Anstruther Lifeboat Station

Anstruther Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution station located in the town of Anstruther, Fife. The station has been in operation since 1865 although RNLI activity in the area dates back to 1832. The station currently houses the all-weather Mersey-class lifeboat Kingdom of Fife and inshore D-class lifeboat Akira.[1][2][3]

Anstruther Lifeboat Station
General information
Town or cityAnstruther
Opened1865

History

Prior to the establishment of a station the RNLI has made a number of medal awards to coastguards operating in the local area. In 1832 the coastguard Kenneth McCulloch was award the Silver Medal for saving the three crew of the sloop Vine when it was wrecked at Elie harbour on the 6th March that year. In 1834 two separate rescues were awarded with honours. The Gold Medal Bar was awarded to Lt Henry Randall and a Silver Lifeboat to Kenneth McCulloch for rescuing the seven crew of the schooner Wanderer when it was wrecked at Elie in a storm in the preceding year. Silver medals were also awarded to two other coastguards, A Murray and J Mason, for saving the five crew of the schooner John when it got into trouble during bad weather in December 1833.[2]

The first station was established in the town in 1865 at the request of local fishermen on land that was gifted to the by the Anstruther harbour board. Between them they subscribed £60 (£6,000 in 2017 value) towards the cost of building the new station. The RNLI supplied the local arranging committee a 32 foot long pulling lifeboat with 10 oars. This was built from a £600 gift to the institution (£60,000 in 2017 value) from a lady in Cheltenham. In 1892 the RNLI local inspector found there was no need to employ a paid bowman for the lifeboat as the station at that time had six volunteer coxswains and a full crew to staff it, by 1899 the number of coxswains had reduced to four. Up until 1897 the station had used a mortar to alert the volunteer crew, however this was deemed too dangerous to vessels in the harbour so a handbell was used from that point on.[2]

In 1904 a new lifeboat house was constructed costing over £1,600. Around this time a new Coxswain Superintendent was appointed to replace the numerous coxswains that has operated the station before on a rotating basis.[2]

In 1965 a new Oakley-class lifeboat was sent to the station. It was named The Doctors in a ceremony by Princess Alice in memory of the family of Dr Nora Allan who had gifted the cost of the lifeboat. At this time the station was re-adapted for the new lifeboat, a trailer and tractor. The Doctors was withdrawn from the station after 26 years and was replaced by a Mersey-class lifeboat in 1991 - at this time the slipway was refurbished and the boathouse extended and modernised. Further modifications were made to the boathouse in 1995 with a two-storey extension providing new crew facilities.[2]

Former Oakley class boat The Doctors (right) under restoration in 2007

Alongside the all-weather Kingdom of Fife in 2003 a 12 month trial of the D-class lifeboat Global Marine was put in place in 2003 however was retained to the station on a permanent basis a year later. In 2009 a new in-shore lifeboat Akira was adopted by the station when the station was again upgraded to provide permanent housing at a cost of £273,000.[2]

In 2013 the volunteer lifeboat helmsman Barry Gourlay, a mechanical engineer, received the RNLI Bronze Medal and volunteer crew members fisherman Euan Hoggan and PhD student Rebecca Jewell received thanks on vellum for a rescue of two people in difficult sea conditions. MV Princess had run onto rocks near Crail in the early hours and was breaking up in a force 5 winds, heavy rain and a three-metre swell. The volunteer crew used the in-shore lifeboat later transferring the casualties to Kingdom of Fife. The RNLI stated in the award ceremony in London that the volunteer had "undoubtedly" save the lives of the stricken crew.[2][4]

In 2019 it was announced that the RNLI planned to build a purpose built new facility further along the shoreline that will be capable of housing a Shannon-class lifeboat.[5] The Anstruther crew featured on a BBC documentary Saving Lives At Sea in 2019.[6]

Fleet
Dates in service Class ON Op. No. Name Comments Launches[7] Lives Saved[7]
1865-1888 32 foot pulling lifeboat Admiral Fitzroy 13 18
1888-1904 Royal Stuart 5 0
1904-1933 James and Mary Walker Currently being restored for display[8] 15 46
1933-1950 Nellie and Charlie 54 72
1950-1965 James and Ruby Jackson 63 45
1965-1991 Oakley The Doctors 79 23
1991-Present Mersey Kingdom of Fife 152 (2014) 50 (2014)
2003-2009 D-class D-552 Global Marine Sent for 12 month evaluation but retained
2009-Present D-class D-667 Akira
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References
  1. "Anstruther's lifeboats". rnli.org. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  2. "Station history". rnli.org. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  3. "The Station". Anstruther Lifeboat. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  4. "Lifeboat volunteer awarded medal". BBC News. 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  5. Smith, Craig. "EXCLUSIVE: Multi-million pound new lifeboat station planned for Anstruther". The Courier. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  6. "Anstruther RNLI volunteers on BBC programme tonight". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  7. "History". Anstruther Lifeboat. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  8. "J & M Walker restoration". Anstruther Lifeboat. Retrieved 2020-01-24.

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