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Newcastle Lifeboat Station

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Coordinates: 54°11′53.2″N 5°53′13.6″W / 54.198111°N 5.887111°W / 54.198111; -5.887111
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Newcastle Lifeboat Station
Newcastle Lifeboat Station
Newcastle Lifeboat Station is located in Northern Ireland
Newcastle Lifeboat Station
Newcastle, County Down
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationNewcastle Lifeboat Station
AddressSouth Promenade
Town or cityNewcastle, County Down, BT33 0EX
CountryNorthern Ireland
Coordinates54°11′53.2″N 5°53′13.6″W / 54.198111°N 5.887111°W / 54.198111; -5.887111
Opened1854
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Newcastle RNLI Lifeboat Station

Newcastle Lifeboat Station is situated at South Promenade, Newcastle, a seaside town in County Down, located the foot of Slieve Donard, the highest of the Mourne Mountains, overlooking the Irish Sea, in the south east corner of Northern Ireland.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Newcastle in 1854 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).[1]

The station currently operates the All-weather Mersey-class lifeboat, 12-20 Leonard Kent (ON 1177), on station since 2022, and the smaller D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat Eliza (D-775), on station since 2014.[2]

History

In 1825, the newly formed County Down branch of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) placed an 18-foot lifeboat at Rossglass, Co. Down, establishing Rossglass Lifeboat Station.[1]

Thomas Foy, Coxswain of the Rossglass Lifeboat, was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal, one of the earliest awarded, for putting out at 02:00 in a fishing boat with five men on 2 December 1825, and saving seven of the nine crew off the vessel Usk, on passage from Liverpool to Spain, when she was wrecked in a violent weather. Between 1825 and 1852, no less than 15 gallantry medals were awarded by the RNIPLS in the area.[3][4]

The Rossglass lifeboat station was closed in 1835, and St John's Point Lifeboat Station was opened, just 2 miles (3.2 km) further down the headland, next to the to H.M. Coastguard station at St Johns Point, remaining there until 1843.[1]

In 1843, the lifeboat was condemned and sold. No replacement was provided. The 1840s was a period of decline for the RNIPLS, with little income, and especially later, following the death in 1847 of the founder, Sir William Hillary, Bt.. However, under the direction of The Duke of Northumberland, appointed as president in 1851, the RNIPLS was resurrected, becoming the RNLI in 1854.[2][5]

A new station was established at Newcastle, Co. Down in 1854. A boathouse was provided by The Earl of Annesley MP. It would seem that there was some confusion over the ordering of a lifeboat, as a 27-foot unnamed Self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, arrived in 1854, only to be followed by a 26-foot unnamed boat, arriving the following year in 1855. A 30-foot lifeboat was placed on station in 1858, this one serving until 1881, being named Reigate in 1868.[2]

Reigate was launched to the aid of the schooner Rose on 26 February 1874, when she was wrecked in Dundrum Bay. One of the five crew was lost, but four were rescued. Coxswain James Hill, and Capt. Charles Grey-Jones, second assistant inspector of lifeboats, were each awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.[3][6]

1881 Lifeboat House, Newcastle, Co. Down
1881 Lifeboat House, Newcastle, Co. Down

Reigate was replaced in 1881, by a new 34-foot lifeboat, Farnley (ON 283). A new boathouse was required, and was constructed at a cost of £425. The building, used until the 1930s, still stands on Downs Road, and is currently used by the Newcastle Elim Pentecostal Church.[1][2]

On 15 March 1905, 20 lives were saved from the French barque Cannebiere, in a joint effort by the Newcastle lifeboat Farnley, and the tug Flying Irishman, in a service lasting over 14 hours. The vessel, on passage from Glasgow to New Caledonia, was sheltering from a storm in Dundrum Bay, but ran aground after dragging her anchor. John McCausland, Master of the tug, and Coxswain Superintendent James Foland of Newcastle lifeboat, were awarded a 'Gold Medal and Diploma' by the French Government, presented in 1906 by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sir Daniel Dixon, 1st Baronet.[7]

Former Newcastle Lifeboathouse

A new station with slipway was constructed in 1936. This was followed by the arrival of a 35-foot Self-righting (motor) lifeboat, L. P. and St Helen (ON 703), built in 1927, and having previously served at Eastbourne and Boulmer.[1][2]

