42ft Watson-class lifeboat
Dorothy and Phillip Constant | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | 42ft Watson-class |
| Builders |
|
| Operators | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Preceded by | 41ft Watson |
| Succeeded by | various |
| Cost | £26,000-£36,000 |
| Built | 1954-1962 |
| In service | 1954-1987 |
| Completed | 10 |
| Retired | 10 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | 42ft Watson |
| Displacement | 17 tons |
| Length | 42 ft (13 m) |
| Beam | 12 ft (3.7 m)–12 ft 3 in (3.73 m) |
| Draught | 3 ft 7 in (1.09 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 48-bhp Gardner 4LW 4-cyl. diesel |
| Speed | 8 knots |
| Range | 235 nmi (435 km; 270 mi) |
| Crew | 7 |
The 42ft Watson-class was a class of non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat, built between 1954 and 1962, and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1954 and 1987.
History
The 42ft Watson was the final example of the medium-sized Watson type lifeboat built primarily for slipway launching at those stations where physical boathouse constraints and/or slipway strength precluded the use of the longer and heavier types.
The prototype, William Taylor of Oldham (ON 907) went on station at Coverack in Cornwall in July 1954 and served there until May 1972, as the final All-weather lifeboat at the station.[1]
In 1957 a version was developed suitable for beach launching. This had a widened (beam 12ft 3in) and strengthened hull to take the rigours of launching over skids.[2]
Description
The wooden hulled 42ft Watson featured a long tapering aluminium superstructure running forward from the aft cockpit. The forward part of this, ahead of the engine room, was a survivor cabin.
A major departure from previous RNLI practice, was the use of commercially available engines, in the form of two Gardner 4LW 4-cylinder marine diesels, each producing 48-bhp. The exhaust from the engines was taken up the forward mast, as with the later 46ft 9in Watson-class boats.[2]
With the exception of the last boat, Dorothy and Philip Constant (ON 967), which came four years after the previous example, all of the boats originally had open cockpits. In 1965, the first boat, William Taylor of Oldham (ON 907), was given an enclosed wheelhouse, followed by Mabel E. Holland (ON 937) in 1967. The others, with the exception of the Aldeburgh boat, had the wheelhouse enclosed in 1971/72.[2]
The Alfred and Patience Gottwald (ON 946) at Aldeburgh, was the only boat fitted with a mizzen mast, at the request of the crew, for a steadying sail in rough weather and was the only boat to retain an open cockpit to the end.[2]
During the course of their service, some boats were fitted with radar, and the original aerial rigging was replaced by a long pole aerial.[2]
Fleet
42ft Watson
| ON[a] | Name | Built | In service[1] | Stations | Shelter | Radar | Comments[2][1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 907 | William Taylor of Oldham | 1954 | 1954–1972 | Coverack | 1965 | No | [Note 1] First RNLI lifeboat fitted with commercial diesel engines. Sold August 1986. Renamed Gypsy Moth. Last reported as a fishing boat at Petite Martinique, Grenada, February 1995. |
| 1972–1973 | Relief fleet | ||||||
| 1973–1986 | Arklow | ||||||
| 909 | James and Barbara Aitken | 1955 | 1955–1968 | Troon | 1971 | No | [Note 2] Withdrawn after it was damaged on service, 15 October 1976. Sold 1977. Renamed Cape Lorna. In storage as James and Barbara Aitken on the Yonne (river), Migennes, France, December 2024. |
| 1968–1976 | Girvan | ||||||
| 922 | Watkin Williams | 1956 | 1956–1977 | Moelfre | 1972 | No | [Note 3] Sold May 1983. Stored for restoration and possible future display at Museum Wales' National Collections Centre in Nantgarw, December 2025. |
| 1978–1981 | Oban | ||||||
| 1981–1983 | Relief fleet | ||||||
| 933 | J. W. Archer | 1956 | 1956–1987 | Wicklow | 1972 | 1976 | [Note 4] Sold March 1989. Renamed Irish Rose, later Irma Dewi. Now as J. W. Archer at Porth Penrhyn, Bangor, Wales, September 2025.[3] |
