Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station

Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Ilfracombe, Devon, England. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1828 and the present station was opened in 1996. For 29 years a second boat was operated from Morte Bay at Woolacombe.

Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station
Flag of the RNLI
Ilfracombe
General information
Type	Lifeboat station
Location	The Lifeboat House
Address	14 Broad Street
Town or city	Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 9EE
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.2100°N 4.1162°W / 51.2100; -4.1162
Opened	First boat 1828 Current building 1996
Owner	RNLI

Two lifeboats operate from the station: a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat (ALB) 13-09 The Barry and Peggy High Foundation (ON 1316) and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat (ILB) Deborah Brown III (D-863).

History

A pilot boat was fitted out as a lifeboat for the town in 1828, and a new lifeboat was bought by local people in 1850 which operated from a boat house in Hiern's Lane near the harbour. The RNLI started its service in Ilfracombe in 1866 when a boat house was built near the pier at the bottom of Lantern Hill with a slipway nearby. Alterations to the pier in 1871 meant that the slipway was lost and the boat then had to be taken along the road to the harbour whenever it needed to be launched. The boat house was demolished in 1893 to allow a larger building be built for the new Co-operator No. 2 (ON 355) which, at 37 feet (11 m) was 3 feet longer than the previous boat. This boat house was used until 1996 when it was replaced by a new facility near the slipway at the harbour.^[1]

In 1871 a lifeboat was stationed at Morte Bay near Woolacombe, about 6 miles (10 km) south west of Ilfracombe. When the lifeboat was needed west of Morte Point a crew came out from Ilfracombe on a carriage. It proved difficult to launch into strong winds blowing onto its west-facing beach and so the station was closed in May 1900. The lifeboat was transferred up the coast to Watchet; the boat house has since been incorporated into a café known as the Boat House Café.^[2]

The first motor lifeboat at Ilfracombe was placed on station in March 1936. This was a 32 feet (9.8 m) Surf lifeboat, a type that was designed for work close inshore. It was replaced by a more conventional 35 feet (11 m) Liverpool-class boat in 1945, which allowed the Surf boat to be sent to the Netherlands where there was an acute shortage of lifeboats at the end of World War II.^[1] The all-weather boat has been supported by an inflatable inshore rescue boat since 1991.^[3]

Service awards

The volunteer crews of the RNLI do not expect reward or recognition for their work, but the records include many rescues that have been recognised by letters, certificates and medals from the RNLI management. This list is just some of the most notable.

On 13 November 1949, the Richard Silver Oliver (ON 794) was launched to assist the SS Monte Gurugu, which was sinking near Morte Point after losing her rudder in a severe storm. After pulling the casualty clear of the shore, the lifeboat took the 23 crew aboard and safely back to Ilfracombe. Coxswain Cecil Irwin was awarded an RNLI silver medal for his work.^[1]

In a Force 8 gale on 9 September 1984, the Liberty was dragging her anchor just 50 yards (46 m) from the shore when the Lloyds II reached her. The lifeboat's crew managed to get a line secured to the yacht and towed her into the harbour. An RNLI bronze medal was awarded to Coxswain David Clemence for his courage, leadership and seamanship.^[1]

Area of operation

The Shannon-class lifeboat at Ilfracombe has an operating range of 250 nautical miles (460 km) and a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h). Adjacent lifeboats are stationed at Appledore to the West, and The Mumbles to the North, along with an ILB at Minehead to the East.^[4]

Ilfracombe lifeboats

Pulling and sailing lifeboats

At Ilfracombe	Station	ON	Name	Class	Comments
1828–?	Ilfracombe	—	—	–	Pilot boat fitted to work as a lifeboat, probably unnamed.[5]
1850–?	Ilfracombe	—	Lady Franklin	—	32 ft (9.8 m) non-self-righting lifeboat.[5]
1866–1886	Ilfracombe	—	Broadwater	Self-righter	[5]
1871–1892	Morte Bay	225	Grace Woodbury	Self-righter	Originally Jack-a-Jack but renamed Grace Woodbury in 1872.[6][7]
1886–1893	Ilfracombe	53	Co-operator No. 2	Self-righter	Used as a demonstration lifeboat from 1893 until 1907.[5][8]
1892–1900	Morte Bay	339	Theophilus Sidney Echalaz	Self-righter	Transferred to Watchet where it was renamed W.H.G. Kingston.[6][9]
1893–1920	Ilfracombe	355	Co-operator No. 2	Self-righter	[5][9]
1920–1936	Ilfracombe	596	Richard Crawley	Self-righter	Built in 1910 and stationed at Southsea until 1918.[10][11]

