Whitby Lifeboat Station

Whitby Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution RNLI lifeboat station located in Whitby, North Yorkshire, England. It is one of nine situated along the Yorkshire coast[1] and is home to both an All-Weather Lifeboat (ALB) and an Inshore Lifeboat (ILB). A lifeboat station has been in existence in Whitby since 1802, with responsibility for the lifeboats being part of the RNLI since 1861. In its 200 plus year history, Whitby has had five different lifeboat stations (although not all operated at the same time). A sixth lifeboat and station was located at Upgang, just up the coast from Whitby, and whilst it was considered separate from Whitby, it was crewed by men from the Whitby lifeboat.

Whitby Lifeboat Station
Whitby Lifeboat Station
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationWhitby, North Yorkshire
CountryEngland
Coordinates54.4881°N 0.6130°W / 54.4881; -0.6130
Opened2007[note 1]
Cost£1 million
OwnerRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Official webpage

The present day station and its two lifeboats, cover a huge swathe of the northern coast from the Humber to Hartlepool, and is regularly listed as the busiest in the north of England.[2] The station has two lifeboats; the All-Weather Lifeboat George and Mary Webb and the Inshore Lifeboat Warter Priory.[3]

History

The first lifeboat to be stationed at Whitby was in 1802 on the west side of the river.[4] This had been paid for by a combination of local finance and an offer from Lloyds of London who contributed £50 of the £160 needed for a lifeboat.[5] In 1822 an east side station was opened and also in 1865 another in Upgang; by the end of the 1865, Whitby had four lifeboats under the command of the harbour master.[6] Two of these were the Upgang Lifeboats, which were housed on a stretch of beach at Upgang, 1 mile (2 km) up the coast towards Sandsend.[7] The RNLI always regarded Upgang as being a different lifeboat station, despite its proximity to Whitby,[8] and the fact it was crewed by the men from the Whitby station.[9]

The lifeboat stations in Whitby are detailed as follows;[10]

Name Opened Closure Location Notes
Whitby West Pier 1802 1847 West side of the river Closed when the Khyber Pass was cut in the town,[note 2][11] so the lifeboat house was moved further south (now the site of the Lifeboat museum)[12]
Whitby East Pier 1823 1863 East side of the river (by the old East Pier)
Upgang 1865 1919 Upgang was located a little to the west of Whitby After closure, the boat at Upgang was transferred to Whitby
Whitby Landward Pier 1847 1957 On the west side of the river, opposite the Old East Pier Now the Whitby Lifeboat Museum
Whitby (Motor) 1919 2006 Closed and razed to the ground in 2006; new lifeboat station built on the same site
Whitby 2007 East bank of the river in Whitby Harbour Built on the site of the former 1919 Motor boat lifeboat station

The lifeboat stations have always been in different locations in Whitby on the mouth of the River Esk; between 1822 and 1863, it was located on the original East Pier on the east bank of the river.[13] The present day lifeboat station is also on the east side of the river (further upstream) and was opened in 1919,[14] although another building housed a second lifeboat on the west side of the river between 1895 and 1957.[15] This building has since been re-opened as the Whitby Lifeboat Museum.[16]

A map showing the locations of both RNLI and independent lifeboat stations in Yorkshire

The lifeboat disaster of 1861, where twelve of the lifeboatmen died, prompted a local fund-raising effort for the widows and children of those who died. This eventually raised over £8,000, but the trustees of the money thought that supplying the money to the widows and orphans of the disaster might give them ideas above their station, so a grand memorial was paid for instead to be installed in the parish Church of St Mary in the town.[17] Soon after the tragedy, the local lifeboat committee agreed to the RNLI taking over responsibility for the Whitby lifeboats.[18]

In 1881, a ship foundered during a heavy snowstorm in Robin Hood's Bay. The lifeboat stationed in that village was deemed to be unseaworthy and so a telegraph was sent to launch the Whitby lifeboat, the Robert Whitworth. Due to the heavy seas, this had to be taken over land through blizzards and snowdrifts. A similar situation occurred in April 1834, when the lifeboat from Whitby was carried overland to Robin Hood's bay to rescue two women in difficulty.[19]

The sinking of the Rohilla in 1914 was attended by six lifeboats in all, but the motorised lifeboat from Tynemouth was the only one that could get near to the Rohilla due to the swell and the pull of the waves on the other lifeboats which were using oars. After this, most RNLI crews were persuaded about the efficacy of using motorised boats over ones with oars; previously, a lot of the crews were suspicious about the motorised lifeboats.[20] The first motorboat delivered to Whitby was the Margaret Harker-Smith in 1919. She only had a single engine and so was fitted sails and additionally had the capacity for men to row her with oars.[21]

Despite this, Whitby retained a rowing lifeboat until 1957 (the Robert and Ellen Robson), which was the last rowing boat to be officially operated by the RNLI.[22] This boat is now on display in the RNLI museum in Whitby.[23]

In 1966, the first Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) was launched at Whitby. The ILB is useful for rescues where the all-weather lifeboat has difficulty getting to.[24]

