Fishguard Lifeboat Station

Fishguard Lifeboat Station
RNLI Lifeboat station
Fishguard Lifeboat Station
Country	Wales, UK
County	Pembrokeshire
Town	Fishguard
Location	Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales
- coordinates	52°0′47.78″N 4°59′5.05″W / 52.0132722°N 4.9847361°WCoordinates: 52°0′47.78″N 4°59′5.05″W / 52.0132722°N 4.9847361°W
Founded	1822
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Visitation	Summer Months only
Fishguard, Pembrokeshire

Trent class lifeboat Blue Peter VII on station at Fishguard

Fishguard Lifeboat Station (based in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales) is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station.

Located on the quay between Fishguard railway station and the northern breakwater, the station is staffed by two crews and has around 30 members. Operating two lifeboats, a Trent-class lifeboat Blue Peter VII and an inshore D-class (IB1) lifeboat Edward Arthur Richardson, it is one of seven stations with a lifeboat funded by the BBC children's television series Blue Peter.

History

The station has operated since 1822 and crews have been presented with 29 awards for gallantry^[1] including, in 1847, two Silver Medals to the first women to receive a lifeboat award. The RNLI took over the station in 1855.^[2]

In May 1874 the RNLI awarded the Fishguard lifeboat No.1 crew £27 for their lifesaving services over the previous month; they included saving a total of 17 crew from the schooners J.T.S., Squirrel and Gem and the smack Lerry.^[3] On 16 November 1882 the lifeboat attended 15 different vessels and saved 46 lives.^[2]

A slipway was built by the Great Western Railway in 1911 for a new boathouse; both were replaced in 1930.^[2] The lifeboat Charterhouse (ON563) was on station between 1909 and 1931, during which time her crews saved 47 lives. Her centenary was celebrated in 2009, still afloat and renamed Marian.^[4]

In February 1946 White Star was at sea for more than 24 hours in severe weather standing by the broken down submarine HMS Universal and helping to rescue her crew.^[5]

Fleet

All Weather Boats

Dates in service	Class	ON	Op. No.	Name
1822–1909	various (oared)
1909–1931	40ft Self-Righter	ON 563		Charterhouse
1931–1956	45ft 6in Watson-class	ON 710		White Star
1956–1981	46ft 9in Watson-class	ON 932		Howard Marryat
1981–1994	Arun-class	ON 1076	52-19	Marie Winstone
1994–present	Trent-class	ON 1198	14-03	Blue Peter VII

Inshore Lifeboats

Dates in service	Class	Op. No.	Name
1995–2006	D-class (EA16)	D-505	Arthur Bygraves
2006–2015	D-class (IB1)	D-652	Team Effort
2016–present	D-class (IB1)	D-789	Edward Arthur Richardson[6]

Awards

A number of awards have been made for outstanding achievements during lifeboat services^[2] -

• 1847 Silver Medals awarded to Martha and Margaret Llewellyn

6 other Silver Medals were awarded between 1834 and 1855

• 1873 to 1877 3 Silver Medals to Coxswain James White for his part in saving 80 lives
• 1874 Thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum to Captain W. Harries, W Jenkins and J.G. Annal^[3]
• 1921 Gold Medal to John Howells, Silver Medals to T.O. Davies, R.E. Simpson and T. Holmes for rescuing 7 from schooner Hermina; 9 other crew members received Bronze Medals for the same service

See also

• Royal National Lifeboat Institution
• List of RNLI stations

References

1. "Fishguard Lifeboat Station". Rnli.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
2. "History Points - Fishguard Lifeboat Station". Retrieved 10 May 2014.
3. "RNLI Meeting". Huddersfield Chronicle (British Newspaper Archive). 8 May 1874. Retrieved 31 October 2014. (subscription required (help)).
4. Centenary return for Charterhouse?. Pembrokeshire Life. April 2009.
5. "Lifeboats get gallant crew off submarine". Lancashire Daily Post (British Newspaper Archive). 5 February 1946. Retrieved 31 October 2014. (subscription required (help)).
6. "Fishguard's new inshore lifeboat officially named in memory of Edward Arthur Richardson after legacy left by Elizabeth Hughena Richardson". Western Telegraph. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.

External links

• Fishguard lifeboat station at the RNLI website