Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station

Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station is located in the harbour town of Fraserburgh, in the north-east corner of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station
Fraserburgh Lifeboat Station
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address	Shore St
Town or city	Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, AB43 9BR
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	57°41′37.0″N 2°00′10.0″W
Opened	1805 1858 RNLI
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Fraserburgh RNLI Lifeboat Station

A lifeboat was first stationed at Fraserburgh in 1805, later becoming the first Scottish station of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), in 1858.^[1]

The station currently operates a Trent-class All-weather lifeboat, 14-34 Willie and May Gall (ON 1259), on station since 2002.^[2]

History

It is recorded that in 1805, renowned lifeboat builder Henry Greathead was constructing a lifeboat for Fraserburgh Harbour Commissioners. No details survive, but it is likely that it was a 30-foot non-self-righting boat. A second boat was provided to Fraserburgh in 1831, manufacturer and specification unknown, but by 1851, it was recorded as unfit for purpose.^[3]

In November 1857, Mr. Lewis Chalmers, Chief Magistrate, wrote to the RNLI, to highlight 13 shipwrecks in the area, over a period of 10 years. Following a visit to the town, Capt. Ward, Inspector of Lifeboats, recommended a lifeboat station, which was agreed in March 1858. A lifeboat was ordered from Forrestt of Limehouse, London, a 30-foot 10-oared self-righting boat, costing £182-1s-2d, along with a launch carriage from Robinsons. A boathouse was constructed by the Harbour Commissioners. The boat was delayed, as it was damaged in a fire at Forrestt's workshop, only arriving in Fraserburgh on 26 October 1858. The boat was named Havelock. Lewis Chalmers was appointed Honorary Secretary.^[3]

A motor-powered lifeboat was placed at Fraserburgh in 1915. Costing £3,715, construction was started at Thames Ironworks, but completed by S.E. Saunders of Cowes, when the Thames Ironworks company failed. The 42-foot lifeboat had a 40 BHP "Tylor" petrol-engine, and delivered a speed of 7.45 knots. The lifeboat was funded by Thomas Dyer-Edwardes, as a "Thankyou" for the life of his daughter, Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes, who had survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and was duly named Lady Rothes (ON 641).^[3]

On 9 February 1953, the first of two disasters struck the Fraserburgh lifeboat. The John and Charles Kennedy (ON 790) was launched to assist a number of fishing boats that were struggling to re-enter Fraserburgh harbour due to the poor sea conditions. Having escorted two vessels to the harbour, it would be the lifeboat that failed to make the return trip a third time, capsizing as it tried to enter the harbour. A non-self-righting 46ft Watson-class, five crew were trapped and drowned in the wreck, and the Coxswain, thrown clear of the capsize, was hit by a piece of wreckage and killed. The John and Charles Kennedy had been launched 99 times, and saved 199 lives. In just 12 days, enough volunteers had come forward to form a new crew, including Second Coxswain Charles Tait Jnr, sole survivor of the wreck, and son of Bowman, Charles Tait Snr, lost in the disaster.^[4][5]

After a short period with the relief lifeboat John Russell (ON 699), a replacement lifeboat Duchess of Kent (ON 908) was placed at Fraserburgh. She would serve 16 years at Fraserburgh, launching 46 times, and saving 11 lives.^[6]

In 1970, Fraserburgh would suffer a second disaster. The Duchess of Kent was launched on 06:30 on 21 January 1970, into a force 8 to 9 gale, to the aid of the Danish fishing boat Opal, which was taking on water some 40 miles (64 km) off Fraserburgh. She arrived on scene at 11:00, to find the Opal in tow from a Russian trawler, and a number of other vessels, including the large Russian ship Victor Kingisepp standing by. Suddenly, a large wave lifted up the bow, and the lifeboat was capsized bow over stern. Great efforts were made to right the vessel by the crew of the Victor Kingisepp, which was achieved by 14:31, but too late to save the crew, with the exception of mechanic John Jackson Buchan, who had been thrown into the water, and was rescued from the upturned hull. It would be eight years later, in 1978, before another lifeboat would be placed at Fraserburgh.^[4][7]

In 2001, the RNLI announced that Fraserburgh would receive a new Trent-class lifeboat. Moulded in Fibre Reinforced Composite, and fitted out by Souters of Cowes, she had twin MAN diesel-engines, developing 800 BHP, giving a top speed of 25 knots. Costing £1,240,452, she arrived in Fraserburgh on 8 May 2002. At a ceremony on 7 September 2002, she was named 14-34 Willie and May Gall (ON 1259).^[3]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Fraserburgh^[3][4][8]

• RNIPLS Gold Medal

Lt. Charles Holcombe Bowen, RN, H.M Coastguard – 1827

Lt. Charles Turner, RN – 1831

• RNIPLS Silver Medal

Capt. James Scott, Master of the Sarah – 1835

• RNLI Silver Medal

Godfrey Bosville McDonald Beatson, Chief Officer of H.M. Coastguard – 1858

Godfrey Bosville McDonald Beatson, Chief Officer of H.M. Coastguard – 1863 (Second-Service clasp)