On 7 September 2007, the Duchess of Kent formally unveiled a new £1 million lifeboat station in Whitby.[25] The new station was built on the site of the old motor lifeboat station (built in 1918 and in use since 1919), which had become life-expired but was known to the crews as the Tin Shed.[26] Whilst the new lifeboat station was being constructed, the old No 1 lifeboat station, now the museum, was resurrected as the lifeboat house for one year from 2006 to 2007.[27]

In 2018, two crew members from Whitby were sacked after a picture of a fellow crew member was superimposed upon a pornographic image. This doctored photo was then printed upon a mug that one of the crew members kept on the boat. Despite heavy criticism from those sacked, as well as supporting parties, the RNLI upheld the dismissals after an appeal.[28]

Notable incidents

Between 1802 (when the first lifeboat was launched at Whitby) and 2009, 24 lifeboat crew members have been lost from Whitby. Their names are commemorated in the RNLI memorial at Poole in Dorset.[29]

Lifeboat disaster (1841)

On 6 October 1841, the east-side lifeboat was on her way to the rescue of two yawls foundering in Whitby Bay. The lifeboat capsized and four lifeboatmen lost their lives.[12][14]

Henry Freeman (lifeboatman)
Attribution: Frank Meadow Sutcliffe and The Sutcliffe Gallery

Lifeboat disaster (1861)

On 9 February 1861, a severe storm struck the east coast of England which resulted in 200 ships being wrecked.[30] The crew had already been out and responded to five ships in distress, when responding to the sixth, a huge wave capsized their vessel.[31] The only survivor of the incident was Henry Freeman who was also the only member of the crew who was wearing a cork lifejacket at the time; the other crew members were wearing their traditional ballast filled lifebelts.[note 3][18] The other twelve lifeboat crewmen, were drowned.[32]

Agenoria (1877)

The schooner Agenoria which was transporting coal from Hartlepool to Whitby ran aground just outside Whitby harbour on 10 January 1877. The Whitby lifeboat Harriet Forteath launched to try and effect a rescue.[33] During the swell, she capsized and all but one of her 12 crew were thrown into the water. One swam ashore, seven got back into the vessel, but three members of the RNLI crew died by drowning, with their bodies washing up on the beaches around Whitby in the following days.[34][35]

The Visitor (1881)

The brig Visitor foundered in the bay of Robin Hood's Bay in November 1881, and after the hold was flooded with 5 feet (1.5 m) of water, the crew abandoned ship into their lifeboat.[36] The Robin Hood's Bay RNLI lifeboat station had been closed in 1855, and the unofficial lifeboat in the village was deemed "unseaworthy"[note 4] and so a telegraph was sent to launch the Whitby Lifeboat. The seas were too rough to launch from Whitby and row around the coastline, so a decision was made to haul Robert Whitworth the 6 miles (9.7 km) overland to Robin Hood's Bay through blizzards and snow drifts, some as deep as 7 feet (2.1 m). This took two hours to achieve using the combined strength of 18 horses and 200 men.[37] When the lifeboat and crew arrived, they launched the boat and spent 90 minutes in effecting a rescue of the people still stranded at sea. All survived and a commemorative plaque now memorialises the rescue in the village of Robin Hood's Bay.[38][39]

The events of The Visitor prompted the RNLI to re-open the lifeboat station at Robin Hoods Bay (until 1931).[40]

SS Rohilla (1914)
Main article: SS Rohilla

Rohilla was launched in 1906 for the British India Steam Navigation Company. She was pressed into war service in 1914 as HMHS Rohilla (His Majesties Hospital Ship). Whilst sailing from the Firth of Forth to Dunkerque to evacuate wounded soldiers, she ran aground on Saltwick Nab reef, which is just south of Whitby Harbour. Despite being only a short distance from the shore, high seas and gale force winds prevented a successful rescue from the beach, although the Whitby RNLI contingent did try one by hauling their boat over an 8 feet (2.4 m) wall, then lowering it down the 200-foot (61 m) cliff before launching from the beach opposite the wreck.[41][42][43]

In all, six lifeboats were launched to try and rescue the 229 people on board over the course of three days. During the grounding of the vessel, she broke her back and several attempts were made to safely remove those onboard. In all, 83 people died in the sinking. Of the six lifeboats launched, only two were motorboats, and because of the perilous waves, only the motorboats could get close enough to rescue survivors. This prompted lifeboat crews to demand motorised rescue vessels and spelt the end for the traditional rowing boat.[20][44]

The Lifeboat Museum, Whitby

Ruswarp flood (1931)

The Whitby Lifeboat was again taken overland to the village of Ruswarp (further upstream of Whitby on the River Esk) in September 1931 due to extreme flooding. The flooding had washed away several bridges and the lifeboat was needed to rescue people from their houses.[45] Despite the narrowness of the walls on the roads and the extreme current, the lifeboat crew (in No. 2 Lifeboat) managed to rescue five people.[46][47]

Admiral Von Tromp (1976)

