 1303)
Dunkirk evacuation
editDuring the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk in 1940, Lifeboat Prudential, of Ramsgate was the first little ship to the rescue. The lifeboat left Ramsgate at 2.20 in the afternoon with Coxswain Howard Primrose Knight in command with her own crew of eight men. They had been issued with gas masks, steel helmets and the lifeboat was loaded with four coils of grass warp and cans of fresh water for the troops. She took in tow eight boats, most of them wherries, manned by eighteen naval men, and when she reached Dunkirk her role was to tow the wherries between the beaches and the waiting ships. In total she rescued 2,800 troops from the beaches. For his 'gallantry and determination,' Coxswain Howard Knight was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.[3]
Station Honours
editThe following are awards made at Ramsgate[1][4]
- Howard Primrose Cooper Knight, Coxswain - 1940[3]
- Charles Fish, Coxswain - 1881
- Charles Fish, Coxswain - 1891 (Second Service Award)
- William Miller - 1826
- Captain Edward Gimar - 1829
- James Hogbin, Coxswain - 1857
- Isaac Jarman, Coxswain - 1864
- Isaac Jarman, Coxswain - 1870 (Second Service Award)
- Charles Fish, Bowman - 1870
- Mr Daniel Reading, Master of Ramsgate Harbour Steam Tug - 1872
- James Simpson - 1874
- William Wharrier - 1874
- (mate and engineer respectively of the Ramsgate Harbour Tug)
- Richard Goldsmith, crew member - 1881
- Henry Belsey, crew member - 1881
- David Berry, crew member - 1881
- Thomas Cooper Snr. crew member - 1881
- Thomas Cooper Jnr. crew member - 1881
- Thomas Friend, crew member - 1881
- John Goldmith, crew member - 1881
- Stephen Goldsmith, crew member - 1881
- Henry Meader, crew member - 1881
- Robert Penney, crew member - 1881
- Charles Vernon, crew member - 1881
- Alfred Page, Master - 1881
- William Wharrier, crew member - 1881 (Second Service Award)
- William Austen, crew member - 1881
- Charles Knight, crew member - 1881
- Edward Revell, crew member - 1881
- George Woodward, crew member - 1881
- Richard Yare, crew member - 1881
- (Master and crew of the tug Vulcan)
- William Wharrier, engineer, of the Ramsgate Harbour Tug - 1890 (Third Service Award)
- Alfred Page, Tug Master - 1892 (Second Service Award)
- Thomas James Watson - 1892
- William Burton - 1892
- Edwin Hurle - 1892
- Arthur E Fisher - 1892
(the crew of the smack Britain's Pride of Ramsgate)
- Alfred Page, Tug Master - 1898 (Third Service Award)
- John Hawkins - 1906
- William Cooper, Coxswain - 1916
- Thomas W Read, Second Coxswain - 1916
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1986
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 2000 (Second Service Award)
- Douglas S Kirkaldie. Coxswain - 1952
- Royal Harbour Ramsgate (Indian Chief) Medal for Conspicuous Gallantry
- Charles Fish, Coxswain - 1881
- Richard Goldsmith, crew member - 1881
- Henry Belsey, crew member - 1881
- David Berry, crew member - 1881
- Thomas Cooper Snr. crew member - 1881
- Thomas Cooper Jnr. crew member - 1881[5]
- Thomas Friend, crew member - 1881
- John Goldmith, crew member - 1881
- Stephen Goldsmith, crew member - 1881
- Henry Meader, crew member - 1881
- Robert Penney, crew member - 1881
- Charles Vernon, crew member - 1881
- Alfred Page, Master - 1881
- William Wharrier, crew member - 1881
- William Austen, crew member - 1881
- Charles Knight, crew member - 1881
- Edward Revell, crew member - 1881
- George Woodward, crew member - 1881[6]
- Richard Yare, crew member - 1881
(Master and crew of the tug Vulcan)
- The Maud Smith Award 1952
(for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
- Douglas S Kirkaldie. Coxswain - 1952
- The Maud Smith Award 1985
(for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1986
- The Maud Smith Award 1999
(for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 2000
- The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society
Lady Swaythling Trophy
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 2000
- James Michael Bower Endowment Fund Award 1999
as one of the two Silver Medal awardees of 1999
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic -2000
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- Thomas J H Cooper, Coxswain - 1968
- Michael Petts, crew member - 1975
- Timothy Hurst, crew member - 1975
- Malcolm H R Llewellyn - 1980
- Bryan L E Morgan - 1980
(Coxswain and Launch Seaman of the Trinity House Pilot Vessel Versatile)
- Timothy E Hurst, Helmsman - 1985
- Timothy Hurst, Emergency Mechanic - 2000
- Lance Oran, crew member - 2000
