46ft Watson-class lifeboat

The 46 ft Watson-class was a non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built between 1935 and 1946 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1935 and 1981.

History

The 46 ft Watson was longer and wider than the preceding type. The 46 ft type was one of the last to be adapted to suit the conditions at individual stations with shallower draft versions being supplied to four stations. Post World War Two, standard designs were the order of the day.

Description

The 46 ft Watson initially had an aft cockpit with a shelter containing the engine controls. Ahead of the shelter was the exhaust funnel and ahead of the mast was a small forward shelter. On ONs 805 and 815, the cockpit shelter was lengthened, with the funnel mounted on its forward end and these two featured end boxes. ON 820 also had the lengthened shelter but retained a flush deck. From ON 828 the forward shelter was deleted. Two boats, ONs 840 and 846 had midships cockpits, ahead of the funnel, with a shelter ahead of it as well as the rear shelter. Four of the first five boats had two 40 bhp Weyburn CE4 4-cylinder petrol engines, but the fourth, ON 787, was fitted with two 40 bhp Ferry VE4 4-cylinder diesels, making it the first RNLI lifeboat to be built with diesel engines. The diesels became standard from the sixth boat on. In the mid sixties, seven boats were re-engined with 65 bhp Ford-based Parsons Barracuda 6-cylinder diesels after experiments with ON 803 which had been fitted with 47 bhp Parsons Marlin diesels in 1961 and then re-engined with Barracudas in 1963. The 46 ft Watsons were long lived, most reaching more than thirty years service and some topping forty years.

Fleet

ON is the RNLI's sequential Official Number.

