RNLB Margaret Russell Fraser (ON 1108)

RNLB Margaret Russell Fraser was an Arun-class lifeboat[4] which served in the RNLI Relief Fleet for 16 years before being placed on station at the Calshot Lifeboat Station in Calshot, Hampshire, United Kingdom.[5]

RNLB Margaret Russell Fraser (ON 1108)
History
Owner: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Builder: VT Halmatic[1]
Official Number:ON 1108[2]
Donor:Legacy of Miss Margaret R. Fraser Glasgow
StationRelief Fleet (1986 – 2002)
Calshot[3]
Cost: £417,616
Laid down: 1985
Launched: 1986
Christened: 11 June 1986
Completed: 1986
Acquired: 1986
In service: 1986 - 2004
Fate: Sold out of fleet in 2004 to ICE-SAR Iceland
General characteristics
Class and type: Arun-class
Type: Motor lifeboat
Displacement: 32 long tons (33 t)
Length: 54 ft (16 m) overall
Beam: 17 ft (5.2 m)
Draught: 5 ft (1.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Caterpillar 460 hp (343 kW) diesel engines
Speed: 18.5 knots (21.3 mph; 34.3 km/h)
Range: 250 nmi (460 km)
Crew: 6

Procurement

This lifeboat was initially ordered and built to serve in the RNLI’s Relief Fleet of five of the Arun-class lifeboats.[4] Following her build by VT Halmatic in Portsmouth,[4] she was sent to Souter Marine Ltd in Cowes to be fitted out. There she underwent her self-righting trials following which all her electronic equipment was installed and commissioned. For two months beginning in January 1986[4] she underwent her final sea trials. She was finally handed over to the RNLI in April 1986.[4]

Funding

Much of the cost of the new lifeboat was met from a bequest of Miss Margaret R Fraser of Glasgow. As thanks for this donation the lifeboat the RNLI chose Glasgow for the venue of the naming ceremony. The lifeboat arrived at Yorkhill Basin in the city on the 8 June 1986 with a specially selected crew which included three decorated Scottish lifeboatmen and one Englishman.

Coxswain Alexander Gilchrist[6] of Campbeltown,[7] coxswain Ian Johnson[8] of Troon,[9] crewman Arthur Hill[10] of Largs[11] were all recipients of the RNLI silver medal and coxswain Mike Storey[12] of the Humber[13] lifeboat who had an RNLI bronze medal awarded to him. The naming ceremony was opened by Cdr Cargill Sandeman with the survey ship HMS Hecate providing the backdrop for the ceremony. The executor of Miss Fraser’s estate formally handed the lifeboat to the Institute and the christening was performed by a Mrs Grey.

Icelandic service

In 2004 after 19 years service with the RNLI the Margaret Russell Fraser was sold out of the service. She was purchased by the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue who renamed her Ingibjög.[14] She has been stationed at Höfn[15] on the south east coast of Iceland since 2005.

Relief Fleet Service

The Margaret Russell Fraser first relief fleet posting was at one of the RNLI’s Republic of Ireland stations. She was stationed at Rosslare Harbour[16] and subsequently on to Ballycotton[17] and Valentia.[18] In 1989 she was stationed at Aran Island[19] and in September of that year she was sent back across the Irish Sea to her first service on an English station. She was stationed at Yarmouth Lifeboat Station [20] on the Isle of Wight for two months. Whilst there she performed her most notable service.

Al Kwather 1

On the 28 October 1989 the Margaret Russell Fraser was launched from Yarmouth with Coxswain David Kennett at the helm.[21] The weather in the Solent was poor with a south westerly severe gale force 9 blowing. The RoRo cargo vessel Al Kwather 1[22] was reported to be in difficulties three and a half miles east of Peveril Point near Swanage. Some of the ship's cargo of cars had broken loose on the deck.

The Swanage Rother-class lifeboat RNLB Horace Clarkson (ON 1047)[23] had been on the scene since 11.30 am and in hurricane-force winds was standing by the vessel. At 3.10 pm the Margaret Russell Fraser arrived on the scene and took up a position astern of the Al Kwather 1 whilst the Swanage lifeboat returned to its station. The Al Kwather 1 appeared to be in no danger and so after an hour the Yarmouth boat also made for Swanage to allow the crew to get some rest and do initiate some minor repairs to the boat.[21] Just after midnight the captain of the Al Kwather 1 reported that his vessel had problems with its engines and requested help. Both lifeboats left Swanage with the Margaret Russell Fraser arriving first to find the ship in complete darkness and listing to port and rolling violently, broadside to the seas.

