| St Abbs Lifeboat | |
| Map Type: | Scotland |
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
| Location: | Middle Pier, St Abbs, Berwickshire, Scotland, UK |
| Location Country: | Scotland, UK |
| Coordinates: | 55.8989°N -2.1287°W |
| Building Type: | Independent Lifeboat Station |
| Opened Date: | 1911 |
| Owner: | St Abbs Lifeboat |
| Website: | www.stabbslifeboat.org.uk |
St Abbs Lifeboat is an independent marine-rescue facility in St Abbs, Berwickshire, Scotland.
St Abbs Lifeboat is run as an independent charity (SCIO) registered in Scotland (Charity Number SC046312). The charity operates an independent rescue service outside of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Thomas Tunnock & Sons Ltd, a Scottish company, has contributed £260,000 towards the purchase of a new lifeboat to be called Thomas Tunnock.[1]
The new St Abbs Lifeboat arrived at the station on 28 July 2016 and was officially named Thomas Tunnock during a naming ceremony on 17 September 2016. Thomas Tunnock is an 900W Rigid Inflatable Boat built by MST (Marine Specialised Technology Ltd) based in Liverpool. She has a maximum speed of 47 knots and is one of the fastest lifeboats in the UK.[2]
A campaign to found a lifeboat station in the port was started after the sinking of the S.S. Alfred Erlandsen and the loss of crew in 1907 on rocks, known as the Ebb Carrs, near the shore of the village. Lifeboats were launched from Dunbar Lifeboat Station and Eyemouth but took too long to reach the wreck and all 17 crew members were lost.[3]
In 1911 the station was established by the RNLI[4] with the formation of a slipway, and the campaign organiser Jane Hay was made secretary of the station in recognition of her effort. The boathouse, still in use today, was added later in 1915. The station's final all-weather lifeboat was a 37-foot, on station from 1964 until 1974 when it was withdrawn having averaged only two launches per year and replaced by an inshore D-class lifeboat as the nearby Eyemouth Lifeboat Station had taken on a new fast Waveney-class boat. Since then the station has had a C-class, B-Class and housed the Dorothy and Katherine Barr II Atlantic 75.
Despite a 13,000 signature petition urging them to reconsider, the RNLI withdrew its lifeboat from the station in September 2015.[5] Following a 5-year study, the RNLI decided to replace St Abbs by supplementing the existing Trent-class lifeboat at Eyemouth, 2 miles away, with an additional D-class RIB.[5] [6]
The station's crew received 4 Silver Medals of honour during its service with the RNLI.
| ON | Op. No. | Name | In service[7] | Class | Launches/saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 603 | – | Helen Smitton | 1911–1936 | 27/37 | |
| 792 | – | Annie Ronald and Isabella Forrest | 1936–1949 | Liverpool (single engine) | 28/73 |
| 872 | – | J.B. Couper of Glasgow | 1949–1953 | 4/1 | |
| 906 | – | W. Ross MacArthur of Glasgow | 1953–1964 | 32/13 | |
| 974 | 37-07 | Jane Hay | 37ft Oakley | 20/8 | |
| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-110 | 1974–1975 | |||
| D-235 | 1975–1978 | |||
| C-505 (D-505) | 1979–1986 | |||
| B-572 | Dorothy and Katherine Barr | 1986–2001 | ||
| B-579 | Institute of London Underwriters | 2001–2002 | ||
| B-568 | Burton Brewer | 2002 | ||
| B-783 | Dorothy and Katherine Barr II | |||
| B-770 | The Boys Brigade | 2015 | ||