Atlantic College Lifeboat Station

Atlantic College Lifeboat Station
RNLI Lifeboat station
Atlantic College Lifeboat Station
Country Wales, UK
State Vale of Glamorgan
Town Llantwit Major
Location St Donat's Castle, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan, UK. CF61 1WF
 - coordinates 51°24′5″N 3°31′57″W / 51.40139°N 3.53250°WCoordinates: 51°24′5″N 3°31′57″W / 51.40139°N 3.53250°W
Founded 1963
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Visitation By appointment only
Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan

Atlantic College Lifeboat Station (based in Atlantic College, South Wales, a United World College) opened in 1963[1] as one of the first experimental Inshore Lifeboat stations established by the RNLI.

The RNLI withdrew the lifeboat from Atlantic College in June 2013.[2] The college now concentrates on training beach lifeguards.

History

In 1973, the station received its first official RNLI B-class lifeboat. Previous lifeboats operated by the station were owned by the college with the RNLI paying expenses.

In 2000, the station received an Atlantic 75-class lifeboat.

B-class development

Atlantic College was instrumental in the design and development of the RNLI's first fast rescue boats under the supervision of the headmaster, Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare. He was the pioneer of the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) and of the first B-class Atlantic 21-class lifeboat which was named after the college and entered service in the 1970s.

First female crewmember

On 20 May 1971, the station recorded the first service at any station involving a female crew member took place. Penelope M. Sutton was a member of the crew when the ILB was launched to investigate a Swedish motor cruiser, reported to be at anchor and flying a distress signal. The incident was a false alarm, as the courtesy Red Ensign flown on the cruiser had been misinterpreted.

Fleet

Dates in service Class Op. No. Name
1973–1980 Atlantic 21-class B-508 (No name)
1980–1982 Atlantic 21-class B-505 Major Osman Gabriel
1982–2000 Atlantic 21-class B-554 American Ambassador
2000–2013 Atlantic 75-class B-763 Colin James Daniel

Station Honours

Letters of Appreciation - 1968

Letters of Appreciation were sent to G Unger, W de Vogel and P Allen in recognition of their services on 11 November when four men were rescued from the wreck of the dredger Steepholm.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "RNLI and UWC Atlantic College sails into a new era". RNLI.org. RNLI. Retrieved 14 April 2015.

External links