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°W / 51.40139; -3.53250Coordinates: 51°24′5″N 3°31′57″W / 51.40139°N 3.53250°W / 51.40139; -3.53250
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 as one of the first experimental inshore lifeboat stations established by the RNLI.[1]

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

History

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. In the early 1960s the college had designed a rigid inflatable boat which subsequently became the basis for the B-class. The college sold the patent to the RNLI for £1 in 1973.[2][3] An early example was discovered in Barry in 2012 and restored in 2014.[4]

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.

RNLI lifeboat station

St Donat's Bay

In 1973, the station received its first official RNLI Atlantic 21 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.

The RNLI withdrew the lifeboat from Atlantic College in June 2013.[5]

Post-RNLI

In 2015, Atlantic College joined a number of other organisations to campaign for the establishment of a lifeboat service in Japan, coordinated by college alumnus and current RNLI crew member Robin Jenkins.[3]

Fleet

Dates in service Class Op. No. Name
1973–1980 Atlantic 21-class B-508 Unnamed
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. ↑ "History Points: Former Atlantic College lifeboat station". Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  2. ↑ David Sutcliffe (2010). The RIB: The Rigid-hulled Inflatable Lifeboat. Granta Editions. ISBN 1-85757-103-7.
  3. 1 2 "Lifeboats from Wales with love". 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  4. ↑ "Atlantic College lifeboat sets sail for exhibition". BBC. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Welsh home of the RIB waves goodbye to its lifeboat after nearly 50 years". Wales Online. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
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