Thorpeness Lifeboat Station

Thorpeness Lifeboat Station was the base for lifeboats at Thorpeness, Suffolk, England from 1853 until 1900.

History

The Suffolk Humane Society provided a number of lifeboats along the coast of Suffolk where shallow water and sand banks create navigation problems for ships approaching harbours. One was stationed at, to the north of Thorepness, in 1826. It was moved to, about south of Thorpeness in 1851, but after a larger boat was provided for that station in 1853, it was decided to move it to Thorpeness. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution contributed £30 towards the cost of providing a lifeboat house.
The assets of the Suffolk Humane Society, including Thorpeness, were transferred to the RNLI in 1855 and a newer boat was provided soon afterwards. The lifeboat crew considered that this was a poor boat and so was replaced by a newly built boat in 1862; a larger boathouse was built for this in 1864. Between 1860 and 1863 a second, small lifeboat was also stationed at Thorpeness.
Thropeness Lifeboat Station was closed in 1900, the lifeboats at Aldeburgh and being able to cover the local coasts.

Service awards

Before lifeboats were available, many rescues were made by local sailors and Coastguard. One such occurred on 9 December 1851 when Coastguard Joshua Chard and four of his men saved the crew of the brig John when it was wrecked at Thorpeness. He was awarded a silver medal by the RNLI.
The new lifeboat which came to Thorpeness in 1862 was called out to two difficult services during the autumn of that year. Four men were saved when the sea-going barge Henry Everest sunk in a gale on 20 October, and on the night of 2 December it went out to help the steam ship Osprey which had run aground off Sizewell. The lifeboat's coxswain, William Alexander, was awarded an RNLI silver medal at a public meeting in Ipswich, the town that was funding Thorpeness lifeboat station.

Thorpeness lifeboats

The six lifeboats stationed at Thorpeness between 1853 and 1900 were all of the 'pulling and sailing' type, equipped with oars and sails. The first three were all older boats transferred from other stations. The residents of Ipswich contributed to a lifeboat fund which paid for the next two boats. The first of these was ceremonially launched into the river at Ipswich on 29 May 1862 before being brought the Thorpeness.

		Name	Oars	Class	Built	Comments
	—	—	8		1826	Previously stationed at and
1855–1862	—	—	10		1852	Previously stationed at
1860–1863	—	—	6		1855	Previously stationed at
1862–1873	—	Ipswich	10		1862
1873–1890	—	Ipswich	12		1873
1890–1900	291		12		1890	Transferred to Littlehaven when Thorpeness was closed.