| Newhaven Lifeboat Station | |
| Map Type: | East Sussex |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Address: | West Quay, |
| Location City: | Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 9BT |
| Location Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 50.7886°N 0.0537°W |
| Building Type: | RNLI lifeboat station |
| Architectural Style: | Steel-frame boathouse built on stanchions with brick and block construction |
| Opened Date: | 1803–1809 re-established in 1825–1829 and 1852 |
| Owner: | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Website: | Newhaven RNLI |
Newhaven Lifeboat Station is an RNLI[1] station located in the town of Newhaven in the English county of East Sussex in the United Kingdom.[2] The original station was established in 1803 and taken over by the RNLI in 1854.[3]
The station operates an All-weather lifeboat, the David and Elizabeth Acland (ON 1243), on station since 1999, and from 2022, a inshore lifeboat, Arthur Hamilton (D-774).[4]
Newhaven lifeboat station is situated on the west bank of the River Ouse within the Port of Newhaven, which is one of only two navigable harbours between the Isle of Wight to the west and Dover to the east. The Port of Newhaven[5] is a busy commercial port with a ferry terminal.[6] The harbour opens out onto the English Channel, one of the busiest stretches of waterway in the world.[7]
Newhaven’s first lifeboat was established in 1803[5] when a lifeboat which had been built to a design by Henry Greathead,[5] the pioneering rescue lifeboat builder from South Shields, was placed on station in the town. The boat was 22-feet long, and was 6-oared. The lifeboat was funded partly by a donation from Lloyd's of London, and the rest from locally raised donations.[8] The lifeboat was one of 31 of this type of lifeboat built by Greathead from his design of 1789 known as the Original. This type of lifeboat was designed to work in the shallow waters off the east coast of England,[9] but in small and open harbours like Newhaven, the Greathead-class boats were not popular because of their weight and the large number of crew needed to man them.[9] This may have been the case at Newhaven, as no record can be found that the boat was ever launched to a service.[5] In 1809 the boat was taken from the station and sent to Brighton.[3]
In 1825 the forerunner of the RNLI, the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, supplied a lifeboat to the town. There was still no boathouse in the town, and so this lifeboat when not in use was stored out in the open under a tarpaulin. This boat was in service at the town until 1829, when it was transferred to Cowes.[10]
There are no records of any other Newhaven lifeboat until 1852, when Newhaven was provided with a lifeboat by the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society.[11] From 1851 the Society operated lifeboats, located at Lytham, Rhyl, Portmadoc, Tenby, Llanelli, Teignmouth, Hornsea and now Newhaven, but it was soon realised that it would be wiser if one organisation concentrated on rescuing lives at sea, whilst the other helped the survivors or their bereaved families. In 1854, the Society transferred its lifeboats to the RNLI.[12]
The RNLI's first life boat at Newhaven arrived in 1863. It had previously been on service at Boulmer and Thorpeness, and was extended to 35-feet by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, and for Newhaven was renamed Thomas Chapman. However, she only served Newhaven for four years, performing just one service, but rescuing five crew.[4]
A new boat arrived in 1867, a 33-foot self-righting lifeboat, also to be named Thomas Chapman, and built by Forrestt of London, costing £290-5s-0d. To house the new boat, Newhaven Lifeboat Station would finally get a boathouse, which was a brick built building on the west bank of the harbour, costing £471-8s-0d.[10]
In 1904, Newhaven became the first lifeboat station to operate a motor-powered lifeboat, when former Folkestone lifeboat J McConnell Hussey (ON 343) was temporarily assigned for trials. It had been fitted with an 11 h.p. engine, giving a speed of nearly 6knts.
