46ft 9in Watson-class lifeboat

Class overview
Name:	46ft 9in Watson-class
Builders:	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes J. Samuel White, Cowes Alexander Robertson & Sons, Sandbank Sussex Yacht Co., Shoreham Camper & Nicholson, Gosport
Operators:	RNLI
Preceded by:	46ft Watson-class
Succeeded by:	47ft Watson-class
Cost:	£17,000-£34,000
Built:	1947-1956
In service:	1947-1989
Completed:	28
Lost:	1
Retired:	27
General characteristics
Class & type:	46ft 9in Watson
Displacement:	22 tons
Length:	46 ft 9 in (14.25 m)
Beam:	12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
Propulsion:	(As built) 2 × 40bhp Ferry VE4 4-cylinder diesel
Speed:	8 knots
Crew:	8

The 46 ft 9in Watson-class lifeboat was a non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built between 1947 and 1956 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1947 and 1989.

History

After the final three 46ft Watson-class boats had been completed in 1945/6, production switched to the slightly longer 46 ft 9in type in 1947. The first five boats were very similar in appearance to the final 46 ft types, with aft cockpits, turtle shaped shelters and funnel exhausts. In 1948, however, the deck and superstructure layout was completely redesigned. A new aluminium structure featured an open midships cockpit, with a large cabin aft of the cockpit and a smaller cabin forward which gave access to the engine room.

Description

The wooden hulled 46 ft 9in Watson-class was built in two different variations, with the first five closely resembling the preceding 46 ft type. From 1948 the design was completely revised to provide a midships steering position in an open cockpit. There was a large aft survivor cabin which also housed the radio. At the rear of this cabin was a small aft cockpit with a hatch for stretchers to be passed in and an emergency helm position. A smaller forward cabin gave access to the engine room and contained the engine controls. The boats were powered by the same twin 40 bhp Ferry VE4 installation as the earlier boats, but the exhaust was taken up the foremast to outlets well above the deck. The 46 ft 9in Watsons had long lives and were updated through their careers. The first major modification was the enclosing of the cockpit, done to all boats from 1960 onwards. The wheelhouse fitted resembled that of the 47ft Watson-class but there was no room to install sliding doors, weathershields being installed instead. Radar was later installed on the wheelhouse roof and the original aerial rigging and the aft mast was removed and replaced by pole aerials. Most, but not all, of the boats were re-engined with various examples of Ford based 6-cylinder diesel engines as described below. Finally, from the early 1980s all of the midships steering types (except ON 908, lost in the Fraserburgh disaster) were fitted with an air bag on the aft cabin roof to give a once only self-righting capability.

Engines

The 46 ft 9in Watsons were the final boats to be equipped with RNLI designed engines. The 42ft Watson-class, introduced in 1954 was the first type to use commercially available engines, followed by the 47ft Watson-class in 1955 and the 52 ft Barnett Mk.II in 1957. These all used the Gardner LW engine in four, five and six cylinder forms respectively. The Gardner engines were too large and heavy for the earlier types and were only ever used in new build boats. However, in the mid 1950s Ford had introduced new 4 and 6-cylinder diesel engines for their Thames light truck and coach chassis. These soon attracted the attention of marine engine companies and many marinized versions were on the market. In 1961 the RNLI re-engined a 46ft Watson, ON 803, with 4-cylinder Ford-based Parsons Marlins and in 1963 a programme of re-engining 41ft Watsons and other boats with Parsons Porbeagles began. This 4-cylinder engine was adopted for the 37 ft Oakley-class from 1964 onwards. The 6-cylinder version was small and light enough to replace the 4-cylinder Ferry VE4 engines and, after a trial installation in ON 803 in 1963, a programme of re-engining some 46ft Watsons began in 1965. This was extended to the 46 ft 9in Watsons and in 1965 two boats (ON 852 and ON 908 ) were re-engined with these 6-cylinder Ford-based Parsons Barracuda diesels. Rated at 65 bhp, these gave a 62​¹⁄₂% power increase, making the boats more powerful than the newer 47 ft Watsons, and between 1965 and 1968, seven boats were re-engined with Barracudas. In 1969/70, four boats received another 6-cylinder Ford based unit, the Watermota Sea Lion, rated at 70 bhp. From 1971, seven boats were equipped with 70 bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380s, the last as late as 1982, while in 1972 three boats received 70 bhp Ford Mermaid 595s. A feature of all of these re-engining programmes was the replacement of the foremast exhaust system by outlets on each side of the hull, similar to the 37 ft Oakleys. This allowed a slimmer, lighter foremast to be fitted.

Fleet

Aft cockpit type

ON is the RNLI's sequential Official Number.

