Portmadoc Lifeboat Station
History
The Portmadoc Lifeboat Station was opened by the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society (SFMRBS) in 1853. All SFMRBS lifeboats were handed over to the RNLI in 1854 but it was decided to provide it with a new lifeboat. The station was renamed as Criccieth in 1892. The original building is still in use but has been rebuilt and improved on several occasions, the first time in 1892 and most recently in 2018.
Early lifeboats were known as 'pulling and sailing', which means they were rowed by the crews but had sails for when conditions allowed. The lifeboat was wrecked in October 1910 when it was on a service. A temporary replacement came from the Reserve Fleet but that too was damaged on another service within a month and so another had to be provided from the reserve. A new lifeboat was built and arrived on station in September 1911.
The Criccieth lifeboat station was closed in 1931, when a motor lifeboat was stationed at Pwllheli, but was reopened in 1953 with its own motor lifeboat, following a disaster in 1951. Due to silting of the harbour entrance, the Pwllheli lifeboat couldn't get out at dead-low water, and on 3 September 1951, a school master and 4 boys were drowned when their boat Dorothy capsized, and the Pwllheli lifeboat couldn't attend. The Pwllheli lifeboat was subsequently replaced with a smaller carriage-launched boat, housed in the 1891 boathouse, which could then be launched off the beach.
The RNLI started to provide Inshore Lifeboats (ILBs) in the 1960s and one was sent to Criccieth for evaluation in 1967. It proved successful so the old All-weather lifeboat was withdrawn in 1968 and ILBs have been successfully used ever since. On 1 September 1977 it went to the aid of a yacht that was aground on Portmadoc Bar in rough seas and a strong wind. The ILB helmsman, John Owen, and crew members Robert Williams and Kenneth Roberts were presented with 'The Institution's thanks inscribed on Vellum' for the difficult service in which they rescued all four people from the yacht.
Starting in 1983, larger and faster ILBs have been stationed at Criccieth, but since 2009 there has also been a smaller inshore rescue boat of the type more usually used by beach lifeguards. It can get into shallower parts of the Glaslyn and Dwyryd estuaries than the larger boats can reach.
Criccieth lifeboats
All-weather lifeboats
'ON' is the Official Number used in RNLI records from 1884.
| At Criccieth | ON | Name | Built | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1853–1854 | – | Dauntless | 1853 | Self-righter | SFMRBS lifeboat. |
| 1854–1867 | – | (no name?) | 1853 | Peake | |
| 1867–1886 | – | John Ashbury | 1867 | 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 1886–1910 | 65 | Caroline | 1886 | Standard Self-Righter | |
| 1910 | 275 | James and Caroline | 1889 | Standard Self-Righter | Originally based at St Agnes. |
| 1910–1911 | 348 | Jane Hannah MacDonald | 1893 | Standard Self-Righter | Originally the Elinor Roget at Clovelly and Appledore |
| 1911–1931 | 624 | Phillip Woolley | 1911 | Rubie | Sold in 1935 and rebuilt as a yacht. |
| Station Closed 1931–1953 | |||||
| 1953–1961 | 794 | Richard Silver Oliver | 1937 | Liverpool | Motor lifeboat, previously used at Cullercoats, Newquay and Ilfracombe. Sold in 1963 for further use as a lifeboat in Chile. |
| 1961–1968 | 874 | Robert Lindsay | 1950 | Liverpool | Motor lifeboat, previously used at Arbroath and Girvan. |
Inshore lifeboats
'Op. No.' is the Operational Number seen on the side of the boats.
| At Criccieth | Op. No. | Name | Built | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1971 | D-117 | (no name) | 1967 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| 1972–1974 | D-207 | (no name) | 1854 | D-class (Zodiac III) | |
| 1974–1980 | D-140 | (no name) | 1967 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| 1980–1983 | D-272 | (no name) | 1980 | D-class (Zodiac III) | |
| 1983–1984 | C-510 | (no name) | 1983 | C-class | Initially numbered D-510. |
| 1985–1991 | C-510 | (no name) | 1983 | C-class | Initially numbered D-510. |
| 1991–1993 | C-523 | British Diver IV | 1990 | C-class | |
| 1993 | C-513 | Sebag of Jersey | 1984 | C-class | |
| 1993–1994 | B-531 | Foresters | 1975 | Atlantic 21 | |
| 1994–2007 | B-707 | Mercurius | 1994 | Atlantic 75 | |
| 2007–2023 | B-823 | Doris Joan | 2007 | Atlantic 85 | |
| 2009–2010 | A-70 | (no name) | Arancia | ||
| 2010–2011 | A-73 | (no name) | Arancia | ||
| 2011– | A-76 | Margaret and Nantw | Arancia | ||
| 2023– | B-938 | Frank Townley | 2023 | Atlantic 85 |
See also
References
- ^ "Criccieth lifeboat station, Lon Felin, Criccieth". History Point. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Criccieth RNLI Lifeboat Station officially opens new boathouse". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Criccieth station history". RNLI. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Morris, Jeff (January 1991). The Story of the Pwllheli Lifeboats (1891–1991). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 9.
- ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 12.
- ^ Denton, Tony (2010). Handbook 2010. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. p. 3.
- ^ Denton 2010, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Denton 2010, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Denton 2010, pp. 24–27.
- ^ Denton 2010, pp. 55–57.
- ^ Denton 2010, p. 65.
- ^ Denton 2010, p. 49.
- ^ Denton 2010, p. 51.
- ^ Denton 2010, p. 53.
External links