Motor lifeboats

• 
  Spirit of Derbyshire (1990–2015)
• 
  The Barry and Peggy High Foundation (From 2015)

At Ilfracombe	ON	Op. No.	Name	Class	Comments
1936–1945	779	—	Rosabella	Surf	Sold for further service at Terschelling in the Netherlands and is now preserved at Aalsmeer.[10][12]
1945–1952	794	—	Richard Silver Oliver	Liverpool	Built in 1937 for Cullercoats then moved to Newquay. After serving at Ilfracombe it went to Cricceth then sold in 1963 for further service in Chile until 1978.[10][12]
1952–1966	904	—	Robert and Phemia Brown	Liverpool	Sold in 1967 and subsequently used as a yacht.[10][13]
1966–1990	986	37-19	Lloyds II	Oakley	Stationed at Sheringham until 1993 but then broken up.[10][14]
1990–2015	1165	12-007	Spirit of Derbyshire	Mersey	December 2023, In use as a harbour boat, Valletta, Malta[15]
2015–	1316	13-09	The Barry and Peggy High Foundation	Shannon	[16]

Inshore lifeboats

At Ilfracombe	Op. No.	Name	Class	Type	Comments
1991–1991	D-334	—	D	EA16	Entered service in the relief fleet in 1987.[17]
1992–2000	D-422	Alec Dykes	D	EA16	Saw further service at Bude and in the RNLI relief fleet but was withdrawn from service in 2009.[17]
2000–2009	D-555	Deborah Brown	D	EA16	Transferred to the RNLI relief fleet in 2009.[18]
2009–2022	D-717	Deborah Brown II	D	IB1	[19]
2022-	D-863	Deborah Brown III	D	IB1	[20]

Launch and recovery tractors

At Ilfracombe	Op. No.	Reg. No.	Type	Comments
1939–1956	T34	FYR 552	Case L	[21]
1956–1961	T28	EYT 780	Case L	[21]
1961–1963	T49	KGP 854	Case LA	[21]
1963–1973	T69	970 FGP	Case 1000D	[21]
1973–1974	T73	500 GYR	Case 1000D	[21]
1974–1975	T69	970 FGP	Case 1000D	[21]
1975–1977	T74	136 HLC	Case 1000D	[21]
1977–1981	T69	970 FGP	Case 1000D	[21]
1981–1987	T62	PLA 698	Fowler Challenger III	[21]
1987–1998	T101	D335 SUJ	Talus MB-H Crawler	[22]
1998–1999	T97	C282 LNT	Talus MB-H Crawler	[22]
1999–2008	T100	D466 RAW	Talus MB-H Crawler	[22]
2008–2015	T92	A462 AUX	Talus MB-H Crawler	[22]
2015–2021	SC-T07	HF64 CVG	SLARS (Clayton)	June and Gordon Hadfield[23]
2021–	SC-T23	HF70 EBZ	SLARS (SC Innovation)	[23]

See also

• List of RNLI stations

References

1. Leach, Nicholas (2009). Devon's Lifeboat Heritage. Chacewater: Twelveheads Press. pp. 46–48. ISBN 978- 0-906294-72-7.
2. Leach N. (2009) p. 45
3. "Ilfracombe's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
4. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 115–116.
5. Leach 2009, p. 46.
6. Leach 2009, p. 45.
7. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 10–11.
8. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 4–5.
9. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 16–17.
10. Leach 2009, p. 47.
11. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 26–27.
12. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 34–35.
13. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 40–41.
14. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 44–45.
15. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 52–53.
16. Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 57.
17. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 78–79.
18. Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 82.
19. Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 84.
20. Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 86.
21. Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 89–91.
22. Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 92.
23. Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 98.

Further reading

• Thompson, Robert (2018) For those in Peril: a History of Ilfracombe Lifeboats. Memories in Print ISBN 978-0993143212

External links

• RNLI station information