She served Newhaven for 5 months, before being transferred to Tynemouth for further trials, but it was much liked by the crew, who requested that their regular boat, now the Michael Henry (ON 407) be also fitted with an engine. She was sent to Thames Ironworks, with a reserve lifeboat being placed on station until the return of Michael Henry in 1908.[10]
In 1909, the lifeboat house was extensively modified, and a new slipway was constructed.[13]
On 30 May 1940, the RNLI received a request from the Ministry of Shipping, to assemble as many lifeboats as possible at Dover within 24hrs. Newhaven Lifeboat Cecil and Lilian Philpott (ON 730) arrived in Dover the following morning. She was then used for the Dunkirk evacuation, making one trip and repatriating 51 men, finally arriving back on station on 11 June.[14]
A new lifeboat, 52-32 Keith Anderson (ON 1106) arrived on service at Newhaven in 1985. Built by Wm. Osbourne of Littlehampton and costing £415,000, she was funded from the auction of a collection of Jewellery, donated by Mrs Esme Anderson in memory of her late husband.[10]
In November 1999, Newhaven's current lifeboat arrived on station. Costing £1,725,000, she is the 25-knot lifeboat 17-21 David and Elizabeth Acland (ON 1243).[4]
The following are awards made at Newhaven[13] [15]
John Sullivan, Seaman - 1827
Lt. James Rawstone, RN - 1833
Lt. Samuel Grandy, RN - 1833
Thomas Morgan, Commanding, Revenue Cutter Stork - 1833
Lt James Read, RN - 1833
Mr Abraham H Young, Chief Boatman, HM Coastguard - 1849
Charles Leese, Gunner - 1860
Richard Payne, Coxswain - 1930
Leonard Alfred John Peddlesden, Coxswain - 1944
William Harvey, Coxswain - 1955
Richard Payne, Coxswain - 1924
Mr C J Skinner, decorator - 1926
Benjamin Clark, crew member - 1944 (posthumous),
Alfred Eager, crew member - 1944
Stephen Holden, crew member - 1944
Richard Lower, crew member - 1944
Harold Moore, crew member - 1944
Frederick Parker, crew member - 1944
Stanley Winter, crew member - 1944
William Harvey, Coxswain - 1955
Leonard Patten, Coxswain - 1988
Ian Johns, Coxswain - 2006
Richard Payne, Coxswain - 1929
Each of the crew - 1929
Richard Kenneth Sayer, Honorary Secretary - 1969[16]
Ian David Johns, Former Coxswain - 2012[17]
| ON | Op.No. | Name | In Service[18] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | [19] Transferred to in 1809. | |||
| – | – | Adeline | 1807–???? | Unknown | [20] |
| – | 1825–1829 | 18-foot Norfolk & Suffolk (P&S) | [21] Transferred to in 1829 | ||
| Pre-245 | – | Friend in Need | 1852–1863 | 29-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [22] |
| Pre-247 | – | Thomas Chapman | 1863–1867 | 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [23] Previously Prudhoe at |
| Pre-485 | – | Thomas Chapman Elizabeth Boys | 1867–1877 | 33-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [24] |
| Pre-571 | – | Michael Henry | 1877–1881 | 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [25] |
| 211 | – | Michael Henry | 1881–1897 | 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [26] |
| 407 | – | Michael Henry | 1897–1905 | 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [27] |
| 343 | – | J. McConnel Hussey | 1904 | 38-foot Self-righting (Motor) | [28] |
| 265 | – | Quiver No.1 | 1905–1908 | 37-foot 2in Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 407 | – | Michael Henry | 1908–1912 | 37-foot Self-righting (Motor) | |
| 628 | – | Sir Fitzroy Clayton | 1912–1918 | 38-foot Self-righting (Motor) | [29] |
| 628 | – | Sir Fitzroy Clayton | 1919–1930 | 38-foot Self-righting (Motor) | |
| 730 | – | 1930–1959 | [30] [31] | ||
| 950 | – | Kathleen Mary | 1959–1977 | Last slipway launched boat | |
| 1045 | Louis Marchesi of Round Table | 1977–1985 | |||
| 1106 | 52-32 | Keith Anderson | 1985–1999 | ||
| 17-21 | David and Elizabeth Acland | 1999– | |||