Peake-class lifeboat

The Peake-class lifeboats were the most numerous lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) around the coasts of the United Kingdom including Ireland between the 1850s and the 1890s.

Ipswich, a 10-oar boat of 1862
Class overview
Name	Peake-class
Operators	RNLI
General characteristics
Type	Lifeboat
Length	25 ft (7.6 m)–37 ft (11.3 m)
Beam	Typically 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m)
Propulsion	Oars, sails

Background

Lifeboats of various designs had been stationed at many towns in the United Kingdom by the middle of the 18th century. Some were self-righting and all were rowed or "pulled"; many were designed by local committees to their own preferred design. In 1850 a competition was held by the Duke of Northumberland to design a lifeboat that could also use sails so that its range could be extended, a "pulling and sailing" lifeboat. 280 entries were received and that by James Beeching considered the best. Several Beeching-class lifeboats were built but James Peake, a master shipwright at the Royal Woolwich Dockyard, was asked by the RNLI to develop the design further.^[1]

Design

Peake's development of Beeching's lifeboat, 1851

Peake produced a self-righting lifeboat similar to Beeching's design, some 30 ft (9.1 m) long and 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m) wide. It drew just 14 in (36 cm) of water and weighed only 4,256 lb (1,930 kg), lighter than Beeching's 3.5 t (3,500 kg) and therefore easier transport on its specially designed carriage to a launch site and get into the water.

A 784 lb (356 kg) iron keel enabled it to self-right if it capsized. The ballast beneath the floor was cork whereas Beeching had used water tanks. The boat was fitted with large air-tight cases in the bow, stern, and along the sides which were covered in cork to give better grip to people moving around in the boat. There were also one-way valves at the bottom of the boat to drain out water. Tests showed that the boat could self-right in about 3 seconds and a boat full of water could drain in about 30 seconds.^[1][2]

Deployment 1852–1863

Peake-designed lifeboats were the preferred choice for both new and replacement boats at most stations, although some other designs were provided to suit local needs. The first to be built was 30 ft (9.1 m) long and designed for 12 oars.^[3] Most stations were provided with boats designed generally for 6 or 10 people at the oars.

