Port Erin Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution opened a station here in 1883 following requests from local residents.[1]
| Port Erin Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Port Erin Lifeboat Station | |
  Port Erin, Isle of Man | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Breakwater Road |
| Town or city | Port Erin |
| Country | Isle of Man |
| Coordinates | 54°05′06″N 004°46′06″W / 54.08500°N 4.76833°W |
| Opened | 1883 |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Website | |
| Port Erin RNLI Lifeboat Station | |
The station currently operates an B-class (Atlantic 85) inshore lifeboat, Muriel and Leslie (B-813), funded from the bequest of Mr Leslie Hartle.[2]
History
editAt a meeting of the RNLI Management Committee on 7 September 1882, it was agreed to form a Lifeboat Station at Port Erin.
The first lifeboat arrived at Douglas, Isle of Man on the 8 August 1883, before being transported over the Island to Port Erin. She was named Ann and Mary of Manchester, a 32-foot 10-oared self-righting boat. Ann and Mary of Manchester saw her first service in 1888 to the Lyra, wrecked in Port St Mary bay. A boathouse was constructed in 1884, opposite the Raglan Pier.
A new larger 37-foot 12-oared boat arrived in 1892, the William Sugden (ON 321) and to make launching easier, a slipway was constructed in 1900. The boat served Port Erin for 20 years, and saved 12 lives.
10 August 1925 saw the arrival of a 40-foot self-righting motor powered lifeboat on station, Ethel Day Cardwell (ON 647), previously on service at Tynemouth. This was the same year that a new boathouse was constructed along the breakwater road, a building still in use today. It is notable by its very steep 1:4 slipway, still regarded as the steepest incline of any RNLI lifeboat station.[3]
The naming ceremony of the sixth lifeboat for Port Erin, a 37-foot Rother-class named Osman Gabriel after her donor, Major Osman Gabriel, was held on 4 August 1973.[4] Between 1973 and 1992, she was launched 70 times, and saved 55 lives.
In 1990, a coastal review determined that a Mersey-class All-weather lifeboat would be placed at Peel, replacing their B-class (Atlantic 21), whilst Port Erin would receive an Atlantic 21 Inshore boat to replace their Rother-class All-weather lifeboat.[5]
Port Erin now have the fastest lifeboat on the Isle of Man, an B-class (Atlantic 85), capable of nearly 40 miles per hour (64 km/h).[3]
Notable rescues
editJust after 6 am on the 9 September 1970, the Port Erin lifeboat Matthew Simpson (ON 823) was launched into a very rough sea in a SSW gale, to reports of the coaster Moonlight in difficulties, 5 miles (8 km) north of Chicken Rock. A life-raft located by aircraft was found to be empty. At 11 am, a second life-raft was spotted, and found to contain just two survivors from the Moonlight. The lifeboat returned to Port Erin at 1 pm. For this service, Coxswain Alfred Dennis Maddrell BEM was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.[6]
Station honours
editThe following are awards made at Port Erin[7][6]
- Alfred Dennis Maddrell BEM, Coxswain – 1970
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- Peter Woodworth, Coxswain – 1978
- Alfred Dennis Maddrell, Coxswain – 1969[8]
Port Erin lifeboats
editAll-weather lifeboats
edit| ON[a] | Op. No.[b] | Name | In service[2] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-660 | – | Ann and Mary of Manchester | 1883–1892 | 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [9] |
| 321 | – | William Sugden | 1892–1912 | 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 634 | – | Henry Kirk | 1912–1925 | 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 647 | – | Ethel Day Cardwell | 1925–1939 | 40-foot Self-righting (motor) | |
| 823 | – | Matthew Simpson | 1939–1972 | 41ft Watson | |
| 998 | 32-27 | Osman Gabriel | 1973–1992 | Rother |
- All-weather lifeboat withdrawn 1992
- Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.
Inshore lifeboats
editB-class
edit| Op. No.[b] | Name | In service[2] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-515 | Vee Webber | 1992–1993 | Atlantic 21 | |
| B-594 | Herbert and Edith | 1993–2006 | Atlantic 21 | |
| B-813 | Muriel and Leslie | 2006– | Atlantic 85 | [10] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Port Erin Lifeboat Station". RNLI. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ a b Port Erin Lifeboat Station History. RNLI. 1999. pp. 2–3.
- ^ "Naming Ceremony". imuseum. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Morris, Jeff (2003). Peel Lifeboats 1828-2003. pp. 1–46.
- ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.
- ^ "Port Erin's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
- ^ "New lifeboat handed over". isleofman.com. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2024.