Alnmouth Lifeboat Station

Alnmouth Lifeboat Station
Alnmouth Lifeboat Houses,
now Alnmouth Community Rowing Club.
Northumberland with Alnmouth Lifeboat Station
General information
StatusClosed
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationThe Lifeboat Houses, Alnmouth, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 3NJ, England
Coordinates55°23′24.3″N 1°36′19.0″W / 55.390083°N 1.605278°W / 55.390083; -1.605278
Opened1854
Closed1935

Alnmouth Lifeboat Station was located next to the Golf Links, north-east of Alnmouth, a village sitting at the mouth of the River Aln, approximate 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south-east of the town of Alnwick, in the county of Northumberland.[1]

A lifeboat was first stationed at Alnmouth by Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland. Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1854.[2]

After operating for 81 years, Alnmouth Lifeboat Station was closed in 1935.[3]

History

In 1851, Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, of Alnwick Castle, had been appointed president of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS). He set a competition for the design of a Self-righting lifeboat, with the reward of £100, which was won by James Beeching of Great Yarmouth.[4]

Beeching presented a 22-foot version of his boat, named Lucy, to the Duchess of Northumberland, intended for personal use. A boathouse was built on Northumberland's land at Alnmouth, and the boat was delivered in September 1852. However, the boat was then used for lifeboat trials by Capt. John Ross Ward, RN, Inspector of Lifeboats. With a crew of local men, they rowed the boat through the surf, eventually managing to roll the vessel, pitching Capt. Ward into the sea. The boat performed as designed, righting itself, and Capt. Ward was quickly recovered. Many subsequent lifeboats would follow this design. For his efforts, Capt. Ward was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.[5]

With the boat and boathouse already in place, there was effectively a lifeboat station in Alnmouth from 1852. In 1854, the Duke of Northumberland formally transferred the lifeboat and boathouse to the (now renamed) RNLI, thus creating Alnmouth Lifeboat Station. The boat was sent to Forrestt of Limehouse for some modifications, returning in December 1854. A launch carriage was provided in 1856, and a larger boathouse was funded by the Duke and constructed in 1860.[6]

On 12 June 1860, the brig Ann of Blyth, on passage from Memel, Prussia, was anchored in Alnmouth Bay in a south-east gale, when she parted her anchor cables, and was driven ashore. The small 4-oared lifeboat was launched, successfully rescuing the eight crew. The last man had just been brought aboard, when the masts fell, fortunately falling clear of the lifeboat.[7][8]

In 1865, the RNLI would order a 32-foot 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (10) oars, from Forrestt of Limehouse. A gift of £320 from Miss Wardell of Tunbridge Wells funded the boat, which was transported to Alnwick free of charge by the Great Northern and North Eastern Railway Companies, arriving in March 1865. The boat was named John Atkinson.[6]

On 24 December 1876, the brig Unition of Germany stranded on Boulmer Rocks, whilst on passage to Burntisland from London. One man was lost, and four were rescued by the Boulmer Rocket Brigade. The John Atkinson would rescue the remaining three crew.[9][10]

In 1888, Alnmouth would receive Allen Scott (ON 171), a 34-foot self-righting (P&S) lifeboat costing £329, constructed by Woolfe of Shadwell, and funded from the legacy of Mr T. W. Allen of Newbury, Berkshire. On the 8 January 1889, the brig Fortuna of Riga ran aground on the Berling Carr, on passage from Memel, Germany to the River Tyne. Three crew made it ashore in the ship's boat, and five were rescued by rocket apparatus. Her captain refused to abandon ship, but was rescued 4 days later by the Alnmouth lifeboat. The vessel broke up soon afterwards.[11][12]

The last lifeboat placed at Alnmouth was in 1909, the 34-foot self-righting Dungeness-class (Rubie) lifeboat, constructed by Thames Ironworks, provided by a gift from Miss Maria Mercer of Clayton-le-Moors in Lancashire, and named John and Robert C. Mercer (ON 591).[6]

It would be another 22 years before the only and final Alnmouth service of the John and Robert C. Mercer. On 6 December 1931, the S.S. Yewmount of Glasgow, on passage from Methil to Treport with a cargo of coal, hit a submerged object off the Longstone Lighthouse. The vessel was run ashore in Alnmouth Bay. The lifeboat stood by for several hours, later returning and landing seven of the 12 crew.[13]

With the lifeboat called just once in 26 years, Alnmouth Lifeboat Station was closed in 1935. In 82 years service, the lifeboats would save 15 lives, and land a further 15 crew. The John and Robert C. Mercer (ON 591) was transferred to Newburgh, serving a further six years. Both the 1852 and 1860 boathouses remain, and are currently used by the Alnmouth Community Rowing Club.[3]

Alnmouth lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats

ON[a] Name Built On station[14] Class Comments
Pre-248 Lucy or Duchess Eleanor 1852 1852−1865 22-foot Beeching Self-righting [Note 1]
Pre-434 John Atkinson 1865 1865−1888 32-foot Prowse Self-righting (P&S) [Note 2]
171 Allen Scott 1888 1888−1909 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]
591 John and Robert C. Mercer 1909 1909−1935 34-foot Dungeness Self-righting (P&S) [Note 4]
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society,
to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Launch and recovery tractors

Op. No.[b] Reg. No. Type On station[15] Comments
T19 TY 2547 Clayton 1930–1935
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull or vehicle.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 22-foot x 5-foot 6in (4-oared) Beeching-class self-righting lifeboat, gift of Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, built by James Beeching of Great Yarmouth, modified by Forrestt of Limehouse, London.
  2. ^ 32-foot x 7-foot 5in (10-oared) Prowse-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Miss Wandell of Tunbridge Wells, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £210.
  3. ^ 34-foot x 7-foot 6in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr T. W. Allen of Newbury, Berkshire, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £329.
  4. ^ 34-foot x 8-foot (10-oared) Dungeness-class (Rubie) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Miss M. Mercer of Cheltenham, built by Thames Ironworks, of Blackwall, London, costing £757.

References

  1. ^ "Northumberland Sheet XXXIX.NE". Maps. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  2. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 115.
  3. ^ a b Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 115.
  4. ^ "The Beeching Model". The Lifeboat. XXXIII (369). September 1854. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  5. ^ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0907605893.
  6. ^ a b c Morris, Jeff (May 2000). The Closed Lifeboat Stations of Northunberland. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 36–38.
  7. ^ "Ann, of Blyth". The Lifeboat. IV (37): 323. 2 July 1860. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Preservation of Life from Shipwreck". Glasgow Herald. No. 6392. Glasgow. 7 July 1860.
  9. ^ "Unition". The Lifeboat. X (103): 14. 1 February 1877. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  10. ^ "National Life-boat Institution". Morning Post. No. 32612. London. 5 January 1877. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Disasters At Sea". The Times. No. 32595. London. 14 January 1889. col. F, p. 10.
  12. ^ "The Brig Fortuna". The Lifeboat. XIV (153): 187. 1 August 1889. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  13. ^ "The S.S. Yewmount". The Lifeboat. XXVIII (309): 431. February 1932. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  14. ^ Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 4–41.
  15. ^ Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 103.
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