Rhyl Lifeboat Station
| Rhyl Lifeboat Station | |
| RNLI Lifeboat station | |
 The Boathouse of Rhyl Lifeboat Station | |
| Country | Wales, UK |
|---|---|
| State | Denbighshire |
| Town | Rhyl |
| Location | Marine Parade, Rhyl, UK |
| - coordinates | 53°19′56″N 003°29′36″W / 53.33222°N 3.49333°W |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Visitation | By appiontment only |
  Rhyl, Denbighshire
| |
Rhyl Lifeboat Station is located in the North Wales town of Rhyl. For over 150 years the Lifeboat Crew in Rhyl have been saving lives at sea. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1853 and the present station was opened in December 2001. The station operates a Mersey Class all weather boat (ALB) and an IB1 inshore lifeboat (ILB).
History
In 1852 the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariner’s Society placed a lifeboat at Rhyl, shortly after in 1853 the lifeboat “Gwylan y Mor”, capsized with the loss of six of her crew.[1]
In 1963 Rhyl Lifeboat (Anthony Robert Marshall) was launched on service to the first lifeboat rescue of a hovercraft.[2] For this service a silver medal for gallantry was awarded to Coxswain Harold Campini.
In 1967 the first D Class ILB Lifeboat was put on service in Rhyl to accompany the All-Weather Lifeboat for inshore rescues.
In 1973 the bronze medal for gallantry was awarded to Helmsman Don Archer-Jones for the courage and seamanship he displayed when the ILB rescued 2 boys cut off by the tide, and clinging to a perch marking the sewer outfall between Rhyl and Prestatyn, in a gale force westerly wind and a rough sea on 7 August. Crew member Paul Frost was awarded a medal service certificate.
In 2002 HRH The Duke of Kent, presented the lifeboat station with an anniversary Vellum to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rhyl lifeboat.
Description
The lifeboat station is built on the promenade in Rhyl. The building contains the All-Weather Lifeboat, Inshore Lifeboat, Talus tractor and Softrac used for Search and Rescue operations off the coast in Rhyl. The station also has a short concrete slipway that leads down to the beach. Each boat is kept on a carriage attached to a tractor which propels it down to the water and brings it back after use. A fund-raising shop is situated on the west side of the boathouse.
Area of operation
The Mersey-class All-Weather lifeboat at Rhyl has a top speed of 17 knots (31 km/h). The lifeboat covers from Llanddulas (west) to Mostyn (east). North of the station the All-Weather lifeboat covers the Oil and Gas platforms of the Douglas and Hamilton fields, and also the windfarms of North Hoyle; Rhyl Flats; and the Gwynt-Y-Mor fields. Rhyl Lifeboat is a part of the contingency plan for any evacuation of the rigs. The area also covers the outer approaches to Liverpool. Adjacent ALBs are at Llandudno Lifeboat Station to the west, and Hoylake to the east. There is also an ILB at Flint to the east.
Previous Fleet
- 1852-1856 The "Gwylan-y-Mor,
- 1856-1893 The "Morgan" Tubular Type Lifeboat
- 1878-1888 The "Jane Dalton" (at station No. 2)Self-Righter Type Lifeboat
- 1888-1899 The "Jane Martin" (at station No. 2)Self-Righter Type Lifeboat
- 1893-1897 The "Caroline Rihardson" Tubular Type Lifeboat
- 1939-1949 The "Gordon Warren" Surf Class
- 1949-1968 The "Athony Robert Marshall" Liverpool Class
- 1968-1990 The "Har Lil" Oakley Class Lifeboat
- 1990-1992 The "Mary Gabriel" (Prev Holyake Lifeboat)Rother Class Lifeboat
Current fleet
- Mersey-class 12-24 Lil Cunningham (RNLI Official Number 1183, on station 1992)
- IB1 D632 Godfrey and Desmond Nall
Notable Rescues
- 1962 - ALB, First service ever made by a lifeboat to a hovercraft [3]
- 1973 - ILB, Rescue to children stuck on sewer outfall [4]
- 1990 - Towyn and Pensarn floods [5]
- 2011 - ALB, Rescue kayaker with hypothermia [6]
- 2011 - ILB, Rescue to mother and son with hypothermia [7]
- 2012 - ALB, Rescue to cargo ship in Llanddulas [8]
See also
References
- ↑ A Melancholy Catastrophe 1853
- ↑ The World's first rescue by Lifeboat of a hovercraft
- ↑ Rhyl History
- ↑ 1973 - Rhyl - Don Archer-Jones
- ↑ Towyn floods remembered: 20 years on
- ↑ Kayaker rescued five hours after paddling out to windfarm
- ↑ Rhyl RNLI volunteers rescue mother and son with hypothermia
- ↑ Oil leaks from Carrier off Llanddulas after crew saved
External links
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