Built	Name	Length	Oars	First station	Comments
1852	Percy	30 ft (9.1 m)	12	Cullercoats	Prototype Peake-class lifeboat built at Woolwich Dockyard.[4][5]
1852	Petrel	31 ft (9.4 m)	12	Appledore	[6][7]
1852	Latimer	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Newbiggin	[8][7]
1852	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	10	Worthing	[5]
1853	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	12	Aldeburgh	[9][7]
1853	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Barmouth	[5]
1853	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Bude Haven	[7]
1853	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Lyme Regis	[7]
1853	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Penzance	Later stationed at Lyme Regis.[10][7]
1853	—	25 ft (7.6 m)	6	Sennen Cove	[5]
1854	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Ardrossan	[11]
1854	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Dungeness	[11]
1854	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	10	Portmadoc	[12]
1854	—	29 ft (8.8 m)	10	Skerries	[11]
1855	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Berwick-upon-Tweed	[13]
1855	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Boulmer	[12]
1855	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Fishguard	[12]
1855	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Hauxley	[13]
1855	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Lytham	[13]
1855	—	26 ft (7.9 m)	6	Newcastle	Later stationed at Thorpeness.[13]
1856	Mermaid	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Appledore	[14]
1856	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Castletown	[13]
1856	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Drogheda	[13]
1856	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Dungeness	[13]
1856	B Wood	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Hornsea	[14]
1856	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Padstow	[15][13]
1856	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	8	Rye	[13]
1857	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Ballycotton	[14]
1857	Dolphin	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Appledore	Appledore No. 3 boat at Braunton Burrows.[16]
1857	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Arklow	[14]
1857	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Cahore	[14]
1857	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Kilmore	[14]
1857	—	27 ft (8.2 m)	5	Penmon	[14]
1857	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Rye	[14]
1857	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Seaton Carew	[14]
1857	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Walmer	[14]
1857	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Youghal	[14]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Aberdovey	[17]
1858	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Ardmore	[16]
1858	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Bacton	[17]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Brighton	[16]
1858	—	34 ft (10 m)	12	Cromer	[17]
1858	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Dover	[16]
1858	Havelock	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Fraserburgh	[17]
1858	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Groomsport	[16]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Hastings	[16]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Holyhead	[16]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Mundesley	[17]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Palling	[16]
1858	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Rosslare Fort	[16]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Skerries	[18]
1858	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Winterton	[17]
1859	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Ayr	[18]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Carmarthen Bay	[18]
1859	Gertrude	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Carnsore	[17]
1859	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Cullercoats	[18]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Dundalk	[17]
1859	Christopher Ludlow	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Dungarvan	Unnamed until 1869.[17]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Exmouth	[17]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Fleetwood	[17]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Fowey	[19][18]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Lizard	[18]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Lossiemouth	[17]
1859	Reigate	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Newcastle	[17]
1859	Thomas Boys of Brighton	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Rhoscolyn	[18]
1859	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Tramore	[17]
1859	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Whitburn	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Banff	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Brighstone Grange	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Brooke	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Buckie	[20]
1860	Lord Murray	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Campbeltown	Reported as 10 oars from 1869.[21][20]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Dungeness	[20]
1860	Pringle Kid	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Irvine	[20]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Newquay	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	North Berwick	[18]
1860	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Orme's Head	[20]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Penarth	[20]
1860	Alexandra	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Penzance	[20]
1860	Brave Robert Shedden	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Porthcawl	[18]
1860	Laura Countess of Antrim	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Portrush	[18]
1860	Polly and Lucy	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	St Andrews	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	St Ives	[18]
1860	—	35 ft (11 m)	12	Selsey	[20]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Silloth	[18]
1860	Jessie Knowles	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Southport	[20]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Thurso	[18]
1860	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Tyrella	[18]
1861	Evelyn Wood	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Aberystwyth	[22]
1861	Helen Lees	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Kirkcudbright	[22]
1861	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Scarborough	On station 26 September but wrecked 2 November 1861.[23]
1861	—	37 ft (11 m)	12	Walmer	[20]
1861	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Whitby	[20]
1861	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	10	Winchelsea	[22]
1862	Hope	34 ft (10 m)	12	Appledore	[22]
1862	—	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Broughty Ferry	[24][22]
1862	Old George Irlam of Liverpool	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Drogheda	[22]
1862	Edward Wasey	32 ft (9.8 m)	10	Fleetwood	[22]
1862	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Howth	[22]
1862	—	34 ft (10 m)	6	Kingstown	[22]
1862	Prince Consort	34 ft (10 m)	7	Plymouth	[22]
1862	—	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Poolbeg	[22]
1862	Louisa Hall	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	St Sampson	[22]
1862	Mary	33 ft (10 m)	10	Scarborough	[22]
1862	Ipswich	33 ft (10 m)	10	Thorpeness	[22]
1862	Constance	33 ft (10 m)	10	Tynemouth	[22]
1862	Pelican	34 ft (10 m)	12	Withernsea	[22]
1863	—	28 ft (8.5 m)	6	Kingsgate	[22]
1863	Agar Robartes	30 ft (9.1 m)	6	Porthleven	[22]

Self-righter lifeboats from 1863

At the time of the annual report in 1863, the RNLI had 124 stations of which 99 were operating lifeboats to Peake's design and 6 to Beeching's. The remainder were non-self-righting including 7 Norfolk and Suffolk-class and 2 Richardson tubular lifeboats. After this time the reports no longer listed the class of lifeboat although mention was sometimes made when a non-standard design was provided. The design that had evolved was generally referred to as a 'self-righting' or 'self-righter' lifeboat. The design continued to evolve and new features were tried. Some used water ballast like Beeching's but with lighter construction as used by Peake.^[22][25]

George Lennox Watson was appointed the RNLI's naval architectural adviser in 1887. He produced a prototype Watson-class non-self righting boat in 1888, but self-righting boats with many of the features designed by Peake continued to be built until 1916. Most were either 35 ft (11 m) or 37 ft (11 m) long.^[26]