Whitby Lifeboat Station


Whitby Lifeboat Station is located at Market Place, on the east side of the River Esk in Whitby, a seaside town and port in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of eight lifeboat stations situated along the Yorkshire coast.
Whitby has had a lifeboat station since 1802, with management of the station transferring to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1861. In its 200 plus year history, Whitby has had seven different lifeboat stations. An eighth lifeboat station was located at, just up the coast from Whitby, and whilst it was considered separate from Whitby, it was crewed by Whitby lifeboat men.
The station currently operates two lifeboats; a All-weather lifeboat, 13-49 Lois Ivan, on station since 2023, and the smaller Inshore lifeboat, Warter Priory, on station since 2017.
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History

The first lifeboat to be stationed at Whitby was in 1802 on the west side of the river. This had been paid for by a combination of local finance and an offer from Lloyd's of London, who contributed £50 of the £160 needed for a lifeboat. A 30-foot 10-oared lifeboat was constructed by Henry Greathead of South Shields, at a cost of £160, arriving in Whitby on 15 September 1802. The boat was kept on a carriage, in a boathouse near the West Pier.
By 1817, the lifeboat was reported as being unserviceable. No more details are available, until 1822, when two new lifeboats were placed at Whitby. A 26-foot 6in long 10-oared boat was constructed by Wake of Sunderland to replace the Greathead boat. It was kept in the same boathouse, and called "West Side Lifeboat". A No.2 station was created with the second boat, a 26-foot 10-oared lifeboat, constructed by local boatbuilder Christopher Gale, and launched from davits on Tate Hill Pier, where a boathouse was built out for protection. The boat was known as the "East Side Lifeboat".
By 1859, the "West Side Lifeboat" was found to be rotten, and a new 30-foot boat was ordered from local boatbuilder Francis Falkingbridge, costing £130, and delivered in September 1860. This boat would be involved in the 1861 disaster as documented later.
The lifeboat disaster of 1861, when twelve of the lifeboatmen died, prompted a local fund-raising effort for their widows and children. This eventually raised over £8,000, but the trustees of the fund thought that supplying the money to the widows and orphans might give them ideas above their station, so a memorial was paid for instead, to be installed in the parish Church of St Mary in the town.
At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 7 March 1861, it was resolved to grant £50 to the Whitby Widow and Orphan fund. It was also noted that the local lifeboat committee at Whitby had decided to become a branch of the Institution, and to accept the offer of a new self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' lifeboat, with carriage. The Inspector of Lifeboats was invited to Whitby, and made arrangements for the complete re-organisation of the establishment.
By the end of the 1865, Whitby had three lifeboats under the command of the harbour master. One of these was the Lifeboat, which was housed at a newly created station on a stretch of beach at Upgang, along the coast west towards Sandsend. The station had been created as in certain conditions, launching the Whitby harbour boats had proven extremely difficult. The RNLI always regarded Upgang as being a different lifeboat station, despite its proximity to Whitby, and the fact it was crewed by men from the Whitby station.
In 1881, a ship foundered during a heavy snowstorm in Robin Hood's Bay. The lifeboat stationed in that village was deemed to be unseaworthy and so a telegraph was sent to launch the Whitby lifeboat, the Robert Whitworth. Due to the heavy seas, this had to be taken over land through blizzards and snowdrifts. A similar situation occurred in April 1834, when the lifeboat from Whitby was carried overland to Robin Hood's bay to rescue two women in difficulty.
The sinking of the Rohilla in 1914 was attended by six lifeboats in all, but with all the other 'oar-powered' lifeboats struggling with the conditions, the rescue was only completed with the arrival of the motor-powered lifeboat from. After this, most RNLI crews were persuaded about the efficacy of using motorised boats over ones with oars; previously, many crews were suspicious of motorised lifeboats.
The Whitby lifeboat No.2 lifeboat John Fielden was badly damaged during the Rohilla rescue, and was subsequently withdrawn. Galvanised by the promise of a motor-powered lifeboat, local fundraising for a new lifeboat raised the considerable sum of £1,668-16s-4d. A sum of £1000 had been received by the Institution from the bequest of Miss Margaret Harker-Smith in 1914, but a proviso in her will allowed her trustees to apply a further sum, towards providing a lifeboat on the Yorkshire coast. The executors of her estate granted an additional sum of £6000.
At a ceremony held at 15:00 on Saturday 28 June 1919, coincidentally the same day as the signing of the Treaty of Versailles formally ending World War I, the new East Side motor-lifeboat house was formally opened. The building was funded by Mrs Humble, dedicated to the memory of her son, Lieut. F. H. G. Trumble, R.N, who was killed in action aboard HMS Warwick (D25) whilst off Ostend on 10 May 1918. Then followed the naming ceremony of the new self-righting lifeboat. A bottle of wine was broken over the bow, with the lifeboat duly named Margaret Harker-Smith, after which the boat was launched down the slipway for demonstration.
Despite the arrival of a motor-powered lifeboat, Whitby would retained a pulling and sailing lifeboat until 1957. The last one on station, Robert and Ellen Robson, was the last rowing boat in operation by the RNLI. This boat is now on display in the RNLI museum in Whitby.
Following a surge in water-based leisure activity, the Inshore lifeboat was placed at Whitby in 1966, used for close inshore rescue work, inaccessible to the All-weather lifeboats.
On 7 September 2007, the Duchess of Kent formally opened the new £1million lifeboat station in Whitby. The new station was built on the site of the old motor lifeboat station, which had become life-expired, known to the crews as the "Tin Shed". Whilst the new lifeboat station was being constructed, the old West Side lifeboat station on Pier Road, now the museum, was resurrected as the lifeboat house for one year from 2006 to 2007.
In 2023, after serving Whitby for 27 years, the All-weather lifeboat 14-14 George and Mary Webb was transferred to the training fleet. A new All-weather lifeboat, 13-49 Lois Ivan, arrived in Whitby on 11 June 2023.

