Salcombe Lifeboat Station
South Sands Lifeboat Station
Salcombe Lifeboat Station is located in Devon
Salcombe Lifeboat Station
Salcombe
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationUnion Street, TQ8 8BZ
CountryEngland
Coordinates50°14′19″N 3°46′00″W / 50.2386°N 3.7668°W / 50.2386; -3.7668
OpenedAt South Beach 1869
Present station 1922
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Salcombe Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Salcombe, Devon in England. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1869. The Salcombe Lifeboat has twice capsized, in 1916 with the loss of 13 lives, and in 1983 with no loss of life. Since 2008 the station has operated a Tamar-class all weather boat (ALB) and an Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat (ILB).

History

Salcombe lies near the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary. A little to the east is Prawle Point where, on 10 December 1868, thirteen people died in the wreck of the Gossamer. The following year saw the opening of a lifeboat station and slipway at South Sands. This is south of the town, but north of The Bar which makes navigation difficult for boats passing in and out of the estuary.[1] In 1922 the lifeboat was moved to moorings nearer the town.[2] The boathouse was later used as a store.[1]

The neighbouring stations at Brixham and Plymouth were equipped with motor lifeboats in 1922 and 1926 respectively. It was thought that this would allow them to cover larger areas and so Salcombe was closed in 1925.[3] The closure proved ill-advised and so a station was reopened at Salcombe in December 1930, itself equipped with a motor lifeboat. Crew facilities were placed in the Unity Building on the quay. This was refurbished in 1992 and now includes a museum and display area.[1]

In 2003, an ILB was stationed at Salcombe. A boathouse for this was built beside the existing crew facilities.[1] A new pontoon for the moored lifeboat was provided in 2004.[2]

Capsizes

Lifeboat William and Emma at the Thames Ironworks

The lifeboat William and Emma was launched on 27 October 1916 to go to the aid of the schooner Western Lass, ashore beyond Prawle Point. By the time the crew of fifteen had rowed to the wreck, the schooner's crew had been rescued to the shore by the coastguard. The lifeboat turned for home but, approaching South Sands, capsized near The Bar. Thirteen of the crew drowned.[4] The station was closed for a short while but reopened with a self-righter lifeboat and a new crew the following year.[5]

The Watson-class were not inherently self-righting but, after the capsize of the Fraserburgh Lifeboat in 1970, they were fitted with air bags that could be used to bring them back upright should they capsize.[6] This was put to the test when Baltic Exchange was aiding a dinghy which had overturned in a force 9 gale on 10 April 1983. The lifeboat capsized too, but the air bag automatically inflated. The crew rescued their one-member who was washed overboard and then put into Brixham, the dinghy crew having been winched off by helicopter.[7]

Service awards

The volunteer crews of the RNLI do not expect reward or recognition for their work, but the records include many rescues that have been recognised by letters, certificates and medals from the RNLI management. This list is just some of the most notable.

On 7 December 1939, a few months after the start of World War II, the Samuel and Marie Parkhouse went to the aid of the SS Louis Sheid. This had picked up 62 survivors from the SS Tajandoen which had been torpedoed by Günther Prien's U-47 but was now in trouble herself after hitting rocks near Thurlestone. It took the lifeboat crew two journeys to Hope Cove to land the survivors of the tordepoed ship, but the Louis Sheid's own crew eventually got ashore after it ran aground in Bigbury Bay.[8] Coxswain Edwin Distin (a survivor of the 1916 capsize) was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for his seamanship during this rescue. The rest of the crew were awarded bronze medals.[2]

Four years later Distin was himself awarded a bronze medal when, on 4 December 1943, he rescued eleven people from a salvage craft off Start Point.[2]

On 8 January 1992, the Baltic Exchange II went to help the MV Janet C which was adrift without power near Start Point. The crew managed to get a line across and held the 1,200 long tons (1,200 t) coaster off the rocks for three hours until a tug was able to take over the tow. Coxswain/Mechanic Frank Smith was awarded a bronze medal for his courage, seamanship and determination during this service.[1]

The following are awards at Salcombe[9]

Isaac Jarvis, crew member (Hope Cove) – 1907
Jack Argrat, crew member (Hope Cove) – 1907
William Wedge, coastguard – 1857
James Turpin, coastguard – 1857
David Warder, coastguard – 1857
Edwin W Distin, Coxswain – 1940
Seven crew members – 1940
Edwin W Distin, Coxswain – 1944
Frank Yeoman Smith, Coxswain/Mechanic – 1992
H W Distin, Coxswain – 1972
John Griffiths, Coxswain – 1979
J G Griffiths, Coxswain – 1983
F Y Smith, Motor Mechanic – 1983
B Cater, Assistant Mechanic – 1983
S Turns, crew member – 1983
R Evans, crew member – 1983
M Hicks, crew member – 1983
D Lamble, crew member – 1983
John Marjoram, Staff Coxswain – 1992
Frank Smith, Coxswain/Mechanic – 1997
Sam Viles, Helmsman – 2012
Iain Dundas, crew member – 2010
Adam Lilley, crew member – 2010
Esther McLarty, crew member – 2012
Matt Davies, crew member – 2012
Frank Yeoman Smith, Former Coxswain/Second Mechanic – 2002[10]

Description

The main crew facilities are in a three-storey building on the waterfront of Union Street. Next door is a similarly constructed single-storey boathouse for the ILB with its own slipway.

