Norfolk and Suffolk-class lifeboat

Norfolk and Suffolk-class lifeboats were lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from stations around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. They were able to operate further from shore and around the sandbanks common off East Anglia.

History

Purpose-built lifeboats first appeared towards the end of the 18th century. Some of the first were designed by Lionel Lukin who adapted local boat designs to be more buoyant so they could operate safely in rough seas. He designed one for the Suffolk Humane Society in 1807 for use at. It was based on a local yawl with a shallow draft and sails so it could reach offshore sandbanks, but oars were also provided.
The design proved successful and was adopted by other lifeboat services in East Anglia including the Norfolk Shipwreck Association. The Suffolk Humane Society merged with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1855 as did the Norfolk Shipwreck Association in 1857. The RNLI continued to build lifeboats to the Norfolk and Suffolk design and stationed them at other places on the east coast between the River Thames and the Humber.
The last Norfolk and Suffolk lifeboat was built in 1925 and was in use until 1953. The design evolved throughout this time, the last boats being built with petrol motors.

Pulling & sailing lifeboats

The Lowestoft lifeboat of 1807 was long and wide. It had wood and cork 'wales' or pads deep that projected up to from the sides. Empty casks along the inside of the sides with two more each at the front and back of the boat to give it buoyancy. An iron keel was fitted and a large volume of water ballast kept it lower in the water so that it cut through the waves instead of riding up and down over them. The water ballast was let in and out by plugs in the bottom to reduce the boat's weight when being launched and recovered from the beach. It had three masts, lug sails and 12 oars.
Most of these features continued to be used in Norfolk and Suffolk lifeboats built during the next 85 years. The empty casks were replaced by detachable wood and canvas air cases along the sides and fixed air boxes in the bow and stern like Palmer-class lifeboats. The water ballast, up to 7 tons of it, was just left in the bottom of the boat so lifeboat crews worked in wet conditions. If too much water was taken on board, the excess drained out through gaps along the side. They were rigged with 2 lug sails.

	Name		Station	Built	Builder	Length	Comments
–	Frances Ann	1807–1850		1807	Bareham		Suffolk Humane Society.
	–	1833–1861		1833			Suffolk Humane Society, to RNLI in 1855.
	–	1833–1858		1833
	Marianne	1840–1872		1840	Teasdel		Suffolk Humane Society, to RNLI in 1855. Marianne was renamed Sisters in 1868.
	Sisters	1840–1872		1840	Teasdel		Suffolk Humane Society, to RNLI in 1855. Marianne was renamed Sisters in 1868.
–	Solebay			1840	Teasdel
	–	1846–1865		1846	Branford		Norfolk Shipwreck Association, to RNLI in 1857.
	Victoria	1850–1876		1850	Sparham		Suffolk Humane Society, to RNLI in 1855. Victoria was renamed Laetitia by 1874.
	Laetitia	1850–1876		1850	Sparham		Suffolk Humane Society, to RNLI in 1855. Victoria was renamed Laetitia by 1874.
–		1852–1858		1852	Teasdel		Norfolk Shipwreck Association, to RNLI in 1857.
	Birmingham No. 2	1865–1883		1865			Birmingham No. 2 was renamed Covent Garden by 1879.
	Covent Garden	1865–1883		1865			Birmingham No. 2 was renamed Covent Garden by 1879.
14	British Workman	1870–1893		1870			Sold 1893, broken up 1995.
15	Anne Maria	1861–1896		1860			Anne Maria was renamed as Edward Birkbeck at an unknown date.
15	Edward Birkbeck	1861–1896		1860			Anne Maria was renamed as Edward Birkbeck at an unknown date.
16	Husband	1869–1879		1869
16	Husband	1879–1890		1869
–	George	1870–		1870
17	Covent Garden	1883–1899		1882
18	Boys	1867–1892		1867			Renamed Godsend by 1877.
18	Godsend	1867–1892		1867			Renamed Godsend by 1877.
19	Duff	1859–1892		1859			Renamed Abraham Thomas by 1875.
19	Abraham Thomas	1859–1892		1859			Renamed Abraham Thomas by 1875.
20	Brave Robert Shedden	1861–1883		1861
20	Mark Lane	1883–1889		1861
21	Leicester	1870–1883		1870
21	Leicester	1883–1894		1870
22	Samuel Plimsoll	1876–1905		1876
23	Sisters	1872–1886		1872
23	The Two Sisters	1886–1890		1872
23	Mary and Hannah	1890–1910		1872
24	Henry Burford RN	1871–1895		1870
25	Bolton	1870–1893		1870
26	Grace & Lalley of Broadoak	1867–1870		1867
26	St Michaels, Paddington	1870–1897		1867
27	Charles Bury	1884–1897		1884
28	Harriett	1855–1869		1855	Beeching		Renamed in 1869.
28	London Coal Exchange No. 1	1869–1893		1855	Beeching		Renamed in 1869.
29	Dorinda and Barbara	1871–1882		1871			Displayed at the Imperial Institute in London from 1897 until 1917.
29	Quiver No. 2	1882–1897		1871			Displayed at the Imperial Institute in London from 1897 until 1917.
233	Mark Lane	1889–1892		1889
233	Reserve No. 1	1892–1899	Reserve Fleet	1889
233	Margaret	1899–1907		1889
270	Margaret	1890–1899		1889	Beeching
270	Margaret	1899–1902		1889	Beeching
270	Margaret	1902–1924	Reserve fleet	1889	Beeching
288	Stock Exchange	1890–1892		1890	Ellis		Sold 1922 and converted to a houseboat. Broken up in 1978 at Felixstowe Ferry.
288	Mark Lane	1892–1921		1890	Ellis		Sold 1922 and converted to a houseboat. Broken up in 1978 at Felixstowe Ferry.
304	Aldeburgh	1890–1899		1890	Critten		Had 14 oars, double banked. Capsized with the loss of 7 of the 18 crew in 1899; broken up in 1900.
319	–	1891–1895	Spare	1890			Spare boat, never named or allocated to a station. Sold to Ghana.
326	Thora Zelma	1892–1904		1891
326	Reserve No. 8	1904–1913	Reserve fleet	1891
327	Beauchamp	1892–1901		1891			Sold 1901, broken up 1966.
329	John Burch	1892–1912		1892			Sold in 1912 and converted to a yacht.