In a remarkable period of service during World War II, Newcastle, and lifeboat L. P. and St Helen, would see three medal rescues carried out in a one-year period. Coxswain Patrick Murphy would receive the RNLI Bronze Medal for a service on 19 January 1941, to the vessel Hoperidge. Murphy would receive a Second-Service clasp just 9 days later, when 14 men were rescued off the vessel Sandhill, damage by a Naval Mine. Mechanic Robert Agnew would also receive the RNLI bronze medal.[3][8]

Just one year later, in an exceptionally daring and skilfull rescue, 39 people were rescued from the convoy steamship Browning, which had run aground in a south-east gale near Ballyquintin. After several attempts to get close, the Coxswain manoevered the lifeboat through the rocks, and managed to get the 39 people aboard. Now dangerously overloaded, he took the boat out over a reef, judging the waves perfectly. With weather too poor to return home, the lifeboat made for Portavogie. Seven medals for gallantry were awarded, with Murphy being awarded the RNLI Gold Medal. He would also be awarded the Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service (BEM).[3][9]

In 1992, the RNLI would receive an extraordinary bequest, a sum of £4 million from the estate of Mrs Eugenie Boucher, specifically to be used for the construction of new boathouses. A native of Penza in Russia, eight so named 'Penza' boathouses would be constructed, including one for Newcastle. Built on the site of the tractor house and coastguard hut, the building was completed in August 1993. Then followed the arrival on 11 August 1993, of a new Mersey-class lifeboat, 12-29 Eleanor and Bryant Girling (ON 1188), funded from the bequest of Eleanor Bertha Girling.[1][2][10]

On 24 January 1994, a D-class (EA16) Inshore lifeboat was placed on service for the season, for evaluation. A permanent D-class lifeboat was placed at the station on 19 May 1995. Initiated by Wing Cdr Mark Codgebrook, £11,000 had been raised by the personnel at the local RAF Station, and at a ceremony on 10 June 1995, Group Captain R. E. Wedge named the boat Aldergrove.[2][11]

On 3 December 2014, Aldergrove II (D-637). a second boat funded by the personnel at RAF Aldergrove, was retired. Newcastle would receive the D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat Eliza (D-775), funded from the bequest of Mary Olga Illingworth, in memory of her mother.[1]

Mersey-class lifeboat 12-29 Eleanor and Bryant Girling (ON 1188) was withdrawn to the relief fleet in 2022, and replaced with a slightly older Mersey-class lifeboat, 12-20 Leonard Kent (ON 1177), previously stationed at Margate. Soon after, in 2023, Newcastle would receive T121, the newest of the 31 Talus MB-H Crawler launch tractors, at just 19 years old.[2]

From 28 October 2024, following the departure of 12-34 Freddie Cooper (ON 1193) from Aldeburgh, Newcastle, along with Douglas in the Isle of Man, will be just one of two RNLI stations still operating the Mersey-class lifeboat, and the last one using a carriage.[2]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Newcastle, Co. Down.[1]

Capt, J R Morris RN, H.M. Coastguard - 1826
Capt.Philip R Browne, H.M. Coastguard - 1838
Lt. Henry Frederick Sewell RN, H.M. Coastguard - 1840
Patrick Murphy, Coxswain - 1942
  • Gold Medal and Diploma, awarded by the French Government
James Foland, Coxswain Superintendent - 1906
John McCausland, Master of the tug Flying Irishman
Thomas Foy - 1826
Alexander Douglas, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1826
John Phillips - 1830
Michael Casey - 1830
John Strains, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard - 1837
William Hogg, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1837
William Adair, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1837
Captain Philip R. M. Browne, H.M. Coastguard - 1837
John Adam, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard - 1837
George MacDonald, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard -1840
James Taylor, Commissioned Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1845
James McCarthy, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1852
Henry Boyd, Coastguardsman, H.M. Coastguard - 1860
Capt. George Agar Ellis Ridge, RN, Inspecting Commander, H.M. Coastguard - 1860
Capt. Charles Grey-Jones, Second Assistant Inspector of Lifeboats - 1874
James Hill, Coxswain - 1874
Cmdr. Orford Summerville Cameron, RN, H.M. Coastguard - 1877
William Murphy, Second Coxswain - 1942
Robert Agnew, Mechanic - 1942
Patrick Murphy, Coxswain - 1941
Patrick Murphy, Coxswain - 1941 (Second-Service clasp)
Robert Agnew, Mechanic - 1941
William Leneghan, crew member - 1942
Thomas McClelland, crew member - 1942
Patrick McClelland, crew member - 1942
Patrick Rooney, crew member - 1942
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
Patrick McClelland, Coxswain - 1955
John Lowry, Helm - 1998
  • A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
Mark Poland, crew member - 1998
Brendan Rooney, crew member - 1998
Mr Ian Williamson - 1998
Newcastle Lifeboat Station - 2005
  • Royal Human Society Bravery Award
Gerald Murphy, Motor Mechanic - 1966
Patrick Murphy, Coxswain - 1942[12]
Hugh Patrick Paul, Boathouse Manager - 2006NYH[13]
John Francis Morgan, Coxswain - 2010NYH[14]