ON	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Re-engined	Comments
849	William Gammon - Manchetser and District XXX	1947	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1947–1974 1974–1982	The Mumbles Relief fleet	1968-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda 6-cyl diesel	Sold February 1984
852	Tynesider	1947	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1947–1979 1979–1983	Tynemouth Relief fleet	1965-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda 6-cyl diesel	Sold February 1984
853	Winston Churchill (Civil Service No.8)	1947	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1948–1979 1980–1982	Blyth Relief fleet	1966-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda 6-cyl diesel	Sold July 1983
854	Sarah Tilson	1949	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1950–1978	Baltimore	--	Sold December 1979
855	W.M. Tilson	1949	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1950–1968	Arranmore	--	Sold August 1970

Midship steering cabin type

ON	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Re-engined	Comments
865	Elizabeth Rippon	1948	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1948–1975 1975–1977	St Helier Relief fleet	1966-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda	Sold October 1977
866	Charles Henry Ashley	1949	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1949–1979 1979–1986	Porthdinllaen Relief fleet	1969-2x70bhp Watermota Sea Lion	Sold March 1987
867	Lady Scott (Civil Service No.4)	1949	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1949–1981 1981–1986	Portrush Relief fleet	1972-2x70bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold July 1987
868	John and Lucy Cordingley	1950	Sussex Yacht Co.,Shoreham	1950–1960 1960–1969 1969–1981	Teesmouth Helvick Head Relief fleet	--	Sold November 1981
885	Sir Samuel Kelly	1950	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1950–1976 1976–1979	Donaghadee Relief fleet	1972-2x70bhp Ford Mermaid 595	Sold in 1980
886	Sarah Townsend Porritt	1951	Sussex Yacht Co., Shoreham	1951–1978 1978–1982	Lytham St Annes Relief fleet	1971-2x70bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold October 1982
887	Sir Godfrey Baring	1951	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1952–1968 1968–1970 1972–1982 1982–1986	Clacton on Sea Wick Workington Relief fleet	1972-2x70bhp Ford Mermaid 595	Sold July 1986
888	North Foreland (Civil Service No.11)	1951	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1951–1978 1978–1981	Margate Relief fleet	--	On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
896	Douglas Hyde	1952	Camper & Nicholson, Gosport	1952–1969 1970–1972	Rosslare Harbour Dunmore East	1970-2x70bhp Watermota Sea Lion	Sold February 1973
900	Herbert Leigh	1951	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1951–1982 1983–1988	Barrow Relief fleet	1977-2x70bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold in 1990
901	Michael and Lily Davis	1953	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1953–1976 1976–1979	Ramsgate Relief fleet	--	Sold in 1979
908	Duchess of Kent	1954	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1954–1970	Fraserburgh	1965-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda	Capsized on service 21/1/1970, five crew lost. Broken up October 1970.
910	Edian Courtauld	1953	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1953–1977 1977–1981	Walton and Frinton Relief fleet	1967-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda	Sold August 1981
911	City of Bradford II	1954	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1954–1977 1978–1985	Humber Lytham St Annes	1968-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda	Sold August 1985
919	Deneys Reitz	1954	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1954–1980	Fowey	1970-2x70bhp Watermota Sea Lion	Sold September 1980
921	Greater London II (Civil Service No.30)	1955	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1955–1976 1977–1989	Southend on Sea Beaumaris	1969-2x70bhp Watermota Sea Lion	Sold in 1991
925	Henry Comber Brown	1955	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1955–1986	Tenby	1969-2x70bhp Watermota Sea Lion	Sold in 1987
926	Guy and Clare Hunter	1955	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1955–1981 1981–1982 1982–1983 1983–1984 1984–1985 1985–1988	St Mary's Fowey Penlee Padstow Cromer Relief fleet	1972-2x70bhp Ford Mermaid 595	Sold June 1988
928	Lilla Marras, Douglas and Will	1955	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1955–1968 1968–1971 1972–1974 1974–1978 1978–1979 1979–1982	Cromarty Falmouth Falmouth Relief fleet Donaghadee Relief fleet	1978-2x 70 bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold October 1982
929	R.A. Colby Cubbin No.1	1956	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1956–1988	Douglas	1979-2x70bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold in 1989
930	R.A. Colby Cubbin No.2	1956	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1956–1976 1976–1977	Port St Mary Relief fleet	--	Sold October 1977
931	Richard Vernon and Mary Garforth of Leeds	1956	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1957–1987 1987–1988	Angle Wicklow	1980-2x70bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold in 1989
932	Howard Marryat	1956	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1957–1981 1982–1986 1987–1988 1988	Fishguard Barrow Moelfre Relief fleet	1982-2x70bhp Ford Thorneycroft 380	Sold September 1989

External links

• RNLI