Improved design

The RNLI staged a trial of sailing lifeboats in 1892. Of the four different boats, the Norfolk and Suffolk class was deemed the least effective. The trial was held at Lowestoft and that station's two-year-old lifeboat was used. The water ballast proved to be a problem, the boat getting into difficulty in the surf close to the beach before the water ballast could be taken in. Even when properly ballasted, the boat could become unstable as water was able to shift side-to-side and back-and-front. Boats built after the trial had the water ballast constrained in tanks beneath a deck in the centre of the boat where it was not able to shift so much. Valves were fitted to allow water above the deck to drain out. An alteration was also made to the shape of the wales so that waves flowed over them better; in the past they sometimes waves coming from the side got caught under the wale and pushed the boat over the opposite side.

	Name		Station	Built	Builder	Length	Comments
351	Hearts of Oak	1893–1917		1893			Sold and used as a yacht. Broken up about 1990.
352	Bolton	1893–1902		1893			Sold 1926. Renamed Juno and now a houseboat at Horsford, Norfolk.
352	Bolton	1902		1893			Sold 1926. Renamed Juno and now a houseboat at Horsford, Norfolk.
352	Bolton	1902–1918		1893			Sold 1926. Renamed Juno and now a houseboat at Horsford, Norfolk.
352	Bolton	1918–1925		1893			Sold 1926. Renamed Juno and now a houseboat at Horsford, Norfolk.
353	[RNLB RNLB Alfred Corry (ON 353)\|Alfred Corry (ON 353)\|Alfred Corry]	1893–1918		1893	Beeching Brothers		16-oar boat. Sold 1919 but now on display at the Alfred Corry Museum, Southwold, which is the relocated Cromer lifeboat house.
356	Stock Exchange	1893–1912		1893
356		1912–1918	Reserve fleet	1893
371	Leicester	1894–1923		1894
397	Edward Birkbeck	1896–1925		1896			Sold 1925, now awaiting restoration at Winterton in Norfolk.
405	Rescue	1897–1920		1897			Sold and used as a houseboat until at least 1969.
406	St Paul	1897–1931		1897			On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since 1996.
430	No. 9	1899–1923		1899			Carried a crew of 15. Sold 1923, renamed Viking but destroyed by a bomb at Dover in World War II.
431	Covent Garden	1899–1919		1899
432	James Stevens No.14	1900–1905		1900	Thames Ironworks		Stood down in 1905 for an engine to be fitted. It returned to service in 1907 and was sold in 1928.
482	City of Winchester	1902–1928		1902	Thames Ironworks		12-oar boat. Sold 1928 and renamed Ellen Gordon. Became a houseboat at Maldon but broken up in 1980.
506	Nancy Lucy	1903–1929		1903
543	Kentwell	1905–1921		1905
543	Kentwell	1922–1924		1905
543	Reserve No. 1	1924–1928	Reserve fleet	1905
589	Eleanor Brown	1909–1924		1909			Sold and converted to be a houseboat at Blakeney.
589	Reserve No. 1C	1924–1931	Reserve fleet	1909			Sold and converted to be a houseboat at Blakeney.
607	James Leith	1910–1919		1910			Sold in 1936, On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since 1996.
607	James Leith	1919–1929		1910			Sold in 1936, On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since 1996.
607	James Leith	1930–1935		1910			Sold in 1936, On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since 1996.
629	Hugh Taylor	1912–1919		1912			Sold and became the yacht Johannes J, last reported in Holland in 1987.
629	Hugh Taylor	1919–1922		1912			Sold and became the yacht Johannes J, last reported in Holland in 1987.
629	Reserve No. 1A	1922–1929	Reserve fleet	1912			Sold and became the yacht Johannes J, last reported in Holland in 1987.
629	Reserve No. 1A	1929–1931		1912			Sold and became the yacht Johannes J, last reported in Holland in 1987.
629	Reserve No. 1A	1931–1936		1912			Sold and became the yacht Johannes J, last reported in Holland in 1987.
631	–	1903–1913		1903			Boat never given a name.
656	Hearts of Oak	1918–1929		1918			Sold and became the yacht Wander Bird, last reported to be in Frontignan, France, in 2002.
656	Hearts of Oak	1929–1934	Reserve fleet	1918			Sold and became the yacht Wander Bird, last reported to be in Frontignan, France, in 2002.

