Port St Mary Lifeboat Station
| Port St Mary Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Port St Mary Lifeboat Station | |
  Port St Mary, Isle of Man | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Lime Street |
| Town or city | Port St Mary |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Coordinates | 54°04′13.5″N 4°44′4.5″W / 54.070417°N 4.734583°W |
| Opened | 1896 |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
Port St Mary Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Port St Mary in the Isle of Man. It currently operates an All-weather Trent-class lifeboat, 14-26 Gough Ritchie II (ON 1234) and a small D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat, Frank Martin (D-873)[1]
History
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution opened a lifeboat station at Port St Mary in 1896, one of 6 lifeboat stations to operate on the Island. (Castletown lifeboat station closed in 1922, leaving the 5 stations that exist today).
Recently bequeathed an amount of £50,000 from the estate of Mr James Stevens in 1894, the RNLI provided the station with a a new ten-oared pulling and sailing type lifeboat, (one that was provided with both oars, and sails for when conditions allowed), named James Stevens No.1, and costing £463. James Stevens No.1 was in service for 21 years, launching 22 times, and saving 55 lives. [2]
Also in 1896, work commenced on the construction of a boat house on Lime street, Port St Mary, which was completed over the next two years, and which is still in use to this day.
The station received their first motor powered lifeboat, Sir Heath Harrison (ON 785) in 1936. This was over 100 years after the founder of the RNLI, Sir William Hillary, had advocated the use of powered lifeboats.[3]
Keen seafarers James and Ann Ritchie, of the IOM brewing company Heron and Brearley, funded a lifeboat for Ramsey shortly before James' death in 1970. His widow, Ann Ritchie, nee Gough, decided to fund a second lifeboat, and in 1976, Port St Mary received a new Arun-class lifeboat, 54-06 The Gough Ritchie (ON 1051). [4].
After Ann Ritchie's death in 1990, the residue of her estate became the Gough Ritchie Charitable Trust. One third of its income is distributed to the RNLI for use on the Isle of Man, and funded a second boat for Port St Mary, Trent-class 14-26 Gough Ritchie II in 1998.[5]
In the early hours of 6 November 2021, Port St Mary Lifeboat was alerted to a yacht requiring assistance, with tangled propellers, and dangerously close to the shore. Both the All-weather and Inshore lifeboats were launched in challenging condition, with the Gough Ritchie II providing some weather protection to the Inshore boat. Unable to get in close with the ALB, or tow the yacht away from danger, Helmsman Richard Leigh and his crew of the Inshore boat were able to reach the yacht, and recovered the three crew to the All-weather boat.
For this service, Richard Leigh was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal, the first medal for gallantry awarded to Port St Mary lifeboat station.[6]
Station Honours
The following are awards made at Port St Mary[2]
- Richard Leigh, Helmsman - 2022[7]
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- Norman Quillin, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1981
- Eric Quillin, crew member - 1981
- William Halsall, crew member - 1981
- A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- Michael Kneale, Second Coxswain - 2004
- Framed Letters of Appreciation signed by the Chief Executive
- Chris Hill, crew member - 2022
- Daniel Grace, crew member - 2022
- Mike Keggen, Coxswain - 2022
- Sarah Keggen, Lifeboat Operations Manager - 2022
- Framed Letters of Appreciation Signed by the Operations Director
- Gareth Watt, Mechanic - 2022
- Brian Kelly, crew member - 2022
- Mark Pendlebury, crew member - 2022
- Laura Cordner, crew member - 2022
- Robert Marshall, crew member - 2022
- James Michael Keggen, Coxswain - 2024[8]
Port St Mary lifeboats
All-weather lifeboats
| ON[a] | Op. No.[b] | Name | In service[1] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | – | James Stevens No.1 | 1896–1917 | 35ft Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 556 | – | Marianne | 1917–1936 | 35ft Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 785 | – | Sir Heath Harrison | 1936–1949 | 35ft 6in Self-righting motor | |
| 674 | – | The Newbons | 1949–1950 | 40ft Self-righting (motor) | |
| 753 | – | Civil Service No.5 | 1950–1956 | 45ft 6in Watson | |
| 930 | – | R. A. Colby Cubbin No.2 | 1956–1976 | 46ft 9in Watson | |
| 1051 | 54-06 | The Gough Ritchie | 1976–1998 | Arun | |
| 1234 | 14-26 | Gough Ritchie II | 1998– | Trent |
Inshore lifeboats
| Op. No. | Name | In service[1] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-81 | Unnamed | 1966–1972 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-209 | Unnamed | 1973 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-203 | Unnamed | 1974 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-209 | Unnamed | 1975–1976 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-209 | Unnamed | 1977–1986 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-323 | Gus | 1986–1994 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-462 | Frances | 1994–2002 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-575 | Hounslow | 2002–2010 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-742 | Spirit of Leicester | 2010–2023 | D-class (IB1) | |
| D-873 | Frank Martin | 2023– | D-class (IB1) |
See also
- List of RNLI stations
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution
- Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
References
- ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ a b "Port St Mary's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Robert (1979). For Those in Peril (1979 ed.). Shearwater Press. p. 40. ISBN 0 904980 27 8.
- ^ Davies, Joan (Spring 1980). "Lifeboat Stations of the Isle of Man" (PDF). The Lifeboat. XLVII (471). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Shammon, Theresa (21 June 2016). "Ramsey's RNLI Lifeboat Celebrates 25 Years of Service". RNLI. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Bronze Medal and commendations for Port St Mary RNLI for saving three lives". RNLI. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Bronze Medal and commendations for Port St Mary RNLI for saving three lives". RNLI. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 16 February 2024.