Bangor Lifeboat Station

Bangor Lifeboat Station
Bangor Lifeboat Station
	Bangor Lifeboat Station
	Bangor, County Down
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address	Sea Cliff Road
Town or city	Bangor, County Down, BT20 5EY
Country	Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54°39′56.6″N 5°40′01.8″W / 54.665722°N 5.667167°W
Opened	May 1965
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
	Bangor RNLI Lifeboat Station

Bangor Lifeboat Station is located at Sea Cliff Road, Bangor, a city located at the top of the Ards Peninsula, overlooking Belfast Lough, 13 miles (21 km) north-east of Belfast, in County Down, Northern Ireland.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Bangor in May 1965 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).^[1]

The station currently operates the B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat, Ruby Robinson (B-944), on station since June 2024.^[2]

History

In 1858, the RNLI opened a lifeboat station at Groomsport, Co. Down, just 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the current station at Bangor. It operated for 62 years, until its closure in 1920.^[3]

In 1964, in response to an increasing amount of water-based leisure activity, the RNLI placed 25 small fast Inshore lifeboats around the country. These were easily launched with just a few people, ideal to respond quickly to local emergencies.^[4]

More stations were opened, and in May 1965, a lifeboat station was established at Bangor, with the arrival of a D-class (RFD PB16) Inshore lifeboat, the unnamed (D-40).^[3]

One of the first service calls for Bangor lifeboat, was on 15 June 1965, when the lifeboat was launched at 20:51, into gale-force conditions, to a dinghy in difficulties off Craigavad. Two people were taken on board the Inshore lifeboat, and the dinghy was towed to Cultra.^[5]

In total, four of the smaller D-class lifeboats were placed at Bangor, between 1965 and 1988. Two were funded from the bequest of the late Alan Thurlow Ashford.^[3]

A new station building, provided by North Down Borough Council was opened in 1984. At a ceremony on the 15 June 1984, Councillor Mrs Hazel Bradford declared the boathouse open, and the second Alan Thurlow Ashford lifeboat (D-301), was formally named and handed over to the station.^[6]

Alan Thurlow Ashford (D-301) was launched on 21 July 1987, after the station was alerted by Belfast Coastguard to reports of three men overboard, from a motor boat off Bangor Harbour. On arrival, one man was in poor condition and close to drowning. The two other men were left in the care of Ballyholme Yacht Club rescue boat, but the third was immediately returned to shore. It is reported that there was little doubt that the man would not have survived, was it not for the swift actions of the rescue services, and the prompt first aid administered.^[7]

Bangor would receive the larger twin-engined B-class (Atlantic 21) Inshore lifeboat on 25 March 1988. The William McCunn and Broom Church Youth Fellowship (B-513) was initially placed on service, but was followed by a permanent lifeboat on 21 November 1990, some of the funds for which had been raised by local children. On the extremely wet rainy day of Saturday 22 June 1991, H.R.H Prince Edward named the new Bangor Inshore lifeboat Youth of Ulster (B-584).^[1]^[8]

Bangor B-class (Atlantic 85) lifeboat Jessie Hillyard (B-805)

Youth of Ulster was retired in 2006. She was replaced by the new larger B-class (Atlantic 85). The lifeboat was the gift of Mrs Eileen Freeman, wife of RNLI Management Committee member Eric Freeman. The boat was named Jessie Hillyard (B-805) at a ceremony on 21 April 2007, in memory of her mother, the late Jessie Hillyard of Donaghadee. In her 18-years on station, Jessie Hillyard launched 643 times, spent 742 hours at sea, aided 626 people, and saved 20 lives.^[2]^[3]

Bangor received their replacement B-class (Atlantic 85) lifeboat, Ruby Robinson (B-944), in June 2024. The lifeboat was funded from the legacy of Norfolk farm hand Dennis Filby, who died in April 2019. Filby, of Hilborough, who had never married or had children, wished to leave the majority of his estate to fund a lifeboat, and be named in memory of the farmer's wife, Ruby Robinson, who had treated him like a son.^[2]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Bangor, Co. Down.^[1]

Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Brian Meharg - 2011QBH^[9]