Aith Lifeboat Station


Aith Lifeboat Station is located at the southern end of Aith Voe, in Aith, a village on the north-west coast of the mainland of the Shetland archipelago, approximately from Lerwick.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Aith by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1933. It is the most northerly of the 238 RNLI lifeboat stations.
The station currently operates a All-weather lifeboat, 17-14 Charles Lidbury, on station since 1998, only the fifth lifeboat to have served at Aith.
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History

Despite valiant attempts by Lerwick Life-Saving Company, and even the lifeboat stationed 120 miles away, wrecks such as that of the Aberdeen fishing trawler Ben Doran in March 1930, with the loss of all nine crew, prompted the RNLI to station a lifeboat at, and to look for a location to station a second lifeboat on the west coast of mainland Shetland.
Once reliable communications could be established, it was decided to station a boat at Aith, as the village could provide sufficient crew, and because Aith Voe was one of the most sheltered mooring locations on the west coast.
A temporary lifeboat was placed on station in January 1933, a lifeboat, built in 1926 by S. E. Saunders of Cowes, with an 80 h.p. engine, delivering a speed of 8 knots. She had previously served for seven years at, and was named K. T. J. S., in reference to her benefactors, Mr King, Mr Turnball, Mr Jesset and Mrs Sandford.
James Tait was appointed Coxswain, another James Tait was appointed Second Coxswain, and William Tait was appointed Bowman. Charles Mowat, Assistant Mechanic at Lerwick, was appointed to be Aith Mechanic.
After a year, the RNLI announced that the Aith station was permanent, and a house was constructed for the mechanic. A new boat was provided to Aith, arriving on 12 May 1935, and was a 51-foot Stromness-type lifeboat, constructed at Groves and Guttridge, of Cowes, and costing just over £9000, with twin 60-hp engines, delivering 9 knots, and a range of 180 miles.
The lifeboat was the gift of Miss Maggie Rankin of Glasgow, in memory of her brothers, John Finlay Rankin and Matthew Rankin, of Rankin & Blackmore, marine engineers, of Greenock. At a ceremony on 5 September 1935, attended by over 500 people, the lifeboat was formally handed to the local branch, and named The Rankin. In 25 years of service, The Rankin was launched 52 times, and saved 61 lives.
Just before 06:00 on the morning of 19 February 1967, the 52-foot Barnett lifeboat James and Frances Macfarlane was launched to the aid of the Aberdeen trawler Juniper, which had run aground in Lyra Sound, between Lyra Skerry and the west side of Papa Stour. Considerable skill, navigation and seamanship in force 8 conditions was required to bring the lifeboat to the side of Juniper, and to effect the rescue of the 12 crew. The lifeboat, crew and survivors landed in Aith at 09:35.
For this service, Coxswain John R. Nicholson was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal, the rest of the crew being accorded "The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum". Coxswain Nicholson would later receive the 1967 "Maud Smith Award".
At a ceremony on 25 July 1986, Aith were hosts to Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, for the official opening of the new lifeboat pier, which had been constructed at a cost of £750,000, and the naming ceremony of the new Aith lifeboat. Music was provided by Lerwick Brass Band, and vessels in attendance included the tugboat Lyrie, with its fire hoses firing water in the air, and the Norwegian lifeboat Skomvær III. A granite plaque marking the opening of the pier was unveiled by the Prince. Afterwards, the new 52-foot All-weather lifeboat was handed to the care of the local committee, and breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow, was named 52-030 Snolda by the Princess, the boat named after the rock stack on Papa Stour, on which the trawler Juniper was wrecked in 1967.
Snolda would serve at Aith for just 12 years, first being transferred to the relief fleet, and later used for training. In 2007, she was sold from RNLI service, and joined the Icelandic Lifeboat Service, renamed 2743 Oddur V. Gíslason at Grindavík. She was replaced at Aith on 2 May 1998, by the lifeboat 17-14 Charles Lidbury.
New shore facilities were constructed at Aith in 2003, at a cost of £321,721.

Station honours

The following are awards made at Aith.