Motor lifeboats

The RNLI deployed its first experimental motor lifeboat in 1904 and in 1905 converted three pulling and sailing lifeboats into motor lifeboats. One of these was 's Norfolk and Suffolk-class lifeboat James Stevens No.14. It was fitted with a Blake 40 hp petrol engine with 4 cylinders and running at 550. Tests on 7 June 1906 measured the converted lifeboat's speed to be. It was then sent to Harwich for sea trials in October. These were completed in February 1907, after which the boat returned to Walton-on-the-Naze to take up duty.
The engines in motor lifeboats were regarded as a supplement to sails at first but the experimental conversions were deemed a success. Construction of new motor lifeboats was protracted as it was difficult to obtain the parts and skilled staff, especially during World War I. Three Norfolk and Suffolk class motor lifeboats were built for service at East Anglian stations in the 1920s. The engines were a 4-cylinder 60 bhp unit in John and Mary Meiklam Of Gladswood of 1921, and 6-cylinder engines of 80 bhp in the two boats built in 1923 and 1925.

	Name	In service	Station	Built	Builder	Length	Comments
432	James Stevens No.14	1907–1928		1900	Thames Ironworks		Auxiliary engine fitted to a sailing lifeboat in 1905/1906, returned to service in 1907. Sold in 1928, now in store at Titchmarsh Marina, Walton-on-the-Naze.
663	John and Mary Meiklam Of Gladswood	1921	Gorleston No. 1	1921	S. E. Saunders		Renamed in 1921 when transferred to Lowestoft, the original name was reused by ON 670 in 1924. Used at Dover for a while during World War II. Sold October 1952. Last reported as workboat Wimp in Aden in 1955.
663	Agnes Cross	1921–1939		1921	S. E. Saunders		Renamed in 1921 when transferred to Lowestoft, the original name was reused by ON 670 in 1924. Used at Dover for a while during World War II. Sold October 1952. Last reported as workboat Wimp in Aden in 1955.
663	Agnes Cross	1940–1941		1921	S. E. Saunders		Renamed in 1921 when transferred to Lowestoft, the original name was reused by ON 670 in 1924. Used at Dover for a while during World War II. Sold October 1952. Last reported as workboat Wimp in Aden in 1955.
663	Agnes Cross	1941–1952		1921	S. E. Saunders		Renamed in 1921 when transferred to Lowestoft, the original name was reused by ON 670 in 1924. Used at Dover for a while during World War II. Sold October 1952. Last reported as workboat Wimp in Aden in 1955.
670	H.F. Bailey	1923–1924		1923	J. Samuel White		Renamed in 1924, the original name was then reused on lifeboat ON 694. Sold October 1952. On display at Gorleston Lifeboat House since June 1994.
670	John and Mary Meiklam of Gladswood	1924–1939	Gorleston No. 1	1923	J. Samuel White		Renamed in 1924, the original name was then reused on lifeboat ON 694. Sold October 1952. On display at Gorleston Lifeboat House since June 1994.
670	John and Mary Meiklam of Gladswood	1939–1952	Reserve fleet	1923	J. Samuel White		Renamed in 1924, the original name was then reused on lifeboat ON 694. Sold October 1952. On display at Gorleston Lifeboat House since June 1994.
691	Mary Scott	1925–1940		1925	J. Samuel White		Sold March 1953. In April 2022 it was reported to be at Littlehampton as a yacht with a cabin added.
691	Mary Scott	1940–1953	Reserve fleet	1925	J. Samuel White		Sold March 1953. In April 2022 it was reported to be at Littlehampton as a yacht with a cabin added.