47ft Watson-class lifeboat

The 47 ft Watson-class was a class of non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built from 1955 to 1963 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1956 and 1991.

Class overview
Name	47ft Watson class
Builders	William Osborne, Littlehampton Groves & Guttridge, Cowes J. Samuel White, Cowes
Operators	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded by	46ft 9in Watson-class
Succeeded by	Tyne-class
Cost	£35,000-£40,500
Built	1955-1963
In service	1956-1991
Completed	18
Lost	2
Retired	16
General characteristics
Class and type	47ft Watson
Displacement	23 tons
Length	47 ft (14 m)
Beam	13 ft (4.0 m)
Draught	4 ft 5 in (1.35 m)
Propulsion	2 × 60bhp Gardner 5LW 5-cyl. diesel
Speed	9 knots
Range	280 nm
Crew	8

History

The 47 ft Watson was the final development of the basic hull design laid out by George Lennox Watson in the late nineteenth century and was designed by James Barnett. They were the final Watson type boats to be built and survived in service almost to the end of the displacement hull era. The prototype, Dunnet Head (Civil Service No.31) (ON 920), was built in 1955 and was placed on station at Thurso in January 1956. Unfortunately, on 10 December 1956, the boathouse at Thurso caught fire and both it and the lifeboat inside were destroyed. No further 47 ft Watsons were built during 1956 and production of the 46 ft 9in Watson continued during that year. Production of the new type resumed in 1957, with the first being a replacement boat for Thurso, still Civil Service no.31, but named Pentland. Production continued until 1963 when large displacement hull development turned to the self-righting 48 ft 6in Oakley-class and later Solent-class.

Description

Compared to the preceding 46ft 9in Watson-class lifeboat, the new boats had a hull extended by 3 inches in both length and beam. The wheelhouse was fully enclosed with sliding doors on either side and there were bulwarks above the fenders fore and aft and, from the second boat, the forward cabin was increased in size. As with the previous year's 42ft Watson-class, the boats were powered by commercial diesel engines rather than the RNLI designed units used previously. In this case, two 60 bhp Gardner 5LW five cylinder diesels were fitted with the exhaust being taken up the mast as on the later 46 ft 9in boats. As built, the boats had line aerials rigged from the forward mast to a pole mast aft of the rear cabin. During their careers, this rig was replaced by twin pole aerials and the aft mast was removed. Radar was fitted on a bracket on the port side of the rear cabin roof (some had it fitted to the wheelhouse roof). From 1973, the boats were modified to become self-righting by, in most cases, the fitting of an air bag on the starboard side of the rear cabin roof, adjacent to the radar. This gave a once only self-righting ability which was successfully deployed when Salcombe's The Baltic Exchange capsized on service in 1983. Six boats were rebuilt with larger forward and aft superstructures (akin to the 48 ft 6in Oakley and Solent classes) which made them inherently self-righting. In these boats the masts were removed and the exhaust outlets were on the side of the hull. The engines in these six were uprated to 70 bhp and these modified boats were the longest lasting of the type, all but one serving into the 1990s.

