Port Erin Lifeboat Station

Port Erin Lifeboat Station
Port Erin Lifeboat Station
Port Erin Lifeboat Station is located in Isle of Man
Port Erin Lifeboat Station
Port Erin, Isle of Man
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationBreakwater Road
Town or cityPort Erin
CountryIsle of Man
Coordinates54°05′06″N 004°46′06″W / 54.08500°N 4.76833°W / 54.08500; -4.76833
Opened1883
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Port Erin RNLI Lifeboat Station

Port Erin Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution opened a station here in 1883 following requests from local residents.[1]

The station currently operates an B-class (Atlantic 85) inshore lifeboat, Muriel and Leslie (B-813), funded from the bequest of Mr Leslie Hartle.[2]

History

At a meeting of the RNLI Management Committee on 7 September 1882, it was agreed to form a Lifeboat Station at Port Erin.

The first lifeboat arrived at Douglas, Isle of Man on the 8 August 1883, before being transported over the Island to Port Erin. She was named Ann and Mary of Manchester, a 32-foot 10-oared self-righting boat. Ann and Mary of Manchester saw her first service in 1888 to the Lyra, wrecked in Port St Mary bay. A boathouse was constructed in 1884, opposite the Raglan Pier.

The 1884 Lifeboat House at Port Erin

A new larger 37-foot 12-oared boat arrived in 1892, the William Sugden (ON 321) and to make launching easier, a slipway was constructed in 1900. The boat served Port Erin for 20 years, and saved 12 lives.

10 August 1925 saw the arrival of a 40-foot self-righting motor powered lifeboat on station, Ethel Day Cardwell (ON 647), previously on service at Tynemouth. This was the same year that a new boathouse was constructed along the breakwater road, a building still in use today. It is notable by its very steep 1:4 slipway, still regarded as the steepest incline of any RNLI lifeboat station.[3]

The naming ceremony of the sixth lifeboat for Port Erin, a 37-foot Rother-class named Osman Gabriel after her donor, Major Osman Gabriel, was held on 4 August 1973.[4] Between 1973 and 1992, she was launched 70 times, and saved 55 lives.

In 1990, a coastal review determined that a Mersey-class All-weather lifeboat would be placed at Peel, replacing their B-class (Atlantic 21), whilst Port Erin would receive an Atlantic 21 Inshore boat to replace their Rother-class All-weather lifeboat.[5]

Port Erin now have the fastest lifeboat on the Isle of Man, an B-class (Atlantic 85), capable of nearly 40 miles per hour (64 km/h).[3]

Notable rescues

Just after 6 am on the 9 September 1970, the Port Erin lifeboat Matthew Simpson (ON 823) was launched into a very rough sea in a SSW gale, to reports of the coaster Moonlight in difficulties, 5 miles (8 km) north of Chicken Rock. A life-raft located by aircraft was found to be empty. At 11 am, a second life-raft was spotted, and found to contain just two survivors from the Moonlight. The lifeboat returned to Port Erin at 1 pm. For this service, Coxswain Alfred Dennis Maddrell BEM was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.[6]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Port Erin[7][6]

Alfred Dennis Maddrell BEM, Coxswain – 1970
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
Peter Woodworth, Coxswain – 1978
Alfred Dennis Maddrell, Coxswain – 1969[8]

Port Erin lifeboats

All-weather lifeboats

ON[a] Op. No.[b] Name In service[2] Class Comments
Pre-660 – Ann and Mary of Manchester 1883–1892 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) [9]
321 – William Sugden 1892–1912 37-foot Self-righting (P&S)
634 – Henry Kirk 1912–1925 37-foot Self-righting (P&S)
647 – Ethel Day Cardwell 1925–1939 40-foot Self-righting (motor)
823 – Matthew Simpson 1939–1972 41ft Watson
998 32-27 Osman Gabriel 1973–1992 Rother
All-weather lifeboat withdrawn 1992
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

B-class

Op. No.[b] Name In service[2] Class Comments
B-515 Vee Webber 1992–1993 Atlantic 21
B-594 Herbert and Edith 1993–2006 Atlantic 21
B-813 Muriel and Leslie 2006– Atlantic 85 [10]
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ a b Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Port Erin Lifeboat Station". RNLI. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  3. ^ a b Port Erin Lifeboat Station History. RNLI. 1999. pp. 2–3.
  4. ^ "Naming Ceremony". imuseum. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  5. ^ Morris, Jeff (2003). Peel Lifeboats 1828-2003. pp. 1–46.
  6. ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.
  7. ^ "Port Erin's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  8. ^ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  9. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
  10. ^ "New lifeboat handed over". isleofman.com. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2024.