St Abbs Lifeboat Station
| St Abbs Lifeboat | |
| [Lifeboat station] | |
 St Abbs Lifeboat Station
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| Country | Scotland, UK |
|---|---|
| State | Berwickshire |
| Village | St Abbs |
| Location | Middle Pier, St Abbs, Berwickshire, Scotland, UK |
| - coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Owner | St Abbs Harbour Trust |
| Visitation | By appointment |
  St Abbs, Berwickshire
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St Abbs Lifeboat Station is a marine-rescue facility in St Abbs, Berwickshire, Scotland. It was operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from 1911 until 2015, but is today run independently.
Contents
Independent lifeboat
St Abbs Lifeboat is now an independent charity (SCIO) registered in Scotland (Charity Number SC046312). It aims to operate an independent rescue service outside of the RNLI. Thomas Tunnock & Sons Ltd, a Scottish company, has contributed £250,000 towards the purchase of a new lifeboat to be called the Thomas Tunnock.[1]
History as an RNLI Lifeboat Station
A campaign to found a lifeboat station in the port was started after the sinking of the S.S. Alfred Erlandsen and the loss of crew in 1907 on rocks, known as the Ebb Carrs, near the shore of the village. Lifeboats were launched from Dunbar Lifeboat Station and Eyemouth but took too long to reach the wreck and all 17 crew members were lost.[2]
In 1911 the station was founded by with the formation of a slipway and the campaign organiser Jane Hay was made secretary of the station in recognition of her effort. The boathouse, still in use today, was added later in 1915. The station's final all weather lifeboat was a 37-foot Oakley-class, on station from 1964 until 1974 when it was withdrawn having averaged only two launches per year and replaced by an inshore D-class lifeboat as the nearby Eyemouth Lifeboat Station had taken on a new fast Waveney-class boat. Since then the station has had a C-class, B-Class and housed the Dorothy and Katherine Barr II Atlantic 75.
Despite a 13,000 signature petition urging them to reconsider, the RNLI withdrew its lifeboat from the station in September 2015.[3] Following a 5-year study, the RNLI decided to replace St Abbs by supplementing the existing Trent-class lifeboat at Eyemouth, 2 miles away, with an additional D-class RIB.[3][4]
The station's crew received 4 Silver Medals of honour during its service with the RNLI.
Fleet
| Dates in service | Class | ON | Op. No. | Name | Launches/saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911–1936 | 38ft Watson-class | ON 603 | Helen Smitton | 27/37 | |
| 1936–1949 | Liverpool-class Single engine | ON 792 | Annie Ronald and Isabella Forrest | 28/73 | |
| 1949–1953 | Liverpool-class Twin engine | ON 872 | J.B. Couper of Glasgow | 4/1 | |
| 1953–1964 | Liverpool-class Twin engine | ON 906 | W. Ross MacArthur of Glasgow | 32/13 | |
| 1964–1974 | 37ft Oakley-class | ON 974 | 37-07 | Jane Hay | 20/8 |
| 1974–1975 | D-class (RFD PB16) | D-110 | Unnamed | ||
| 1976–1978 | D-class (Zodiac III) | D-235 | Unnamed | ||
| 1979–1986 | C-class | C- | Unnamed | ||
| 1986–2001 | Atlantic 21-class | B-572 | Dorothy and Katherine Barr | ||
| 2001–2002 | Atlantic 21-class | B-579 | Institute of London Underwriters | ||
| 2002–2002 | Atlantic 21-class | B-568 | Burton Brewer | ||
| 2002–2015 | Atlantic 75-class | B-783 | Dorothy and Katherine Barr II | ||
| 2015 | Atlantic 75-class | B-770 | The Boys Brigade |
See also
References
External links
- St Abbs Lifeboat Website.
- St Abbs Lifeboat Facebook Page.