ON	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Comments
777	H.F. Bailey	1935	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes		No.1	Sold in 1973. On display at the Henry Blogg Museum, Cromer, since 2009.
777	H.F. Bailey	1935	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1946–1960		Sold in 1973. On display at the Henry Blogg Museum, Cromer, since 2009.
777	H.F. Bailey	1935	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1960–1972	Relief fleet	Sold in 1973. On display at the Henry Blogg Museum, Cromer, since 2009.
778	Edward and Isabella Irwin	1935	Groves & Guttridge	1935–1963		Sold 1971. Hull reported at Liverpool Sailing Club, May 2018.
778	Edward and Isabella Irwin	1935	Groves & Guttridge	1963–1966	Relief fleet	Sold 1971. Hull reported at Liverpool Sailing Club, May 2018.
778	Edward and Isabella Irwin	1935	Groves & Guttridge	1966–1967		Sold 1971. Hull reported at Liverpool Sailing Club, May 2018.
778	Edward and Isabella Irwin	1935	Groves & Guttridge	1967–1969	Relief fleet	Sold 1971. Hull reported at Liverpool Sailing Club, May 2018.
784	Civil Service No.6, Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6)	1935	Groves & Gutteridge	1936–1963		Sold February 1973. Renamed Swn-y-Mor. Reported at Tarbert, Loch Fyne, December 2018.
784	Civil Service No.6, Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6)	1935	Groves & Gutteridge	1964–1967		Sold February 1973. Renamed Swn-y-Mor. Reported at Tarbert, Loch Fyne, December 2018.
784	Civil Service No.6, Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6)	1935	Groves & Gutteridge	1967–1972	Relief fleet	Sold February 1973. Renamed Swn-y-Mor. Reported at Tarbert, Loch Fyne, December 2018.
787	S.G.E.	1936	Groves & Guttridge	1936–1937		Destroyed by fire at Groves & Guttridge 18 June 1937.
788	Jeanie Spiers	1937		1937–1961		Sold April 1961. Believe lost at Largs in 1974.
789	R.P.L.	1936	Groves & Guttridge	1937–1962		Sold September 1962.
790	John and Charles Kennedy	1936	Groves & Guttridge	1937–1953		Capsized on service 9 February 1953, six crew lost. Broken up.
801	Sir Arthur Rose	1938	Alexander Robertson	1938–1947		Sold February 1973. Renamed Rose Marion. Reported at Tidemill Yacht Harbour, Woodbridge, Suffolk, May 2022.
801	Sir Arthur Rose	1938	Alexander Robertson	1948–1957		Sold February 1973. Renamed Rose Marion. Reported at Tidemill Yacht Harbour, Woodbridge, Suffolk, May 2022.
801	Sir Arthur Rose	1938	Alexander Robertson	1958–1969		Sold February 1973. Renamed Rose Marion. Reported at Tidemill Yacht Harbour, Woodbridge, Suffolk, May 2022.
801	Sir Arthur Rose	1938	Alexander Robertson	1969–1973	Relief fleet	Sold February 1973. Renamed Rose Marion. Reported at Tidemill Yacht Harbour, Woodbridge, Suffolk, May 2022.
802	'	1938	Alexander Robertson	1938–1968		Re-engined in 1966 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold July 1976. Renamed Saltire, reported in September 2022 at South Harbour, Whitehaven.
802	'	1938	Alexander Robertson	1969–1976	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1966 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold July 1976. Renamed Saltire, reported in September 2022 at South Harbour, Whitehaven.
803	Canadian Pacific	1938	Alexander Robertson	1938–1969		Re-engined in 1961 with two 47bhp Parsons Marlin engines and in 1963 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines.Sold February 1978. Reported in December 2022 in unaltered condition working as a pleasure boat at Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh.
803	Canadian Pacific	1938	Alexander Robertson	1969–1970		Re-engined in 1961 with two 47bhp Parsons Marlin engines and in 1963 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines.Sold February 1978. Reported in December 2022 in unaltered condition working as a pleasure boat at Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh.
803	Canadian Pacific	1938	Alexander Robertson	1970–1977	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1961 with two 47bhp Parsons Marlin engines and in 1963 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines.Sold February 1978. Reported in December 2022 in unaltered condition working as a pleasure boat at Dornie, Kyle of Lochalsh.
804	S.G.E.	1938	J. Samuel White	1938–1943		Replacement for ON 787. Sold April 1964. Renamed John Dutton in Saint Helena. Believed lost in 2000.
804	S.G.E.	1938	J. Samuel White	1943–1945	Relief fleet	Replacement for ON 787. Sold April 1964. Renamed John Dutton in Saint Helena. Believed lost in 2000.
804	S.G.E.	1938	J. Samuel White	1945–1963	Yarmouth	Replacement for ON 787. Sold April 1964. Renamed John Dutton in Saint Helena. Believed lost in 2000.
805	Samuel and Marie Parkhouse	1938	J. Samuel White	1938–1962		Sold September 1963. Renamed Oniros, River Fal in May 2022.
814	Dunleary II	1938	J. Samuel White	1938–1967		Sold August 1974. Reported at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, December 2021.
814	Dunleary II	1938	J. Samuel White	1967–1969		Sold August 1974. Reported at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, December 2021.
814	Dunleary II	1938	J. Samuel White	1969–1972	Relief fleet	Sold August 1974. Reported at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, December 2021.
814	Dunleary II	1938	J. Samuel White	1972–1973		Sold August 1974. Reported at Wapping Wharf, Bristol, December 2021.
815	Violet Armstrong	1938	J. Samuel White	1938–1962		Sold October 1962. Under restoration at Albion Yard Marina, Bristol December 2021.
818	Mabel Marion Thompson	1939	J. Samuel White	1939–1952		Sold April 1975
818	Mabel Marion Thompson	1939	J. Samuel White	1952–1968		Sold April 1975
818	Mabel Marion Thompson	1939	J. Samuel White	1968–1970		Sold April 1975
818	Mabel Marion Thompson	1939	J. Samuel White	1970–1974	Relief fleet	Sold April 1975
819	Julia Park Barry, of Glasgow	1939	Alexander Robertson	1939–1969		Re-engined in 1964 wity two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold March 1979.
819	Julia Park Barry, of Glasgow	1939	Alexander Robertson	1969–1979	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1964 wity two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold March 1979.
820	Louise Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White	1939–1967		Sold August 1974.
820	Louise Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White	1967–1974		Sold August 1974.
821	The Good Hope	1939	Alexander Robertson	1939–1972	No.1	Re-engined in 1966 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold in 1981.
821	The Good Hope	1939	Alexander Robertson	1972–1980	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1966 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold in 1981.
822	Jesse Lumb	1939	J. Samuel White	1939–1970		Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold July 1981.
822	Jesse Lumb	1939	J. Samuel White	1970–1980	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold July 1981.
828	The Princess Royal (Civil Service No.7)	1939	J. Samuel White	1939–1968		Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines.
828	The Princess Royal (Civil Service No.7)	1939	J. Samuel White	1968–1969	Humber No.2	Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines.
828	The Princess Royal (Civil Service No.7)	1939	J. Samuel White	1969–1976	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines.
829	Crawford and Constance Conybeare	1939	J. Samuel White	1940–1968		Sold August 1974
829	Crawford and Constance Conybeare	1939	J. Samuel White	1968–1974	Relief fleet	Sold August 1974
830	Annie Blanche Smith	1939	J. Samuel White	1940–1970		Sold July 1971
830	Annie Blanche Smith	1939	J. Samuel White	1970–1971	Relief fleet	Sold July 1971
838	Michael Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White	1939–1963		Sold January 1976
838	Michael Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White	1963–1968		Sold January 1976
838	Michael Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White	1968–1976	Relief fleet	Sold January 1976
840	Millie Walton )	1945	Sussex Yacht Co.	1945–1966	No.1	Fitted with midships cockpit; originally built for. Sold April 1977.
840	Millie Walton )	1945	Sussex Yacht Co.	1966–1976	Relief fleet	Fitted with midships cockpit; originally built for. Sold April 1977.
841	Manchester and Salford XXIX	1943	J. Samuel White	1943–1953		Sold August 1974
841	Manchester and Salford XXIX	1943	J. Samuel White	1953–1972		Sold August 1974
841	Manchester and Salford XXIX	1943	J. Samuel White	1972–1974	Relief fleet	Sold August 1974
842		1942	Groves & Guttridge	No	-	Intended for, destroyed in air raid at Cowes 4 May 1942.
843		1942	Groves & Guttridge	No	-	Intended for, destroyed in air raid at Cowes 4 May 1942.
846	Field Marshal and Mrs Smuts	1945	Morgan Giles	1945–1977		Fitted with midships cockpit. Sold August 1979. Broken up, Peel IOM, 13 August 2025
846	Field Marshal and Mrs Smuts	1945	Morgan Giles	1977–1979	Relief fleet	Fitted with midships cockpit. Sold August 1979. Broken up, Peel IOM, 13 August 2025
847	Gertrude	1946	Rowhedge Ironworks	1946–1968		Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold February 1982.
847	Gertrude	1946	Rowhedge Ironworks	1968–1970		Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold February 1982.
847	Gertrude	1946	Rowhedge Ironworks	1971–1974		Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold February 1982.
847	Gertrude	1946	Rowhedge Ironworks	1974–1982	Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold February 1982.
847	Gertrude	1946	Rowhedge Ironworks	1980–1981		Re-engined in 1965 with two 65bhp Parsons Barracuda engines. Sold February 1982.
848	Millie Walton	1946	Groves & Guttridge	1946–1956		Sold October 1977.
848	Millie Walton	1946	Groves & Guttridge	1956–1974		Sold October 1977.
848	Millie Walton	1946	Groves & Guttridge	1974–1977	Relief fleet	Sold October 1977.