Newcastle lifeboats

ON[a] Op. No.[b] Name In service[15] Class Comments
Pre-279 – Unnamed 1854–1855 27-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 1]
Pre-296 – Unnamed 1855–1859 26-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 2]
Pre-331 – Unnamed,
Reigate 		1858–1868
1868–1881 		30-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]
Named Reigate in 1868
283 – Farnley 1881–1906 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 4]
556 – Marianne 1906–1917 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 5]
660 – John Cleland 1917–1932 35-foot Self-righting Rubie (P&S) [Note 6]
553 – John 1933–1937 35-foot Liverpool (P&S) [Note 7]
703 – L. P. and St Helen 1937–1949 35-foot Self-righting (motor) [Note 8]
870 – William and Laura 1949–1980 Liverpool [Note 9]
974 37-07 Jane Hay 1980–1992 Oakley [Note 10]
942 37-01 J. G. Graves of Sheffield 1992–1993 Oakley [Note 11]
1188 12-29 Eleanor and Bryant Girling 1993–2022 Mersey [Note 12]
1177 12-20 Leonard Kent 2022– Mersey [Note 13]
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

Op.No.[b] Name In service[2] Class Comments
D-333 Unnamed 1994 D-class (EA16)
D-478 Aldergrove 1995–2005 D-class (EA16)
D-637 Aldergrove II 2005–2014 D-class (IB1)
D-775 Eliza 2014– D-class (IB1)

Launch and recovery tractors

Op. No.[b] Reg. No. Type In service[2] Comments
T7 AF 4215 Clayton 1924–1932
T44 KGJ 57 Case LA 1949–1958
T45 KGJ 58 Case LA 1958–1963
T53 KXT 421 Case LA 1963–1967
T44 KGJ 57 Case LA 1967–1969
T50 KLA 84 Case LA 1969–1977
T59 OJJ 866 Fowler Challenger III 1977–1985
T61 PLA 561 Fowler Challenger III 1985–1988
T104 E269 YUJ Talus MB-H Crawler 1988–1999
T119 N470 XAW Talus MB-H Crawler 1999–2006
T118 M224 SNT Talus MB-H Crawler 2006–2022
T120 P514 HAW Talus MB-H Crawler 2022–2023
T121 DX04 YZG Talus MB-H Crawler 2023–
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ a b c Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 27-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
  2. ^ 26-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
  3. ^ 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
  4. ^ 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
  5. ^ 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
  6. ^ 35-foot Self-righting Dungeness-class Rubie (P&S) lifeboat.
  7. ^ 35-foot Liverpool-class (P&S) lifeboat.
  8. ^ 35-foot Self-righting (motor) lifeboat, built by S.E. Saunders of Cowes.
  9. ^ 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class lifeboat, built in 1949 by Groves & Guttridge.
  10. ^ 37-foot Oakley-class lifeboat, built in 1964 by William Osborne of Littlehampton..
  11. ^ 37-foot Oakley-class lifeboat, built in 1958 by William Osborne of Littlehampton.
  12. ^ 12m Mersey-class lifeboat.
  13. ^ 12m Mersey-class lifeboat.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Newcastle's station history". Newcastle Lifeboat Station. RNLI. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  3. ^ a b c d Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0907605893.
  4. ^ "Ship News". The Morning Post. No. 17151. 8 December 1825.
  5. ^ "From the brink of disaster: Richard Lewis and the making of the modern RNLI". RNLI. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Shipwreck on the Irish Coast". The Times. No. 27937. London. 27 February 1874. col F, p. 11.
  7. ^ "Foreign Governments and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution". The Lifeboat. XIX (221): 811. 1 August 1906. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Thirty-seven Medals for Gallantry". The Lifeboat. War Years (1941): 2. 1941. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Thirty-eight Medals for Gallantry". The Lifeboat. War Years (1942): 2. 1942. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Eugenie Boucher - RNLI "Penza" building". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Ceremonies". The Lifeboat. 54 (533): 50. Autumn 1995. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Patrick Murphy". The Lifeboat. XL (427): 541. March 1969. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". London Gazette. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". London Gazette. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  15. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–120.
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