Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station


Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station is located at the mouth of the River Adur, on Brighton Road, in Shoreham-by-Sea, a town approximately west of Brighton, overlooking the English Channel, in the English county of West Sussex.
A lifeboat was first placed at Shoreham by the Harbour Commissioners in 1845, with management of the station being transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1865.
The station operates two lifeboats, the All-weather lifeboat Enid Collett, on station since 2010, and the much smaller Inshore lifeboat Joan Woodland, on station since 2015.
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History

Ever since its founding in 1824, the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, later to become the RNLI in 1854, would award medals for deeds of gallantry at sea, even if no lifeboats were involved. On 13 January 1843, the smack Prince Regent, was on passage from London to Portsmouth, when she stranded at Copperas Gap. A line was thrown from the vessel, and a coastguard attached himself to the line, then being dragged through the surf to the vessel. He then assisted the crew of five to be rescued by Breeches buoy. Abraham Young, Chief Boatman of H.M. Coastguard at Fishersgate, was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.

1845–1929: Harbour Commission and transfer to RNLI

In 1845 the Shoreham Harbour Commissioners established a lifeboat service. A 30-foot lifeboat was provided, costing £100. Records show that two lives were saved.
In 1865, management was transferred to the RNLI, and Shoreham Lifeboat Station was fully refurbished. A new boathouse was constructed on Kingston beach, at a cost of £133-10s-0d, and a new 33-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' lifeboat was also provided, one with sails and oars, which was transported to the station free of charge by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The lifeboat was funded from the gift of £300 from Miss Robertson of London, and at a service on 1 November 1865, the lifeboat was named Ramonet in accordance with her wishes.
In 1870, the Harbour Board funded the installation of a slipway.
On 16 December 1874, the Ramonet capsized, while on a training exercise in rough weather and heavy seas. Crewman Robert Brazier drowned. A local customs officer swam out to attempt to assist, and was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.
The 1865 boathouse was used until 1892, when a new timber-framed boathouse was built on the western side of the Harbour, and the old station building was demolished.
In 1903, the boathouse was moved further from the shore.
In October 1924, the station was closed, as silt deposits in the harbour entrance had created a sandbar, which made operations impossible.

1929–1941: New station and World War II rescues

After work had been carried out to remove the sandbar, the station re-opened in October 1929. In 1933 the station moved to Kingston Beach opposite Shoreham Harbour. A new boathouse and slipway were built to accommodate the new 41-foot Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn lifeboat. The station would be known as Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station.
During World War II, Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, crewed by Royal Navy men, instead of the lifeboat crew. She was towed to Dunkirk on 1 June 1940 by naval drifter Kindred Star. During the evacuation she made three trips from the beaches back to Dover.
On 16 November 1941, the Royal Navy minesweeper President Briand suffered engine trouble whilst along the coast off Shoreham. Strong wind along with heavy seas were threatening to push the vessel onto the shore. Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn was launched to assist, and stood by the ship until 21:30, at which time the tug SS Goole arrived and relieved the lifeboat. The coxswain of the Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn returned to the President Briand aboard the Shoreham Pilot Cutter to pilot the minesweeper. At 21:45, the lifeboat was recalled to service as both the tug and the minesweeper were being driven ashore by the high winds. The tow line broke and the minesweeper rolled heavily, waves breaking over her decks. Avoiding the presence of the naval mines in the vicinity, the lifeboat went alongside multiple times and removed all 22 men aboard the minesweeper, including their own coxswain. Two lifeboat crewmen received RNLI medals for their participation in the rescue.
Beginning early on 8 August 1948 a strong gale was blowing with rough seas and a heavy swell, shredding the sails of the yacht Gull and driving her out of control off the coast at Shoreham. Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn was launched to assist, hoisting her sail to give her engines enough speed to catch the yacht. The lifeboat eventually caught the yacht at the entrance to Newhaven Harbour, where she had become waterlogged and caught in shallow water. The lifeboat got alongside her and rescued all six people aboard. For this service the coxswain received the RNLI Silver Medal.

1963–1990: Refurbishment and Tyne-class lifeboat

In 1963, Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn was retired and replaced by the Dorothy and Philip Constant. In 1967 the station was supplied with a second lifeboat. This was a Inshore lifeboat and was kept in its own berth constructed beneath the main boathouse.
From 16 to 19 October 1971, the drilling rig William Allpress was anchored three-quarters of a mile off the coast near Rustington awaiting a tow, in deteriorating weather. The rig's five crew were unable to eat or sleep in the rough weather, and needed rescue. The Dorothy and Philip Constant was launched at 2:10 pm; the seas were rough and torrential rain made visibility extremely limited. The life-boat crew were able to pull the rig's crew on board across the foredeck to safety. Coxswain John Fox was awarded an RNLI Bronze Medal.
On 5 August 1973, the yacht Albin Ballard was drifting with wrecked sails owing to heavy seas and gale-force winds. The Dorothy and Philip Constant was launched at 03:15, and found the yacht due south of Littlehampton, deluged with large waves, and with a seasick, exhausted crew. Two of the lifeboat's crew boarded the yacht and set up a towline, bringing her safely into Shoreham at 07:25. Coxswain John Fox was awarded a second RNLI Bronze Medal.
On 20 January 1980, the MS Athina B arrived at Shoreham-by-Sea from the Azores archipelago. During the voyage, she had problems with her generator, gyro compass and radar, and put in at La Rochelle in France for repairs. On arrival at Shoreham, the vessel was caught in gale force seven or eight winds, and with seas breaking across her decks, she was unable to enter. Her engines failed, and a Mayday call was issued. The Dorothy and Philip Constance was launched to service at 08:40, and rescued half the crew, as well as the captain's family. The lifeboat returned the next day to rescue the remaining crew. Coxswain Kenneth Voice was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.
In 1981, sinkage of the slipway led to the allocation of a 13-ton lifeboat, primarily designed for carriage launching. The slipway was strengthened following the decision to place a boat on station. The Rother was replaced in 1986 by the first of two boats that served for four years, before being replaced by the new Tyne.
In 1990 the new lifeboat Hermione Lady Colwyn arrived at Shoreham. She was on station until 2010. A succession of relief fleet Tynes then followed, until the new lifeboat entered service in December 2010.

2008: Redevelopment and Tamar-class lifeboat

In 2008, a £1 million public appeal was launched, to partially fund another rebuild, this time to accommodate a new lifeboat. In January 2009, the old 1933 station boathouse, and slipway, was demolished, and the station was temporarily housed on Kingston Beach. The new building is timber-framed on three storeys, has boat halls for both the All-weather and Inshore lifeboats, and dedicated slipways. The previous boathouse and station encountered occasional problems with flooding due to high spring tides and waves. To eliminate this problem, a wave pit was created at the front of the lifeboat house, to help dissipate the energy of storm waves racing across the open harbour mouth to the slipway.
The project cost a total of £4.2 million, and was officially opened by The Duke of Kent on 16 June 2011. The £2.7 million All-weather lifeboat Enid Collett arrived at the station on 10 December 2010, so named after Enid Collett of Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, whose legacy primarily funded the lifeboat.
The station also maintains a Inshore lifeboat, currently the Joan Woodland, which was placed on service in 2015.

Station honours

The following are awards made at Shoreham Harbour
RNLI Bronze Medal

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Shoreham Harbour lifeboat.
  • Drowned when the lifeboat capsized on exercise, 16 December 1874.