Locations

The various lifeboat stations in Whitby are detailed as follows, located on the West or East side of the River Esk.
NameDatesSideLocationNotes
Whitby No.1WestWest Pier.Closed when the Khyber Pass was cut in the town, so the lifeboat house was moved further inland.
Whitby No.21822–1863EastOn Davits, Tate Hill Pier.
Whitby No.11847–1895WestPier RoadDemolished, and rebuilt to house No.1 and No.2 lifeboats, 1895.
Whitby No.21863–1895WestWooden boathouse at the foot of the Khyber Pass.
1865–1919WestLocated just over west of Whitby Harbour.After closure, the Upgang lifeboat William Riley of Birmingham and Leamington was transferred to Whitby No.2.

Whitby No.2		1895–1957WestPier RoadNo.1 lifeboat withdrawn in 1934. No.2 lifeboat withdrawn in November 1957.
Building re-opened on 26 July 1958 as the Whitby Lifeboat Museum.
Whitby 1919–2006EastMarket place.Closed and demolished in 2006.
Whitby2007–EastMarket place.Built on the site of the former 1919 Motor lifeboat station.

Notable incidents

Between 1802 and 2009, 24 lifeboat crew members were lost from Whitby. Their names are commemorated in the RNLI memorial at Poole in Dorset. A news report in 2022 stated that in its more than 200-year history, the Whitby lifeboat had been launched over 2,900 times, and saved over 1,230 people.

Lifeboat disaster (1841)

On 6 October 1841, the east-side lifeboat was on her way to the rescue of two yawls foundering in Whitby Bay. The lifeboat capsized and four lifeboatmen lost their lives.

Lifeboat disaster (1861)

On 9 February 1861, a severe storm struck the east coast of England which resulted in 200 ships being wrecked. The crew had already been out and responded to five ships in distress, when responding to the sixth, a huge wave capsized their vessel. The only survivor of the incident was Henry Freeman, the only member of the crew wearing a cork lifejacket; the other twelve crew, all of who drowned, were wearing their traditional ballast filled lifebelts.

''Agenoria'' (1877)

The schooner Agenoria which was transporting coal from Hartlepool to Whitby ran aground just outside Whitby harbour on 10 January 1877. The Whitby lifeboat Harriott Forteath launched to try and effect a rescue. During the swell, she capsized and all but one of her 12 crew were thrown into the water. One swam ashore, seven got back into the vessel, but three members of the RNLI crew drowned, with their bodies washing up on the beaches around Whitby in the following days.