- A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- R Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1983
- D Pegden, Second Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic - 1983
- D Cooper, Emergency Mechanic - 1983
- W Blay, crew member - 1983
- T Brown, crew member - 1983
- T Hurst, crew member - 1983
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1984
- D Pegden, 2nd Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic - 1984
- T Hurst, crew member - 1984
- M Mett, crew member - 1984
- N Stephens, crew member - 1984
- R Noble, crew member - 1984
- Timothy Hurst, crew member - 1984
- Ronald N Cannon, Coxswain/Mechanic - 2000
- Christopher Andrews, Helmsman - 2008
- Harvey Cole, crew member - 2008
- John Rabbatts, crew member - 2008
- Awarded by the Prudential Assurance Company
donors of the lifeboat, in recognition of the Dunkirk service
Inscribed Silver Plaques
- Coxswain and Crew - 1940
- Ronald N Cannon, Retired Coxswain/Mechanic - 2017[7]
- Awarded by The King of Denmark
Silver Medal
- Coxswain W Cooper - 1911
- The Master of the Tug Aid - 1911
- Awarded by The President of the United States of America
- Gold watch to the Coxswain- 1919
- Binoculars to the Second Coxswain - 1919
- Gold Medals to the Lifeboat Crew - 1919
Ramsgate Lifeboats
editAll-weather lifeboats
edit| ON[a] | Op. No.[b] | Name | In service[2] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | Northumberland | 1851–1865 | Self-Righting | |
| – | – | Friend | 1865–1866 | 29-foot 1in Self-Righting (P&S) | [8] |
| – | – | Bradford | 1866–1877 | 40-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | [8] |
| – | – | Bowman | 1877 | 44-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | [8] |
| – | – | Bradford | 1877–1887 | 44-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | [8] |
| 117 | – | Bradford | 1887–1893 | 40-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 350 | – | Bradford | 1893–1905 | 42-foot Self-Righting (motor) | |
| 537 | – | Charles and Susanna Stephens | 1905–1926 | 43-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 697 | – | Prudential | 1925–1953 | Ramsgate | [Note 1][9] |
| 901 | – | Michael and Lily Davis | 1953–1976 | 46ft 9in Watson | |
| 1042 | 44-016 | Ralph and Joy Swann | 1976–1990 | Waveney | |
| 1154 | 47-036 | Kenneth Thelwall II | 1990–1994 | Tyne | |
| 1197 | 14-02 | Esme Anderson | 1994–2023 | Trent | |
| 1303 | 16-23 | Diamond Jubilee | 2023– | Tamar | [10] |
All-weather lifeboat gallery
edit-
Trent Class Lifeboat Esme Anderson (ON-1197) at Ramsgate, 11 August 2009 -
Trent Class Relief Lifeboat Corinne Whiteley (ON-1253) at Ramsgate, 4 April 2010
Inshore lifeboats
edit| Op. No. | Name | In service[2] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-500 (17-001) |
Unnamed | 1969–1971 | A-class (Hatch) | |
| A-502 (17-003) |
Unnamed | 1972–1975 | A-class (Hatch) | |
| A-510 (18-010) |
Unnamed | 1975–1984 | A-class (McLachlan) | |
| B-558 | Ramsgate Enterprise | 1984–2000 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-765 | Bob Turnbull | 2000–2014 | B-class (Atlantic 75) | [11] |
| B-878 | Claire & David Delves | 2014– | B-class (Atlantic 85) |
See also
edit
Notes
edit- ^ First motor lifeboat at station
One of four lifeboats that took part in the Coronation Review of the Fleet by the Queen at Portsmouth on 15 June 1953
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Station History". Royal National Lifeboat Institution Ramsgate. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
- ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ a b "No. 34953". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 September 1940. p. 5711.
- ^ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0-907605-89-3.
- ^ "Royal Harbour Ramsgate Medal for Conspicuous Gallantry". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "An R.N.L.I. / Indian Chief Medal pair awarded to Stoker George Woodward". Noonans. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Ray, John (17 June 2017). "Retired Ramsgate coxswain Ron Cannon awarded MBE in Queen's Birthday Honours". RNLI. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021 (2021 ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
- ^ "The Institution and the Coronation". The Lifeboat. 33 (366). December 1953. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Ray, John (13 November 2023). "Arrival of RNLB 'Diamond Jubilee' at Ramsgate's Royal Harbour". RNLI. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Bob Turnbull". Royal National Lifeboat Institution Ramsgate. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011.