46ft Watson-class lifeboat

	The Good Hope (centre) at Watchet, Somerset
Class overview
Name:	46ft Watson-class
Builders:	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes; Alexander Robertson & Sons, Sandbank; J. Samuel White, Cowes; Sussex Yacht Co., Shoreham; Morgan Giles, Teignmouth; Rowhedge Ironworks, Rowhedge;
Operators:	RNLI
Preceded by:	45ft 6in Watson-class
Succeeded by:	46ft 9in Watson-class
Cost:	£7,300-£17,000
Built:	1935-1946
In service:	1935-1981
Completed:	28
Lost:	2
Retired:	26
General characteristics
Class and type:	46ft Watson motor lifeboat
Displacement:	21 tons
Length:	46 ft (14 m)
Beam:	12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
Propulsion:	2x40bhp Weyburn CE4 4-cyl. petrol; 2x40bhp Ferry VE4 4-cyl. diesel;
Speed:	8 knots
Crew:	8

The 46 ft Watson-class was a non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built between 1935 and 1946 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1935 and 1981.

History

The 46 ft Watson was longer and wider than the preceding 45ft 6in Watson type. The 46 ft type was one of the last to be adapted to suit the conditions at individual stations with shallower draft versions (ONs 805,815,820 and 838) being supplied to four stations. Post World War Two, standard designs were the order of the day.

Description

The 46 ft Watson initially had an aft cockpit with a shelter containing the engine controls. Ahead of the shelter was the exhaust funnel and ahead of the mast was a small forward shelter. On ONs 805 and 815, the cockpit shelter was lengthened, with the funnel mounted on its forward end and these two featured end boxes. ON 820 also had the lengthened shelter but retained a flush deck. From ON 828 the forward shelter was deleted. Two boats, ONs 840 and 846 had midships cockpits, ahead of the funnel, with a shelter ahead of it as well as the rear shelter. Four of the first five boats had two 40 bhp Weyburn CE4 4-cylinder petrol engines, but the fourth, ON 787, was fitted with two 40 bhp Ferry VE4 4-cylinder diesels, making it the first RNLI lifeboat to be built with diesel engines. The diesels became standard from the sixth boat on. In the mid sixties, seven boats were re-engined with 65 bhp Ford-based Parsons Barracuda 6-cylinder diesels after experiments with ON 803 which had been fitted with 47 bhp Parsons Marlin diesels in 1961 and then re-engined with Barracudas in 1963. The 46 ft Watsons were long lived, most reaching more than thirty years service and some topping forty years.

Fleet

ON is the RNLI's sequential Official Number.

ON	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Comments
777	H.F. Bailey	1935	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1935–1945 1946–1960 1960–1972	Cromer No.1 Helvick Head Relief fleet	Sold in 1972
778	Edward and Isabella Irwin	1935	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1935–1963 1963–1969	Sunderland Relief fleet	Sold 1971
784	Civil Service No.6 1956- Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6)	1935	Groves & Gutteridge, Cowes	1936–1963 1964–1967 1967–1972	St Davids Eyemouth Relief fleet	Sold February 1973
787	S.G.E.	1936	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1936–1937	Yarmouth	Destroyed by fire at Groves & Guttridge 18/6/1937.
788	Jeanie Spiers	1937	Alexander Robertson & Sons, Sandbank	1937–1961	Portpatrick	Sold April 1961
789	R.P.L.	1936	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1937–1962	Howth	Sold September 1962
790	John and Charles Kennedy	1936	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1937–1953	Fraserburgh	Capsized on service 9/2/1953, six crew lost. Broken up.
801	Sir Arthur Rose	1938	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1938–1947 1948–1957 1958–1969 1969–1972	Tobermory Mallaig Courtmacsherry Harbour Relief fleet	Sold February 1973
802	City of Edinburgh	1938	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1938–1968 1969–1976	Wick Relief fleet	Re-engined 1966-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda. Sold July 1976
803	Canadian Pacific	1938	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1938–1969 1969–1977	Selsey Relief fleet	Re-engined 1961-2x47bhp Parsons Marlin, 1963-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda. Sold February 1978
804	S.G.E.	1938	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1938–1943 1943–1945 1945–1963	Yarmouth Relief fleet Yarmouth	Replacement for ON 787. Sold April 1964
805	Samuel and Marie Parkhouse	1938	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1938–1962	Salcombe	Sold September 1963
814	Dunleary II	1938	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1938–1967 1967–1969 1969–1972 1972–1973	Dun Laoghaire Lochinver Relief fleet Dunmore East	Sold August 1974
815	Violet Armstrong	1938	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1938–1962	Appledore	Sold October 1962
818	Mabel Marion Thompson	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1939–1952 1952–1968 1968–1970 1970–1974	Rosslare Harbour Aran Islands Arranmore Relief fleet	Sold April 1975
819	Julia Park Barry, of Glasgow	1939	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1939–1969 1969–1979	Peterhead Relief fleet	Re-engined 1964-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda. Sold March 1979
820	Louise Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1939–1967 1967–1974	Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Eyemouth	Sold August 1974
821	The Good Hope	1939	Alexander Robertson, Sandbank	1939–1972 1972–1980	Montrose No.1 Relief fleet	Re-engined 1966-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda. Sold in 1981
822	Jesse Lumb	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1939–1970 1970–1980	Bembridge Relief fleet	Re-engined in 1965-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda. Sold July 1981
828	The Princess Royal (Civil Service No.7)	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1939–1968 1968–1976	Hartlepool Relief fleet	Re-engined 1965-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda
829	Crawford and Constance Conybeare	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1940–1968 1968–1974	Falmouth Relief fleet	Sold August 1974
830	Annie Blanche Smith	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1940–1970 1970–1971	Dunmore East Relief fleet	Sold July 1971
838	Michael Stephens	1939	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1939–1963 1963–1968 1968–1976	Lowestoft Exmouth Relief fleet	Sold January 1976
840	Millie Walton 1947-Henry Blogg	1945	Sussex Yacht Co., Shoreham	1945–1966 1966–1976	Cromer No.1 Relief fleet	Midships cockpit. Originally built for Douglas. Sold April 1977
841	Manchester and Salford XXIX	1943	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1943–1953 1953–1972 1972–1974	Pwllheli Workington Relief fleet	Sold August 1974
842	(Milly Walton)	1942	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	--	--	Intended for Douglas, destroyed in air raid at Cowes 4/5/1942.
843	(Charles Henry Ashley)	1942	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	--	--	Intended for Porthdinllaen, destroyed in air raid at Cowes 4/5/1942.
846	Field Marshal and Mrs Smuts	1945	Morgan Giles, Teignmouth	1945–1977 1977–1979	Beaumaris Relief fleet	Midships cockpit. Sold August 1979
847	Gertrude	1946	Rowhedge Ironworks, Rowhedge	1946–1968 1968–1970 1971–1974 1980–1981 1974–1982	Holy Island Exmouth Sheerness Fowey Relief fleet	Re-engined 1965-2x65bhp Parsons Barracuda. Sold February 1982
848	Millie Walton	1946	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1946–1956 1956–1974 1974–1977	Douglas Amble Relief fleet	Sold October 1977

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External links

RNLI

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