Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station

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Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station
RNLI lifeboat station
Country United Kingdom
County Somerset
Town Burnham-on-Sea
Location Pier Street, TA8 1BT
51°14′01″N 2°59′50″W / 51.2337°N 2.9973°W / 51.2337; -2.9973 (Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station)
Founded First lifeboat 1836
Present station 2003
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Burnham-on-Sea

Burnham-on-Sea Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset in England. A lifeboat was stationed in the town in from 1836 until 1930. The present station was opened in 2003. It operates two inshore lifeboats (ILBs), a B Class rigid-hulled boat and an inflatable D Class.

History

The 1874 boat house, seen in 2010

Burnham-on-Sea is on the Bristol Channel near the mouth of the River Parrett. Ships entering the river to Bridgwater have to negotiate sand banks and mudflats. The first lifeboat at Burnham-on-Sea was a gift by Sir Peregrine Acland to the Corporation of Bridgwater in 1836. This was replaced by a new boat in 1847.[1]

In 1866 the RNLI took over the service from the Bridgwater Harbour Trust. A new boat was provided and a new boat house built but this was replaced by a new building in 1874[1] next to the railway station. A siding was laid to the boat house and the boat on its carriage was hauled down the track by horses to the slipway. The station was closed in 1930 and has since had several uses including a scout hut and children's play centre.[2]

Lifeboats returned to the town in 1994 when the Burnham Area Rescue Boat (BARB) provided an inflatable inshore rescue boat and, from 2003, hovercraft that could operate on the local mudflats. BARB asked the RNLI to take over the provision of a sea-going inshore rescue boat, which it did when a new lifeboat station was built near the old 1874 boat house and brought into use on 23 December 2003.[1]

Area of operation

The Atlantic 75 can go out in Force 7 winds (Force 6 at night) and can operate at up to 32 knots (59 km/h) for 2½ hours.[3] Adjacent lifeboats are at Minehead Lifeboat Station to the west, and Weston-super-Mare Lifeboat Station to the north. If a larger all weather boat is needed in the area it can be summoned from Barry Dock.[4]

Current fleet

B-796 Staines Whitfield

Former lifeboats

'ON' is the RNLI's sequential Official Number; 'Op. No.' is the operational number painted onto the boat.

1836–1930

ON Name Built At Burnham-on-Sea Class
– Cheltenham[1] 1866 1866–1887
138 John Godfrey Morris[1][7] 1887–1902
498 Phillip Beach[1][8] 1902 1902–1930 Liverpool

Since 2003

Op. No. Name Built At Burnham-on-Sea Class Type
B-700[9] Susan Peacock 1993 2003–2004[Note 1] B Atlantic 75
D-424[10] City of Chester 1992 2003–2004[Note 2] D EA16
D-495[11] Elsie Frances II 1996 2004–2005[Note 3] D EA16
D-552[12] Global Marine 1999 2005–2006[Note 4] D EA16

Notes

  1. ↑ Susan Peacock was the first Atlantic 75 lifeboat, a total of 97 being built between 1993 and 2003. Since 2006 it has been part of the RNLI training fleet.
  2. ↑ City of Chester was originally stationed at Fleetwood. Burnham-on-Sea was its last station before it was withdrawn from service.
  3. ↑ Elsie Frances II was the Bude ILB from launching until it was transferred to Burnham-on-Sea. It was withdrawn in 2007.
  4. ↑ Global Marine was initially the lifeboat at Marazion Lifeboat Station; since 2007 it has been a part of the training fleet.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Burnham-on-Sea History". RNLI. Retrieved 2010-11-19. 
  2. ↑ Oakley, Mike (2006). Somerset Railway Stations. Bristol: Redcliffe Press. pp. 32–33. ISBN 1-904537-54-5. 
  3. ↑ "Atlantic 75 and 85 (B Class)". RNLI. Retrieved 2010-12-02. 
  4. ↑ Denton, Tony (2010). Handbook 2010. Shrewsbury: Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 68. 
  5. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 52.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 63.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 4.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ Denton (2010). pp. 12–13.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 51.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 60.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 61.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ Denton (2010). p. 62.  Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

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