Fleet

ON	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Comments
920	Dunnet Head (Civil Service No.31)	1955	William Osbourne	1956	Thurso	Destroyed by fire in boathouse on 10 December 1956.
940	Pentland (Civil Service No.31)	1957	J. Samuel White	1957–1970	Thurso	Modified to be self-righting from 1974. Sold March 1991. In June 2022 was reported to be in unaltered condition working as a pleasure boat at Milford Haven Marina.
				1970–1974	Relief fleet
				1974–1985	The Mumbles
				1986–1990	Workington
947	Margaret	1958	Groves & Guttridge	1959–1986	Dunbar	Sold in 1987. Renamed Theo, sunk at Rathmullan, Ireland, in 2006.
950	Kathleen Mary	1959	William Osbourne	1959–1977	Newhaven	Modified to be self-righting from 1978. Sold April 1990. Renamed Katie May. Reported in December 2020 to be a pleasure boat but in unaltered condition at Ellesmere Port Boat Museum.
				1977–1979	Relief fleet
				1979–1987	Porthdinllaen
				1987–1988	Appledore
951	Francis K. Wotherspoon of Paisley	1959	William Osbourne	1959–1979	Islay	Sold October 1986. Reported in December 2022 to be in unaltered condition but working as a pleasure boat in Douglas, Isle of Man.
				1979–1981	Relief fleet
				1981	Fishguard
				1982–1986	Workington
953	Sarah Jane and James Season	1960	Groves & Guttridge	1960–1986	Teesmouth	Sold in 1989. Renamed Manx Voyager. Reported in December 2021 to be at Ramsey, Isle of Man in unaltered condition.
				1986–1988	Shoreham Harbour
954	Solomon Browne	1960	William Osbourne	1960–1981	Penlee	Wrecked on service 19 December 1981. Eight crew lost.
955	The Robert	1960	William Osbourne	1960–1978	Broughty Ferry	Modified to be self-righting from 1976. Sold February 1992. Reported in November 2022 as being in unaltered condition as a pleasure boat at Kingswear in Devon.
				1978–1984	Baltimore
				1985–1988	Lytham St Annes
				1989–1991	Beaumaris
957	The Jeanie	1961	Groves & Guttridge	1961–1986	Portpatrick	Sold in 1987. Renamed Jeanie Brandon. Reported in October 2017 to be unaltered but used as a pleasure boat on the River Danube near the Rhine Canal.
958	Laura Moncur	1961	Groves & Guttridge	1961–1984	Buckie	Modified to be self-righting from 1972. Sold November 1988. By December 2022 it had been restored as a pleasure boat at Blakeney, Norfolk.
				1984–1986	Relief fleet
				1986–1987	Appledore
				1987–1988	Relief fleet
959	Helen Wycherley	1961	Groves & Guttridge	1961–1969	Whitehills	Sold December 1988. Reported in June 2022 to be at Whitby, North Yorkshire.
				1969–1987	Courtmacsherry Harbour
				1987–1988	Relief fleet
962	T.G.B.	1962	J. Samuel White	1962–1969	Longhope	Capsized on service at Longhope 17 March 1969, eight crew lost. Sold in 1986. On display at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine since July 1986.
				1969–1978	Arranmore
				1978–1985	Relief fleet
963	A.M.T.	1962	J. Samuel White	1962–1986	Howth	Sold June 1989. Renamed Amity. In December 2021 it was reported to still be in unaltered condition and working as a pleasure boat at Quay Lane Boatyard, Gosport.
				1986–1989	Relief fleet
964	The Baltic Exchange	1962	J. Samuel White	1962–1988	Salcombe	Capsized on service 10 April 1983, righted by air bag. Sold in 1989. Reported in December 2022 as being in unaltered condition and in use as a pleasure boat at Blyth, Northumberland.
965	Louisa Anne Hawker	1962	Groves & Guttridge	1962–1986	Appledore	Sold August 1987. By November 2019 it was in use as a pleasure boat in unaltered condition at Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia.
969	William Myers and Sarah Jane Myers	1963	J. Samuel White	1963–1990	Sunderland	Modified to be self-righting from 1975. Sold in 1992. Renamed D'ouwe Draeck. Last reported in July 2016 on the River Vecht between Weesp and Muiden in the Netherlands.
				1990–1992	Relief fleet
970	Frederick Edward Crick	1963	J. Samuel White	1963–1986	Lowestoft	Sold October 1986. In November 2019 it was reported to be in storage on the River Yonne, at Migennes in France.
971	Joseph Soar (Civil Service No.34)	1963	J. Samuel White	1963–1985	St Davids	Modified to be self-righting from 1976. Sold August 1992. Reported in December 2022 to be a pleasure boat in unaltered condition at Coleraine in Northern Ireland.
				1986–1988	Dunbar
				1988–1990	Shoreham Harbour

External links

• RNLI