RNLB Louisa Heartwell (ON 495)

RNLB Louisa Heartwell (ON 495)
History
Name: Louisa Heartwell
Owner: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Builder: Thames Iron Works, Leamouth, London
Official Number: ON 495
Donor: Legacy of £700 bequeathed to the RNLI by Miss Emily Heartwell[1] of Upper Holloway, London
Station Cromer
Cost: £981 12s 0d
Laid down: 1901
Christened: 9 September 1902, by Lady Suffield
Completed: 1902
Fate: Sold out of service 20 May 1931, converted to a motor cruiser and renamed Waiora , Became a Houseboat in the 1990s on the Chichester canal.
General characteristics
Type: Liverpool-class boat (non self-righting)
Length: 38 ft 0 in (11.58 m) overall
Beam: 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m)
Propulsion: Sail and rowed by 14 oars

RNLB Louisa Heartwell (ON 495) was the sixth lifeboat to be stationed at Cromer[1] on the coast of the English county of Norfolk[2] She was launched from the beach station and was on station from 1902 to 1932.[1] During her period on station at Cromer the Louisa Heartwell had only two coxswains during her 29-year career. The coxswains were Matthew James Buttons Harrison until his retirement in 1909, and then Henry George Blogg.[3][4]

New lifeboat house

With the arrival of the new Liverpool-class lifeboat Louisa Heartwell, Cromer also got a new lifeboat house.[1] This was needed as the new lifeboat and her carriage were much larger than the previous lifeboat Benjamin Bond Cabbell (ON 12).[1] The new lifeboat house was opened in 1902 and remained in use until the 1960s, when it then became the lifeboat museum.[1] With the advent of the new Henry Blogg Museum, this building is once again a lifeboat house, and is used by Cromer's inshore lifeboat

Notable rescues

Steamship Fernebo

The Swedish cargo steamer was laden with timber when on 9 January 1917 an explosion in the ship's boiler broke the Fernebo in two.[1] The Cromer Lifeboat Louise Heartwell with coxswain Henry Blogg at the helm had been at sea for several hours in difficult conditions attending the Greek steamer Pyrin.[1] Blogg and his exhausted crew were now asked to attend the Fernebo. The sea conditions were so bad that the lifeboat was unable to clear the beach. Meanwhile the crew of the Fernebo had managed to launch a small boat from the stricken vessel. Aboard were six crew members but the little boat was capsized in the surf. All six of the little boat's occupants were rescued from the waves through efforts of rescuers on the beach. In the late afternoon the Fernebo's two halves had grounded. One half was alongside a wooden groyne with the other, half a mile to the east. After failed attempts to make a further rescue with rocket apparatus the Louise Heartwell launched again at 9:30 pm. During this attempt the lifeboat lost three oars and five of her oars were smashed. Not to be beaten, once more with spare oars and after some rest, Blogg and his crew launched to the Fernebo. This time the lifeboat managed to get alongside the wreck long enough to rescue the eleven remaining crewmen.[1] The lifeboat returned to the shore at 1:00 am to a cheering crowd who had stayed to watch the rescue from the beach. Henry Blogg and his crew had been at sea for fourteen hours.[1] For this action Henry Blogg received a RNLI gold medal.[1] Acting second Coxswain William Davies[1] was awarded the Silver medal and twelve of the crew were awarded the Bronze medal.[1] This was the first time[1] this new medal had been awarded and had been specifically created because of the notable contribution made to this rescue by the crewmen of the Louisa Heartwell. Part of the he wreck of the Fernebo remains and can sometimes be seen on Cromer beach at low tide opposite the Doctor's Steps.

Service and rescues

Date Casualty Lives saved
1903
December 28–31 Steamship Enriquetta of Grangemouth, stood by.
1904
October 8–10Steamship Rosalind of Newcastle, stood by & assisted to save vessel.17
December 8Five fishing boats of Cromer, Stood by.
1906
February 1Steamship Newburn of Newcastle, stood by.
September 17–18Schooner Zuma of Wisbech, assisted to save vessel.9
1907
February 11 Steamship Atbara of London, Saved.12
December 14Barge Britisher of London,stood by and gave help.
1908
March 1 Barque Lodore of Liverpool, stood by and gave help.
October 24Lugger John Robert of Great Yarmouth, gave help.
1909
November 23Barque Alf of Larvik, saved.2
December 21Barquentine Albatross of Lowestoft, saved.8
1910
February 15Barge Resurga of London, gave help.
April 20Steamship Haakon of Arendal, stood by.
December 17Schooner Desdemona of Thurso, assisted to save vessel.5
1911
December 4–6Ship Walkure of Hamburg, gave help.
1912
August 29Trawler Saint Antoine Dde Padoue of Nieuport, Landed 21 from Haisborough light-vessel.
November 27Hoveller James and Ellen of Great Yarmouth, stood by while beaching.
1913
February 27 Ketch Industry of Hull, assisted to save vessel.
May 6 Fishing boats Katie, Harriet and John & Mary of Sea Palling, saved boats.9
1915
January 8–9 Steamship New Oporto of West Hartlepool, saved.7
January 18–20 Ketch Thomas Stratton of Maldon, assisted to save ketch.4
March 27–29 Steamship Ida of Haugesund, assisted to save vessel.
May 27 Steamship BodilL of Esbjerg, Saved.14
September 17–19 Steamship Mimona of Fredrikstad, assisted to save vessel.
1916
January 14 Steamship Havfru of Christiania (Oslo), Saved.1
March 16–17 Steamship Ladt Londonderry of Sunderland, assisted to save vessel.
March 28 Schooner Ann of Goole, saved 5
August 30 Steamship Mitcham of London, saved.22
December 21 Fishing lugger Chieftain of Cromer, saved.3
1917
January 9 Steamship Pyrin of Piraeus, saved.16
January 9–10 Steamship Fernebo of Gothenburg, saved.11
November 27 Steamship Kronprinsessan Victoire of Haugesund, saved.6
December 21 Motor fishing boat Admiral Jellicoe of Great Yarmouth, stood by.
December 26 Steamship Pollcrea of London, gave help.
1918
February 25–26 Motor barge Innisberg of Glasgow, assisted to save barge.5
September 30-October 1 Steamship Inna of Sunderland, assisted to save vessel.1
1919
November 17–19 HM Hired steam trawler General Botha of Aberdeen, assisted to save vessel.
November 30 Steamship Refrigerant of Lorient (es War Coppice of London), rendered assistance.
1920
June 24 Motor schooner Danefolk of Copenhagen, assisted to save vessel.23
August 20–21 Steamship Bavaria of Cologne, rendered assistance.
Motor launch Dot, saved launch.2
Steamship Inverawe of Leith, stood by and assisted to save vessel.
1923
January 14 Steam trawler Lord Cecil of Grimsby, assisted to save vessel.
April 21 Steamship Nystrand of Skien, stood by.
Total 182

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Cromer Lifeboat, A Pictorial History, by Nicholas Leach & Paul Russell, Pub; Landmark Collector's Library, ISBN 978-1-84306-363-6
  2. ↑ OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East. ISBN 978-0-319-23815-8.
  3. ↑ Henry Blogg, the Greatest of the Lifeboatmen, Jolly, C., Pub: Poppyland Publishing, new edition 2002, ISBN 0-946148-59-7
  4. ↑ pdf of Henry Blogg, the Greatest of the Lifeboatmen
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