''The Visitor'' (1881)

The brig Visitor foundered in the bay of Robin Hood's Bay in November 1881, and after the hold was flooded with of water, the crew abandoned ship into their lifeboat. The Robin Hood's Bay RNLI lifeboat station had been closed in 1855, and the unofficial lifeboat in the village was deemed "unseaworthy" and so a telegraph was sent to launch the Whitby Lifeboat. The seas were too rough to launch from Whitby and row around the coastline, so a decision was made to haul Robert Whitworth the overland to Robin Hood's Bay through blizzards and snow drifts, some as deep as. This took two hours to achieve using the combined strength of 18 horses and 200 men. When the lifeboat and crew arrived, they launched the boat and spent 90 minutes in effecting a rescue of the people still stranded at sea. All survived and a commemorative plaque now memorialises the rescue in the village of Robin Hood's Bay.
The events of The Visitor prompted the RNLI to re-open the lifeboat station at Robin Hoods Bay.

''SS Rohilla'' (1914)

Rohilla was launched in 1906 for the British India Steam Navigation Company. She was pressed into war service in 1914 as HMHS Rohilla. Whilst sailing from the Firth of Forth to Dunkirk to evacuate wounded soldiers, she ran aground on Saltwick Nab reef, which is just south of Whitby Harbour. Despite being only a short distance from the shore, high seas and gale force winds created atrocious conditions for any prospect of a rescue from the shore. One of Whitby's RNLI lifeboats Robert and Mary Ellis attempted to close on the wreck but was forced back by the high waves. Another of Whitby's lifeboats the John Fielden was dragged across the rocky scar to a point adjacent to the wrecked ship and made two successful rescues bringing 35 people to the safety of the shore, however the damage to her hull prevented and further attempts.
An audacious plan to haul the Upgang lifeboat William Riley of Birmingham and Leamington overland to opposite the Rohilla and then lower it by hand down the cliff was successful however the mountainous sea conditions prevented her launch.
A lifeboat from Scarborough was towed to the scene of the tragedy but they too were thwarted by the storm conditions, they did however stay on the scene throughout the night set to make another attempt at first light which was still pushed back and the lifeboat was towed back to Scarborough.
In all, six lifeboats were launched to try and rescue the 234 people on board over the course of three days. During the grounding of the vessel, she broke her back and several attempts were made to safely remove those onboard. In all, 89 people died in the sinking. Of the six lifeboats launched, only two were motorboats, and because of the perilous waves, only one of the motorboats, the Henry Vernon which had travelled down the coast from Tynemouth was able to get close to what remained of the ship rescuing the last 50 souls. This tragedy was one of the pivotal points that was to see the RNLI introduce motor lifeboats spelling the end for the traditional rowing boat.

Ruswarp flood (1931)

The Whitby Lifeboat was again taken overland to the village of Ruswarp in September 1931 due to extreme flooding. The flooding had washed away several bridges and the lifeboat was needed to rescue people from their houses. Despite the narrowness of the walls on the roads and the extreme current, the lifeboat crew managed to rescue five people.

''Admiral Von Tromp'' (1976)

On 30 September 1976, the trawler, Admiral Von Tromp, ran aground on Saltwick Bay rocks, much as the Rohilla had done 62 years earlier. The trawler had set sail from Scarborough the day before and was going fishing in an area some north-east of Scarborough. Why the boat ran aground some 90 degrees off of her pre-planned course has never been fully explained as the man at the helm of the ship drowned that night. The Whitby Lifeboat was launched and made several attempts to get the men off the stricken boat, but to no avail, even though at one point, the two boats were touching. Eventually, the flooding of the ship led the men to taking to open water from which three were washed ashore, with the skipper of the boat being rescued by the inshore lifeboat from the sea. Two of the trawler men died. At a resultant inquiry, a nautical surveyor stated that even if the boat had been left to its own devices, she would not have been taken upon the rocks by the tide. Two of the RNLI crewmen were awarded RNLI medals, one silver and one bronze, for the mission.

Station honours

The following are awards made at Whitby

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Whitby lifeboat.
Lost when the East Side lifeboat capsized whilst on service, 6 October 1841
  • Lost when the lifeboat capsized on her sixth service of the day, 9 February 1861
  • Drowned when the lifeboat Harriett Forteath capsized, on service to the schooner Agenoria, 9 January 1877
  • Collapsed and died whilst on lifeboat exercise, 8 August 1881
  • Died after being run-over by the lifeboat carriage wheel, being launched for demonstration on Whitby RNLI Flag Day, 16 August 1924
  • Washed overboard from RNLB Mary Ann Hepworth and drowned, whilst on service to the Belgian vessel Charles, 3 February 1940
  • Died in 1955, after forced retirement from head injuries received whilst launching the lifeboat 17 years earlier, 16 May 1938.

Whitby lifeboats

Upgang Station (1865–1919)

For lifeboats stationed at Upgang, please see Upgang Lifeboat Station