Whitehills Lifeboat Station

Whitehills Lifeboat Station
Whitehills Lifeboat Station
Whitehills Lifeboat Station is located in Scotland
Whitehills Lifeboat Station
Whitehills, Scotland
General information
StatusClosed
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationHarbour Place
Town or cityWhitehills, Aberdeenshire,
CountryScotland, UK
Coordinates57°40′46.6″N 2°34′42.7″W / 57.679611°N 2.578528°W / 57.679611; -2.578528
Opened1924
Closed1969

Whitehills Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station located in Whitehills, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. [1]

The lifeboat station in this part of Aberdeenshire has been located in various locations in Banff & Macduff, and between 1923 and 1969, the lifeboat was located at Whitehills, three miles to the west of Macduff.

Supporters and volunteers treat the station as 'one', regardless of the location. The current Macduff Lifeboat Station became operational in March 1974.[2]

History

In 1859, Capt. MacDonald, Commander of H.M. Coastguard, Banff, responded to the RNLI, who at the time were keen to place more lifeboats on the coast of Scotland. With the support of the Banff Harbour Trustees, he gained considerable support locally, and the RNLI placed a lifeboat at Banff in 1860.[3]

For earlier history, please see


In 1923, the Banff and Macduff lifeboat was relocated to Whitehills Harbour, with the station name changed to Whitehills Lifeboat Station in 1924.[4]

Previously located at the east end of Banff Bridge, the move to Whitehills was made primarily for crew reasons. The fishermen of Banff & Macduff, with their steam-powered vessels, were usually fishing further away from home, and were not always available to crew the lifeboat if required. The fishermen in Whitehills however, fished a lot closer to home, making them more available to crew the lifeboat. A stone built boathouse was constructed in Whitehills in 1833.[3]

After 45 years, with lifeboat cover to the West and East provided by Buckie and Fraserburgh, it was decided to withdraw the All-weather lifeboat, and the Whitehills station was closed in 1969.[4]

The building is listed, and now a private residence.[5]

The 1969 decision to withdraw the All-weather lifeboat was reversed in 1974, and the station was re-established, but located at Macduff.[1]

For later history, please see

Whitehills lifeboats

ON[a] Name In service[1] Class Comments
479 George and Mary Berrey 1923–1928 35-foot Self-righting (P&S)
(ten oars) 		[Note 1]
606 George Gordon Moir 1928–1932 35-foot Self-righting (P&S)
756 Civil Service No.4 1932–1948 35ft 6in Self-righting motor
746 William Maynard 1948–1949 35ft 6in Self-righting motor
706 Thomas Markby 1949–1952 40-foot Self-righting (motor)
897 St. Andrew
(Civil Service No.10) 		1952–1959 41ft Watson
716 Sarah Ward and William David Crossweller 1959–1961 45ft Watson
959 Helen Wycherley 1961–1969 47ft Watson [Note 2]
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 10-oar lifeboat, transferred to Whitehills from Banff and Macduff in 1923
  2. ^ Launched only 11 times whilst on station.

References

  1. ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  2. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
  3. ^ a b Bruce, Stanley A. (2021). Banff and Macduff Lifeboats, The Early Years, 1860–1877 (PDF). Stanley A. Bruce. pp. 1–99. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Macduff's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Lifeboat Station, Whitehills Harbour". Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 8 April 2024.