The lifeboat, using her searchlights, approached the ship from the stern and with great skill, and a great deal of danger, manoeuvred alongside the ship and rescued two[21] of the crew who were hanging on to a cargo net they had clambered down. This proved to be very dangerous and one of the crew men rescued had fallen from the net. His foot had caught in the net and hanging below the deck of the lifeboat, the crew had managed to haul him to safety. News arrived that a helicopter was en route and it was used to rescue the remaining crewman from the ship.[21] The lifeboats then returned to their stations. Coxswain Kennett[24] was awarded a Bronze medal for his part in the service. Assistant Mechanic Brian Miskin and crewman Joseph Lester where presented with framed letters. The Coxswain of the Swanage lifeboat, Christopher Haw was accorded the Thanks of the Institution on Vellum.[21]

Calshot Lifeboat Station
Main article: Calshot Lifeboat Station

In 2002 the Margaret Russell Fraser was taken out of the relief fleet and placed on her one and only permanent posting on a lifeboat station. She was sent to Calshot in Hampshire where she replaced the Brede-class lifeboat RNLB Safeway (ON 1104).[25] She remained on service at Calshot for just over two years before she was replaced by the Arun-class lifeboat RNLB Mabel Williams (ON 1159).

gollark: Ones higher than LEO will stick around for a while. They won't *work* for a hundred years though.
gollark: I imagine you can probably pick out lots of bad things in any generation's time-spent-growing-up.
gollark: Cool how .money is a top level domain.
gollark: Just put all the ideologies in an arena and see who comes out alive.
gollark: I hope if this happens again it's handled better, at least.

References
  1. "Halmatic". Reference to the construction of the Arun-class Lifeboats by the company. Sail Boat Data © 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. "Arun-Class Lifeboats". List of Arun-class lifeboats, includes ON-1108. Lifeboat World On-Line© 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  3. "Calshot Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Calshot station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. Lifeboats – An illustrated history of the RNLI Arun lifeboats 1971 – 2009. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Kelsey Publishing Ltd. 2011. work: Page 104, Margaret Russell Fraser. ISBN 9781907426216
  5. OS Explorer Map, New Forest, Author: Ordnance Survey. Publisher: Ordnance Survey B4 edition (2013). ISBN 9780319241509
  6. Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Published by: Spink & Son Ltd. Work: Page 374 - GILCHRIST Alexander, Coxswain/mechanic, Campbeltown Lifeboat. ISBN 0907605893
  7. "Campbeltown Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Campbeltown station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  8. Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Published by: Spink & Son Ltd. Work: Page 371 - JOHNSON Ian Jones, Coxswain/mechanic, Troon Lifeboat. ISBN 0907605893
  9. "Troon Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Troon station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  10. Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Published by: Spink & Son Ltd. Work: Page 379 – HILL Arthur Maclean, crewman, Largs Inshore Lifeboat. ISBN 0907605893
  11. "Largs Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Largs station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  12. Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Published by: Spink & Son Ltd. Work: Page 367 – STOREY, crewman, Humber Lifeboat. ISBN 0907605893
  13. "Humber Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Humber station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  14. "Emergency Vehicle: Höfn Ingibjög". Photograph and details of the Ingibjög. Ebner Verlag GMBH and Co.© 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  15. "Björgunarskipið Inga sick crew". A report of the Ingibjög (Margaret Russell Fraser) attend an incident on 25 April 2013. Hornafjörður community © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  16. "Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Rosslare Harbour station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  17. "Ballycotton Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Ballycotton station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  18. "Valentia Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Valentia station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  19. "Arun Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Arun station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  20. "Yarmouth Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Home page of the Yarmouth station. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  21. For Those In Peril – The Lifeboat Service of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Station by Station. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Silver Link Publishing Ltd, First Issue 1999. Work:Part 2, South Coast of England – Eastbourne to Weston-super-Mare, Page 79, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. ISBN 1 85794 129 2
  22. "Al Kwather 1 - IMO 6903400". Photograph and details of Al Kwather 1. Ship Spotting.com© 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  23. "Rother-Class Lifeboats". List of Rother-class lifeboats, includes ON-1047. Lifeboat World On-Line© 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  24. Lifeboat Gallantry: RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work: KENNETT David George, Coxswain, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, Lifeboat: Page 390/391. ISBN 0907605893
  25. "Breda-Class Lifeboats". List of Brede-class lifeboats, includes ON-1104. Lifeboat World On-Line© 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.