45ft Watson-class lifeboat explained

The 45 ft Watson-class was a non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built between 1919 and 1925 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1919 and 1956.

History

In 1898 the first 45 ft Watson was built, one of the largest pulling and sailing lifeboats built for the RNLI. Only three of these 45 footers were built, the last in 1901. This third boat, Albert Edward ON 463, was based at and after eleven years service was taken in hand for rebuilding with a motor. A 40 bhp Tylor C 4-cylinder petrol engine was fitted but little else was changed and, like all single engine lifeboats, a full sailing rig and drop keel was retained. The boat returned to service at Clacton in 1912 and served there until 1929. With the conversion of ON 463 deemed a success, plans were put in hand for the production of a series of 45 ft Watson motors, but due to the First World War, the first boat did not appear until 1919.

Description

Like ON 463 the first eleven production boats were open decked and retained full sail plans and a drop keel. The first seven boats were powered by a 60 bhp Tylor D1 6-cylinder petrol engine, while the rest had an RNLI designed 80 bhp DE6 6-cylinder petrol engine, nine of which were built by Weyburn Engineering and five by J. Samuel White. Experience showed that the open deck layout was inadequate for the longer services operated by the motor lifeboats and from the late 1920s a shelter was added ahead of the steering position. The final ten boats, built from 1923(ON 684), were to a revised design with a cabin capable of taking twenty survivors ahead of the engine room.

Fleet

ON	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Comments^[1]
463	Albert Edward	1901				A 40 bhp Tylor C 4-cylinder petrol engine was fitted in 1912.Sold October 1932. Reported in December 2018 as yacht at Haven Marina, Ipswich.
				1929–1932
648	Elsie	1919	S. E. Saunders	1919–1930		Sold January 1951. Renamed Happy Return. Reported as a yacht in Tahiti, 1960.
				1930–1946
				1946–1951	Relief fleet
649	Duke of Connaught	1919	S. E. Saunders	1919–1950		Originally named Duke of Connaught but renamed Shamrock in 1920.Sold February 1952. Reported in June 1991 as under conversion at Bowling Canal Basin, Dunbarton.
	Shamrock
				1950–1952	Relief fleet
653	William Evans	1921	/	1921–1927	Wexford	Sold November 1940.
				1927–1927
				1927–1939
654	Joseph Adlam	1921	S. E. Saunders	1921–1948		Sold February 1952.
				1948–1951	Relief fleet
658	Dunleary (Civil Service No.7)	1919	S. E. Saunders	1919–1938		Sold May 1951. Reported in May 2022 to be under restoration at Coal Harbour, Dun Laoghaire.
				1939–1951
659	Frederick and Emma	1921	S. E. Saunders	1921–1938		Sold August 1950. Renamed Stadats. Reported in September 2021 as a yacht at Melton Boatyard, Melton, Suffolk.
				1939–1950
668	Duke of Connaught	1921	S. E. Saunders	1921–1939	No.2	Sold October 1951. . Reported in July 2012 as a pleasure boat at Uppsala, Sweden.
				1939–1951	Relief fleet
671	The Brothers	1922	J. Samuel White	1922–1931		Sold August 1952. Reported in October 2022 to have been possibly to be broken up at Gweek Classic Boatyard.
				1931–1934
				1934–1937	Relief fleet
				1937–1938
				1938–1946	Relief fleet
				1946–1947
				1948–1952
678	Edward, Prince of Wales	1924	J. Samuel White	1924–1947		Capsized on service 23 April 1947, eight crew lost. Boat later burned.
679	Elizabeth Newton	1923	J. Samuel White	1924–1939		Sold May 1953. Renamed Viking. Lost at Rhyl in 1981.
				1939–1940
				1940–1953	Relief fleet
680	City of Bradford	1923	J. Samuel White	1923–1929		Renamed as City of Bradford I in 1929. Sold October 1952. Renamed Hammer. Last seen in the 1980s.
				1929–1930	Relief fleet
				1930–1932	No.2
				1932–1952	Relief fleet
684	John R. Webb	1923	J. Samuel White	1923–1930		Renamed as 684 RM in 1931 and then as Hearts of Oak in 1934.Reported as stored for restoration on the River Yonne at Migennes, France, in December 2021.
	684 RM			1931–1932
				1932–1934	Relief fleet
	Hearts of Oak			1934–1936
				1937–1955	Relief fleet
685	J.W. Archer	1924	J. Samuel White	1924–1950		Sold July 1956. Reported in November 2022 to be in storage in North East England.
				1950–1954
				1954–1956	Relief fleet
686	T.B.B.H.	1924	J. Samuel White	1924–1949		Sold January 1953. Reported in September 2022 to be a motor yacht on the River Hamble.
				1949–1953	Relief fleet
687	B.A.S.P.	1924	J. Samuel White	1924–1934		Sold February 1955. On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since April 1996.
				1934–1940
				1940–1947	Relief fleet
				1947–1951
				1951–1955	Relief fleet
688	The Lord Southborough (Civil Service No.1)	1924	S. E. Saunders	1925–1951		Sold January 1955. Reported as a y acht in Cyrenaica in 1955 but by November 2001 it was owned at Sholing in Southampton.
				1951–1955	Relief fleet
689	Manchester and Salford	1924	S. E. Saunders	1924–1946		Sold October 1954. Reported in December 2022 to be under restoration at the Douglas Boatyard in Hesketh Bank, Lancashire.
				1946–1954	Relief fleet
690	C. and S.	1925	S. E. Saunders	1925–1940		Sold November 1947. Renamed Caradoc. In July 1985 it was reported to be in Victoria, British Columbia.
				1940–1943
				1943–1946	Relief fleet
				1946–1947
692	Milburn	1925	S. E. Saunders	1925–1946		Sold September 1955. Renamed Rosanaed. February 2020, yacht at Denton Island, Newhaven, East Sussex.
				1946–1955	Relief fleet
694	H.F. Bailey	1924	J. Samuel White	1924–1928	No.1	Originally named H.F. Bailey, it was renamed J.B. Proudfoot in 1936. Sold September 1956. Renamed Gramarie, in June 2019 it was seen as a yacht on hard at Marbella, Spain.
				1929–1935	Cromer No.1
	J.B. Proudfoot			1935–1941	Relief fleet
				1941–1945
				1945–1947	Relief fleet
				1947–1949
				1949–1956	Relief fleet
695	M.O.Y.E.	1925	J. Samuel White	1926–1949		Sold April 1956.
				1949–1956	Relief fleet

External links

• RNLI

Notes and References

1. Book: Leonard . Richie . Denton . Tony . Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2023 . 2023 . Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society.