Area of operation

The RNLI aims to reach any casualty up to 50 miles (80 km) from its stations, and within two hours in good weather. To do this the Tamar class lifeboat at Salcombe has an operating range of 250 nautical miles (460 km) and a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h).[11] Adjacent lifeboats are at Plymouth Lifeboat Station to the west, and Torbay to the east; there is also an ILB at Dart Lifeboat Station in Dartmouth between Salcombe and Torbay.[12]

Salcombe lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing lifeboats

At Salcombe[13] ON[a] Name Built Class Comments
1869–1887 [14] Rescue 1869 33 ft Self-righting
1887–1904 142 Lesty 1887 34 ft 1in Self-righting
1904–1916 524 William and Emma 1904 Liverpool Wrecked in service.[5][15]
1917–1925 449 Sarah Ann Holden 1900 Peake Originally at Johnshaven in Scotland.[16]

Station closed in 1925.

Motor Lifeboats

Station reopened 1929/30

Orinos, the former Salcombe Lifeboat Samuel and Marie Parkhouse (ON 805), alongside a modern Severn-class lifeboat.
The Baltic Exchange II (ON 1130) at the RNLI Depot in Poole after withdrawal from service (left, beside a Mersey-class lifeboat).
At Salcombe[13] ON Op. No.[b] Name Built Class Comments
1930–1938 672 – Alfred and Clara Heath 1922 40ft Self-righter Originally at Brixham, later at St Peter Port then sold and converted into a yacht.[17]
1938–1962 805 – Samuel and Marie Parkhouse 1938 46ft Watson Special design to cope with the shallow conditions on The Bar at Salcombe.[8] Now in use as a pleasure boat named Oniros at Bursledon.[18] Changed ownership 2010 and now based permanently back in Salcombe.
1962–1988 964 – The Baltic Exchange 1962 47ft Watson Reported in use as pleasure boat Baltic Air at Dover in 2008.[7][19]
1987–2008 1130 47-022 The Baltic Exchange II 1987 Tyne Sold to the Seychelles Coastguard.[20]
2008– 1289 16-09 The Baltic Exchange III 2008 Tamar

Inshore lifeboats

At Salcombe[13] Op.No. Name Class Comments
2003 B-755 London's Anniversary B-class (Atlantic 75)
2003–2018 B-794 Joan Bate B-class (Atlantic 75)
2018– B-905 Gladys Hilda Mustoe B-class (Atlantic 85)
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Leach, Nicholas (2009). Devon's Lifeboat Heritage. Chacewater: Twelveheads Press. ISBN 978-0-906294-72-7.
  2. ^ a b c d "Station History". Salcombe. RNLI. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  3. ^ Denton, Tony (2009). Handbook 2009. Shrewsbury: Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 59.
  4. ^ Morris, Jonathan (27 October 2016). "Salcombe lifeboat disaster: How sand bar claimed 13 lives in 1916". BBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b Leach, Nicholas (2009) p. 21
  6. ^ Kipling, Ray; Kipling, Susannah (2006). Never Turn Back. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. pp. 81–83. ISBN 0-7509-4307-6.
  7. ^ a b Leach, Nicholas (2009) pp. 24–25
  8. ^ a b Leach, Nicholas (2009) p. 22
  9. ^ "Salcombe's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  11. ^ Wake-Walker, Edward (2008). The Lifeboats Story. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-0-7509-4858-6.
  12. ^ Denton, Tony (2009) p. 68
  13. ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2023). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2023. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–128.
  14. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021 (2021 ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
  15. ^ Denton, Tony (2009) pp. 6–7
  16. ^ Denton, Tony (2009) pp. 4–5
  17. ^ Denton, Tony (2009) pp. 12–13
  18. ^ Denton, Tony (2009) pp. 18–19
  19. ^ Leach, Nicholas (2009) 22–23
  20. ^ "RNLI Tyne class fleet". Erdington RNLI. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2010.

Further reading

External links

Lifeboat stations in Dorset and South Devon
Lifeboat wrecks and rescues in the United Kingdom
Categories