| 934 | The Duke of Montrose | 1956 | 1956–1982 | Arbroath | 1971 | 1976 | [Note 5] Sold 1984 to ADES Uruguay. See below:– |
| 1982–1984 | Relief fleet | ||||||
| 941 | William and Mary Durham | 1957 | 1957–1976 | Berwick-upon-Tweed | 1971 | No | [Note 6] Sold October 1983. Renamed Ron Meadhonach. Last reported as a fishing boat, stored at Portree, Isle of Skye, December 2018. |
| 1977–1983 | Girvan | ||||||
| 967 | Dorothy and Philip Constant | 1962 | 1963–1981 | Shoreham Harbour | as new | 1976 | [Note 7] Sold April 1988. Renamed Constance of Blakeney, Constance, and Pettlandssker. In unaltered condition as Dorothy and Philip Constant at the R.W. Davis boatyard, Saul Junction, on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, April 2025.[4] |
| 1981–1982 | Oban | ||||||
| 1982–1987 | Relief fleet |
42ft Watson (Beach version)
| ON[a] | Name | Built | In service[1] | Stations | Shelter | Radar | Comments[1][2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 937 | Mabel E. Holland | 1957 | 1957–1978 | Dungeness | 1967 | No | [Note 8] Sold 1983. Last reported stored on a trailer on a farm near Blaenffos, Pembrokeshire, August 2019. |
| 1979–1983 | Relief fleet | ||||||
| 946 | The Alfred and Patience Gottwald | 1958 | 1959–1979 | Aldeburgh | No | No | [Note 9] Sold 1980. Renamed Lord Hurcomb, Patience and Alfie. Converted to be a househoat, engines removed. At South Dock Marina in Rotherhithe, August 2024. |
| 1979–1980 | Relief fleet | ||||||
| 948 | Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No.32) |
1958 | 1959–1975 | Walmer | 1972 | 1977 | [Note 10] Sold 1988. Renamed Charlie Dee, at Brighton Marina. Reported sold, June 2014. |
| 1975–1977 | Relief fleet | ||||||
| 1977–1979 | Eastbourne | ||||||
| 1979–1982 | Aldeburgh | ||||||
| 1982–1988 | Relief fleet |
Other Fleets
Uruguay
ADES Uruguay is an Honorary Lifesaving Institution founded in 1955. All our volunteers are honorary, people who train weekly to go to sea with the sole purpose of helping whoever requests help. The rescues have no cost to the beneficiaries. At the national level ADES Uruguay is part of the National Emergency Committee and at the international level it is part of the IMRF (International Maritime Rescue Federation)[9]
| ON[a] | Name | In service[1] | Stations | Comments[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 934 | ADES II Sudelmar | 1984–2004 | Montevideo | Sold 2004. Renamed Sudelmar. Tourist trip boat, Carmelo, Uruguay, December 2025 |
- ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
See also
Notes
- ^ Legacy of Miss Taylor, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £29,688.
- ^ Legacies of Miss Aitchison and Mrs Aitken, and a gift from Dr and Mrs Aitken, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £25,859.
- ^ Legacy of Miss Williams, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £27,801.
- ^ Gift of Mr Archer, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £27,871.
- ^ Funded by the RNLI, built by Groves & Guttridge of Cowes, costing £28,500.
- ^ Legacies of Mrs Durham and Mrs Davenport, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £29,500.
- ^ Gift of Mr and Mrs Constant, built by Groves & Guttridge, of Cowes, costing £36,000.
- ^ Gift of Miss Holland, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £30,000.
- ^ Legacy of Mrs Gottwald, built by J. Samuel White, of Cowes, costing £30,000.
- ^ Gift of the Civil Service LB fund, built by William Osborne, of Littlehampton, costing £30,000.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2026). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2026. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. pp. 36–41.
- ^ a b c d e f g Morris, Jeff (2008). List of British Lifeboats Part 3 (Third ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 20–22.
- ^ "J W Archer (ON 933)". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ "Dorothy and Philip Constant". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 15 February 2026.