On 30 September 1976, the trawler, Admiral Von Tromp, ran aground on Saltwick Bay rocks, much as the Rohilla had done 62 years earlier. The trawler had set sail from Scarborough the day before and was going fishing in an area some 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) north east of Scarborough. Why the boat ran aground some 90 degrees off of her pre-planned course has never been fully explained as the man at the helm of the ship drowned that night. The Whitby Lifeboat was launched and made several attempts to get the men off the stricken boat, but to no avail, even though at one point, the two boats were touching. Eventually, the flooding of the ship led the men to taking to open water from which three were washed ashore, with the skipper of the boat being rescued by the inshore lifeboat from the sea. Two of the trawler men died. At a resultant inquiry, a nautical surveyor stated that even if the boat had been left to its own devices, she would not have been taken upon the rocks by the tide. Two of the RNLI crewmen were awarded medals for the mission.[48][49]

Fleet
Dates in service Class ON[lower-alpha 1] Op. No.[lower-alpha 2] Name Comments
1881–1870 Lucy [50]
1870–1881 Lucy (1870–1871), Robert Whitworth(1871–1881) First named Lucy, later named Robert Whitworth. Original boat named Robert Whitworth served at Bridlington and was wrecked in the Great Gale of 1871.[51][50][lower-alpha 3][52]
1872–1879 Harriet Forteath [50]
1879–1881 Harriet Forteath (II) [50]
1881–1887 Harriet Forteath (III)
1887–1895 114 Christopher [50]
1882–1908 180 Robert and Mary Ellis [53]
1895–1914 379 John Fielden Damaged beyond repair during the SS Rohilla rescue effort. Despite rescuing several people, the John Fielden broke in two on the rocks of Saltwick Nab.[54]
1908–1934 588 Robert and Mary Ellis (II) [50]
1909–1931 Rubie-class 594 William Riley A self-righting boat, she was initially allocated to Upgang, but after only two rescues, was allocated to Whitby. After retirement from the RNLI, the boat saw many uses, with rumours of involvement in the Dunkirk evacuation.[55]
1919–1938 Margaret Harker-Smith Paid for by public donation but named after the lady who bequested a large sum of money for her. The boat was the first motorboat launched at Whitby as a direct response to the Rohilla disaster.[56][57]
1931–1938 580 Jacob and Rachael Vallentine [50]
1938–1941 522 Richard [50]
1938–1957 Mary Ann Hepworth After withdrawal from RNLI service, the Mary Ann Hepworth was used as a pleasure cruiser up and down the River Esk and also out to sea from Whitby Harbour.[56]
1947–1957 669 Robert and Ellen Robson Built in 1918,the Robert and Ellen Robson served at Tramore and Aberdeen, before spending ten years at Whitby before being retired from active service.[22][58]
1974−1988 Waveney-class 1033 44-012 The White Rose of Yorkshire Transferred to Invergordon in 1988.[59][60]
1988–1996 Tyne-class 1131 47023 City of Sheffield [61]
1988–1997 D-class D-369 Unnamed [62]
1996– Trent-class 1212 14-14 George and Mary Webb [63]
2005–2007 D-class D-503 Criddy and Tom
2007– D-class D-512 Jane Ann II
2007–2017 D-class D-674 OEM Stone III An Inshore Lifeboat (ILB), she was unveiled and named by the Duchess of Kent at the re-opening of Whitby's new lifeboat station in 2007[26]
2017– D-class D-810 Water Priory [64]

Notes
  1. The present station is built on the site of the former Motor Boat Lifeboat station that was first built in 1919.
  2. The Khyber Pass was cut out of the West Cliff at the behest of George Hudson who built the Royal Crescent at the top of the cliff. The road curves 180 degrees and rises up the hill before curving another 180 degrees back on itself to access the cliff top.
  3. The story is that the captain of the lifeboat, Jon Storr, had given the new type lifebelt to Henry Freeman as he was the youngest crew member. The other crew members wore their traditional life belts filled with ballast. The new life jacket had been sent out to all local lifeboat stations by the RNLI in an effort to persuade them to become part of a nationally supported organisation which it would be hoped would be better resourced and staffed.
  4. Some reports described the boat as being rotten.
gollark: * code
gollark: If you edit the coe.
gollark: Well, it ism
gollark: @Terrariola#0000 Why would squid add that?
gollark: @Terrariola#0000 No.

References
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Sources
  • Chrystal, Paul (2012). Lifeboat Stations of North East England; From Sunderland to The Humber, Through Time. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 978-1-4456-1376-5.
  • Cook, Robin (2013). Whitby Through Time. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 9781848682184.
  • Dibdin, James; Ayling, John (1894). The book of the lifeboat : with a complete history of the Lifeboat Saturday movement. Edinburgh: O. Anderson & Ferrier. OCLC 4271825.
  • Leach, Nicholas (2018). The Lifeboat Service in England; the North East Coast, Station by Station. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 978-1-4456-6832-1.
  • White, Andrew (1993). A History of Whitby. Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-842-5.
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