Alexander Forbes, Shipbuilder - 1863

Mrs Whyte, Farm Labourer's wife – 1884

Andrew Noble, Coxswain – 1909

Andrew Noble, Coxswain – 1909 (Second-Service clasp)

James Stuart Sim, Second Coxswain (For a service in 1912) – 1929

Capt. Andrew Stephen, Harbour Master, Joint Honorary Secretary – 1940

• RNLI Bronze Medal

James Stuart Sim, Coxswain – 1936

David Hay, Coxswain – 1940

Capt Andrew Stephen, Harbour Master, Joint Honorary Secretary – 1940

George Flett Duthie, Mechanic – 1940

John Downie May, crew member – 1940

Alexander John Duthie, Acting Coxswain – 1960

Frederick Alexander Kirkness, Mechanic – 1960

Albert Sutherland, Coxswain – 1997

• Medal Service Certificate

J. Stephen, Acting Second Coxswain – 1960

J. Strachan, Bowman – 1960

C. Baillie, Assistant Mechanic – 1960

G. Duthie, crew member – 1960

B. Strachan, crew member – 1960

J. Reid, crew member – 1960

Victor Sutherland, Second Coxswain – 1997

Thomas Summers, Motor Mechanic – 1997

Alan Smith, Deputy Second Coxswain – 1997

Graeme Campbell, Assistant Mechanic – 1997

Rafael Alcarez, crew member – 1997

David Sutherland, crew member – 1997

• The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum

Capt. Alexander Thomson, Master of the Lively – 1909

Alexander Ritchie, crew member – 1929 (For a service in 1912)

Andrew Ritchie, crew member – 1929 (For a service in 1912)

James Mitchell, crew member – 1929 (For a service in 1912)

Robert Strachan, Assistant Mechanic – 1940

John Buchan, crew member – 1940

Andrew Ritchie, crew member – 1940

James May, crew member – 1940

William Noble, crew member – 1940

Albert Sutherland, Coxswain – 1989

• A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution

Albert Sutherland, Coxswain – 1995

Roll of Honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Fraserburgh lifeboat.^[3]

• On service to H.M. vessel Eminent, 28 April 1919,

Andrew Noble, Coxswain

Andrew Farquhar, Acting Second Coxswain

• On service to multiple fishing boats, 9 February 1953

Andrew Ritchie, Coxswain

George Duthie, Mechanic

Charles Tait Snr, Bowman

James Noble, Assistant Mechanic

John Crawford, crew member

John Buchan, crew member

• On service to Danish fishing boat Opal, 21 January 1970

John Stephen, Coxswain

Frederick Kirkness, Mechanic

William Hadden, crew member

James R. S. Buchan, crew member

James Buchan. crew member

Fraserburgh lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats

ON[a]	Name	On Station[3][9]	Class	Comments
−	Unknown	1805−1831	Greathead	[Note 1]
−	Unknown	1831−1851	A Lifeboat	[Note 2]
Pre-326	Havelock	1858−1868	30-foot Self-righting Peake (P&S)	[Note 3]
Pre-351	Havelock	1868−1874	32-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 4] Previously at Cullercoats
Pre-487	Charlotte	1874−1880	33-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 5]
Pre-651	Cosmo & Charles	1880−1887	34-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 6]
108	Cosmo & Charles	1887−1894	37-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 7]
366	Anna Maria Lee	1894−1897	38-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 8]
402	Anna Maria Lee	1897−1915	37-foot Self-righting (P&S)	[Note 9]

Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Motor lifeboats

ON[a]	Op.No.[b]	Name	Built	On Station[10]	Class	Comments
641	−	Lady Rothes	1914	1915−1937	42-foot Self-righting (motor)	[Note 10]
790	−	John and Charles Kennedy	1937	1937−1953	46-foot Watson	[Note 11]
699	−	John Russell	1926	1953−1954	45-foot 6in Watson	[Note 12]
908	−	Duchess of Kent	1954	1954−1970	46-foot 9in Watson	[Note 13]
Station Closed 1970–1978
1013	48-010	The Royal British Legion Jubilee	1971	1978−1979	Solent
1011	48-008	R Hope Roberts	1969	1979−1985	Solent
1021	48-016	Douglas Currie	1973	1985	Solent
1109	47-007	City of Edinburgh	1985	1985−2002	Tyne
1259	14-34	Willie and May Gall	2002	2002−	Trent

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.

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• List of former RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

Notes

1. 30-foot Self-righting, built by Henry Greathead of South Shields.
2. Unknown manufacturer or specification.
3. 30-foot x 7-foot 6in (10-oared) Self-righting (P&S), built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London.
4. 32-foot x 8-foot 2in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London.
5. 33-foot x 8-foot 6in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
6. 34-foot (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell.
7. 37-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London.
8. 38-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by McAlister & Sons, of Dumbarton.
9. 37-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Rutherford
10. 42-foot self-righting motor lifeboat, built by Thames Ironworks and S. E. Saunders
11. 46-foot non-self-righting Watson-class motor lifeboat, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes
12. 45-foot 6in non-self-righting Watson-class motor lifeboat, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes
13. 46-foot 9in non-self-righting Watson-class lifeboat, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £31,773