Wikipedia

Poolbeg Lifeboat Station

Poolbeg Lifeboat Station was located near Pigeon House Fort, on the artificial peninsula of Poolbeg, reclaimed land which extends out from Ringsend, Dublin, into Dublin Bay, in the administrative region of Fingal, historically County Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland.[1]

Poolbeg Lifeboat Station
Poolbeg
Poolbeg Lifeboat Station is located in County Dublin
Poolbeg Lifeboat Station
Poolbeg, County Dublin
General information
StatusClosed
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
AddressPigeon House Fort
Town or cityPoolbeg, County Dublin
CountryIreland
Coordinates53°20′27.9″N 6°11′37.9″W / 53.341083°N 6.193861°W / 53.341083; -6.193861
Opened1804
1862 RNLI
Closed1959

A lifeboat was first stationed at Poolbeg in 1804 by the Ship's Insurance Co. Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1862.[2]

Poolbeg Lifeboat Station was closed in 1959.[2]

History

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The first lifeboat to be placed at Poolbeg was operated by the Ship's Insurance Co. from Pigeonhouse Fort from 1804 to 1825. In 1820, a second lifeboat, built by Clements and Brady of Dublin was stationed "at the entrance to the River Liffey", kept on the quay near a crane, and operated by the Ballast Corporation of Dublin.[3]

In early 1862, the Ballast Corporation made a request to the RNLI to take over the management of their three lifeboat stations, located at Howth, Kingstown and Poolbeg, which was agreed. An new unnamed fully equipped 30-foot Self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, was provided to Poolbeg, arriving on station in March 1862. A new carriage for transportation was also provided, along with a new boathouse. The Ballast Corporation agreed to contribute £50 of the annual cost of the station.[2][4]

On the morning of 29 October 1865, the Poolbeg lifeboat was launched to the aid of the schooner Emma of Barrow-in-Furness, driven ashore at South Bull Sand, whilst on passage from Ardrossan to Newport, Wales. In a SSE gale, and with considerable difficulty, the crew of six were rescued.[5][6]

During an ENE gale on the night of 28 October 1880, the schooner Robert Brown of Warrenpoint was driven ashore near Pigeonhouse Fort. Two of the four crew were swept away and drowned, but the other two men were seen lashed to the rigging at daybreak by the coastguard. With the normal Poolbeg lifeboat crew absent on training, a replacement crew of local fishermen, seamen and soldiers from the fort was assembled. Launching over a beach strewn with debris and boulders, the crew fought to reach the vessel in extreme conditions, but after 30 minutes, successfully rescued the two men. Five RNLI Medals were awarded, with acting coxswain Lt. J. A. W. O.Neill Torrens being awarded the RNLI Gold Medal.[7][8]

In 1884, the lifeboat was moored afloat in Pigeonhouse Fort basin, after the sea undermined the lifeboat house, rendering it unsafe. In 1907, a new corrugated boathouse and slipway was constructed at the entrance to the basin by Mr Langley of Dublin, at a cost of £430-15s-0d.[3]

Poolbeg would receive a unique new lifeboat in 1938. The 28-foot Harbour-class motor-powered lifeboat was the only one of its type, designed for close shore work within an estuary, and was effectively the first Inshore-lifeboat of the RNLI. The new boat cost £1,893, and was funded from the legacy of the late Mrs. Helen Blake, of Handcross, Sussex. The official lifeboat naming ceremony was postponed due to the outbreak of World War II, but the boat was duly named Helen Blake (ON 809).[9]

The Helen Blake was launched at 22:35 on the 28 August 1954, following reports of 2 men in a small yacht shouting for help near the North Bull Lighthouse. Arriving on scene, they found the yacht Libera tied fast, and two men clinging to the lighthouse ladder. Both men were rescued, and the yacht towed ashore.[10]

 
Helen Blake (ON 809)

Poolbeg Lifeboat Station was closed in 1959. It was decided that the motor-powered lifeboats stationed at Dun Laoghaire to the south, and Howth to the north, could now easily cover the area, and the need for a lifeboat at Poolbeg had diminished. It had been four years since the last call in 1955. Between 1862 and 1959, the Poolbeg lifeboat was launched 53 times, and saved 59 people. The Helen Blake was sold from service, but was later fully restored, and is now on display in the RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard.[2][3][11]

Station honours

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The following are awards made at Poolbeg.[7]

Lt. John Arthur Wellesley O'Neill Torrens, 2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys) - 1881
Mr. Henry Lawrence Cox, Surgeon, Army Medical Department - 1881
William Smith, Bombardier, RA - 1881
Patrick Reilly, Private, Army Service Corps - 1881
Francis Howard, Private, 57th Regt. of Foot - 1881
Daniel Evans, Coxswain - 1882
Samuel Carr, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard & Honorary Secretary, Poolbeg RNLI - 1882
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
B. W. Jackson, chief engineer, of the Govt. hired steamer Stanley - 1881

Poolbeg lifeboats

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All-weather lifeboats

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ON[a] Name Built In service[12] Class Comments[3]
Pre-391 Unnamed 1862 1862–1866 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 1]
Pre-470 G. V. Brooke 1866 1866–1881 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 2]
292 Aaron Stark Symes 1881 1881–1897 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]
126 Rochdale 1887 1897–1902 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 4]
Reserve No.D9, from the relief fleet.
481 Richard Cresswell 1902 1902–1910 29-foot 1in Whaleboat [Note 5]
615 John Watson Wakefield 1910 1910–1938 30-foot Whaleboat [Note 6]
809 Helen Blake 1938 1938–1959 Harbour-class [Note 7][13]
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 30-foot x 7-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse.
  2. ^ 32-foot x 7-foot 6in Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse.
  3. ^ 34-foot 4in x 8-foot 1in Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Woolfe & Son of Shadwell, costing £363.
  4. ^ 34-foot Self-righting (P&S)
  5. ^ 29-foot 1in x 6-foot 6in Whaleboat, built by J. Atkinson, costing £392.
  6. ^ 30-foot x 7-foot 3in Whaleboat, built by Thames Ironworks, costing £593.
  7. ^ 28-foot x 8-foot Harbour-class, with a single 20-hp Hyland petrol-engine, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £1,893.

References

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  1. ^ "Dublin - Sheet 19". Maps. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  3. ^ a b c d de Courcy Ireland, Dr. John (1 January 1999). Lifeboats in Dublin Bay. RNLI Dún Laoghaire Branch. pp. 1–132. ISBN 0953354008.
  4. ^ "Additional Stations and New Life-Boats". The Lifeboat. V (46): 163–164. 1 October 1862. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Ship News". The Times. No. 25331. London. 1 November 1865. col C, p. 11.
  6. ^ "Services of the Life-Boats of the National Life-Boat Institution". The Lifeboat. VI (59): 6. 1 January 1866. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  7. ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0907605893.
  8. ^ "Per Mare, Per Terram". The Lifeboat. XI (119): 230–231. 1 February 1881. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Poolbeg". The Lifeboat. XXXI (341): 257. April 1940. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Libera". The Lifeboat. XXXIII (370): 796–797. December 1954. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Notes of the Quarter". The Lifeboat. XXXV (388): 221. June 1959. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  12. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–120.
  13. ^ "RNLI Helen Blake". Ships Nostalgia. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
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