| Southwold Lifeboat Station | |
| Map Type: | Suffolk |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Location: | Southwold Lifeboat Station |
| Address: | Ferry Road, Southwold, Suffolk, IP18 6NB |
| Location Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 52.315°N 1.6725°W |
| Building Type: | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Opened Date: | 1841 |
| Owner: | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
Southwold Lifeboat Station is an RNLI operated lifeboat station located in the town of Southwold in the English county of Suffolk.[1]
The station operates an lifeboat called Annie Tranmer (B-868) which has an operational range of 25miles.[2] The Atlantic 85 is the third generation Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) in the B-class series. The lifeboat has a manually operated self-righting mechanism and can be beached in an emergency without sustaining damage to engines or steering gear. She is easy refloat and is ideal for rescues close to shore and on the sandbanks which are along the coast at Southwold.
The lifeboat is operated by a crew of around 18 volunteers.[3] Charity abseil events at Southwold lighthouse raised over £20,000 for the lifeboat in both 2009 and 2011.
A lifeboat was first stationed in the town in 1841[4] with the first motorised boat being put into service in 1926.[5] The station's lifeboat, Mary Scott, took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. She was towed to Dunkirk by the paddle steamer Emperor of India together with two other small boats. Between them they took 160 men to their mother ship, then made a journey with 50 men to another transport vessel. She was abandoned on the beach, recovered and returned to service with the RNLI at Southwold.
An Inshore lifeboat station equipped with a lifeboat was established in 1963. This was replaced by a lifeboat, Sole Bay (B-518), in 1973. Medal Services – 1972: Bronze Medal Patrick Pile and Martin Helmer. 1981: Bronze Medal Helmsman Roger Trigg.[5]
The current boathouse was built in 1993 near the entrance to Southwold Harbour at the mouth of the River Blyth.[5] A winch and davit are used to launch the boat. These were repositioned in 2012 following essential repair work carried out to the harbour wall.[6] [7]
The station covers an area of around 25miles. Neighbouring lifeboat stations are located in Lowestoft and Aldeburgh along the North Sea coast.
The following are awards made at Southwold[5] [8]
John Fish, Acting Coxswain - 1849
Benjamin Herrington, Coxswain - 1854
William Waters, Second Coxswain - 1854
John Cragie, Acting Coxswain - 1859
Benjamin Herrington, Second Coxswain - 1859 (Second Service Clasp)
Edward William Goldsmith, Bricklayer - 1895
Thomas Henry Palmer, Fisherman - 1895
Alfred Took, Fisherman - 1895
John Cragie, Coxswain - 1895 (Second Service Clasp)
John Cragie, Coxswain - 1898 (Third Service Clasp)
James H Gilings, Decorator - 1924
Frank Upcraft, Coxswain - 1927
Patrick Pile, crew member - 1972
Martin Helmer, crew member - 1972
Roger Edward Trigg, Helmsman - 1981
Jonathan Adnams, Helmsman - 1990
Marcus Gladwell, crew member - 1990
Paul Horsnell, crew member - 1990
S May, Coxswain - 1911
J P A Adnams, crewman - 1981
A Chambers, the skipper of the motor fishing vessel 'Broadside' - 1981
J P A Adnams, Helmsman - 1989
Roger Trigg, Helmsman - 1983
J P A Adnams, Helmsman - 1990
Honorary Secretary, Mr E R Cooper - 1905
Coxswain S May - 1905
Second Coxswain C Jarvis - 1905
the 16 other members of the crew - 1905
The Lifeboat Crew - 1912
Jonathan Patrick Adair Adnams, DLA - 2009[9]
| ON | Name | In service [10] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Solebay | 40ft Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | ||
| – | Harriett | 1852–1855 | 38ft Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 28 | Harriett, | 1855–1893 | 39ft 10in Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | |
| 353 | Alfred Corry | 1893–1918 | 44ft Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | |
| 352 | Bolton | 1918–1925 | 43ft Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | |
| 691 | Mary Scott | 1925–1940 | Norfolk and Suffolk-class (Motor) | All-Weather Lifeboat Station closed 1940 due to WW2 requirements. [11] |
| ON | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Quiver No. 2 | 1866–1882 | 33ft Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | [12] |
| 29 | Quiver No. 2 | 1882–1897 | 30ft Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | |
| 405 | Rescue | 1897–1920 | 32ft Norfolk and Suffolk-class (P&S) | Station closed, 1920 |
| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-6 | 1963 | |||
| D-25 | 1964 | |||
| D-14 | 1965 | |||
| D-36 | 1965–1970 | |||
| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole Bay | ||||
| B-562 | The Quiver | 1985–1998 | ||
| B-750 | Leslie Tranmer | 1998–2013 | ||
| B-868 | Annie Tranmer | 2013– | ||