Eyemouth Lifeboat Station

Eyemouth Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour town of Eyemouth, in the Scottish Borders, Scotland.

Eyemouth Lifeboat Station
Eyemouth Lifeboat Station
Eyemouth, Scottish Borders
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address	Gunsgreen Quay
Town or city	Eyemouth, Berwickshire, TD14 5SD
Country	Scotland, UK
Coordinates	55°52′20″N 2°5′10″W
Opened	1876
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/eyemouth-lifeboat-station

A lifeboat was first stationed here in 1876 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The station currently operates a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat 13-29 Helen Hastings (ON 1336), on station since 2018, and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat Sheila (D-877), since 2023.

History

In December 1875, the town was visited by Capt. Gray-Jones, RNLI Assistant Inspector of Lifeboats, to assess the viability of a lifeboat placed here. With over 350 fishermen, there was an obvious case for a lifeboat, and a shortage of crew unlikely. A station was agreed.

An order was placed with Woolfe of Shadwell for a 30-foot 8-oared self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, at a cost of £275. A launch carriage from Napton & Co. cost a further £117-5s-0d. A boathouse was constructed by Mr. J. Berry along the East Pier, along with a launchway, costing £517-10s-0d. Having been transported by rail from London to Burnmouth, the lifeboat and carriage were hauled by six horses through the town on 6 October 1876, to a ceremony at the beach, where the boat was named James & Rachel Grindlay by Mrs Grindlay, the boat being funded from the legacy of Mr. T Grindley of Edinburgh.

A new boathouse was constructed in 1908, next to the old boathouse, but set 90° to face the river. Along with a new launchway, the total cost was £998-4s-11d. It was able to accommodate a slightly larger boat, the 35-foot Anne Francis (ON 592).

The Anne Francis was launched on 6 March 1917 to the aid of the schooner Livlig of Norway, wrecked off St Abb's Head, One crewman had been lost, with the seven remaining crew clinging to the rigging. With considerable skill in violent seas, Coxswain William Miller got the lifeboat alongside, and the seven men were rescued. Considering the conditions, the lifeboat then made the long journey around to Granton, Edinburgh to find safe harbour. Coxswain Miller was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.

Eyemouth would get a motor-powered lifeboat in 1937. A Liverpool-class lifeboat, costing £3,835, with a top speed of 7.66 knots. At a ceremony on 21 Aug 1937, the boat was named Frank and William Oates (ON 795), the donor being their third brother Charles George Oates of Leeds. Frank Oates (1840–1875) was a British naturalist, and along with his brother William, had explored Africa. All three brothers were uncles to Capt. Lawrence Oates of the Scott Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition of 1910.

Harbour works in 1963 would require the demolition of the lifeboat launchway. The station was closed temporarily, and the Clara and Emily Barwell (ON 893) was withdrawn. Replaced in 1964 by a larger 46ft Watson-class lifeboat, Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6), the Eyemouth lifeboats have since been moored afloat.

Trent-class lifeboat 14-11 Barclaycard Crusader at Eyemouth

A new single-story station building was constructed on Gunsgreen Quay in 1992, followed by the arrival in 1996 of a new Trent-class lifeboat 14-11 Barclaycard Crusader (ON 1209), a 25-knot boat, costing £1,060,000. A new £107,000 pontoon berth was constructed in 2008, and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat was also placed on station in 2015.

In 2018, the Trent-class lifeboat was withdrawn to the relief fleet, and Eyemouth would receive a £2.2 million Shannon-class lifeboat, 13-29 Helen Hastings (ON 1336)

Station honours

The following are awards made to the crew of Eyemouth Lifeboat Station

• RNLI Silver Medal

For the rescue of two skin-divers north west of Ebb Carr Rocks on 6 October 1990

James A Dougal, Acting Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic - 1991

• RNLI Bronze Medal

For the rescue of 7 men of the Norwegian steamer Livlig on 6 March 1917

William Miller, Coxswain - 1917

• The Maud Smith Award 1990
  (awarded for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)

For the rescue of two skin-divers north west of Ebb Carr Rocks on 6 October 1990

James A Dougal, Acting Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic - 1991

• The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum

For the rescue of two skin-divers north west of Ebb Carr Rocks on 6 October 1990

John Buchan, crewman - 1991

David Collin, crewman - 1991

George Walker, crewman - 1991

Joseph Walker, crewman - 1991

Robert Walker, crewman - 1991

Alister Crombie, crewman - 1991

For the rescue of three crew of the launch Norman Forster on 17 October 1992

John Johnston, Coxswain - 1993

• A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution

For the rescue of three lives of the trawler Hatcliffe on 25 March 1983

A Dougal, Coxswain - 1983

J Aitchison, Second Coxswain - 1983

J Tarvit, Second Coxswain/Mechanic - 1983

J Dougal, Acting Assistant Mechanic - 1983

A Redden, crew member - 1983

J Buchan, crew member - 1983

J Purves, crew member - 1983

I Dougal, crew member - 1983

• Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)

John Duncan Johnston, former Coxswain - 2007NYH

Eyemouth lifeboats

All-weather lifeboats

ON	Op. No.	Name	In service	Class	Comments
Pre-616	–	James & Rachel Grindlay	1876–1888	30-foot Self Righting (P&S)
157	–	James & Rachel Grindlay	1888–1901	34-foot Self Righting (P&S)
345	–	Sarah Pickard	1901–1909	34-foot Self Righting (P&S)
592	–	Anne Frances	1909–1937	35-foot Self Righting (P&S)
795	–	Frank & William Oates	1937–1951	Liverpool
893	–	Clara and Emily Barwell	1951–1963	Liverpool
Station Closed 1963–1964 due to Harbour reconstruction works
784	–	Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6)	1964–1967	46ft Watson
820	–	Louise Stephens	1967–1974	46ft Watson
1026	44-008	Eric Seal (Civil Service No.36)	1974–1996	Waveney
1209	14-11	Barclaycard Crusader	1996–2019	Trent
1336	13-29	Helen Hastings	2018–	Shannon

Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Inshore lifeboats

Op. No.	Name	In service	Class	Comments
D-745	MyWay	2015–2023	D-class (IB1)
D-877	Sheila	2023–	D-class (IB1)

Launch and recovery tractors

Op. No.	Reg. No.	Type	In service	Comments
T52	KXT 420	Case LA	1949–1958
T46	KGP 1	Case LA	1958–1963

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• List of former RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

External links

• Eyemouth RNLI station page
• Local History Site with pictures of old Lifeboats and Lifeboat men
• Facebook page with updates from the current crew and staff