LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

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Additional Stations and New Life-Boats

ABERSOCH, NORTH WALES.—The NA- TIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION has formed a life-boat station at Abersoch, near Pwll- heli. A large number of vessels are often at anchor in St. Tudwell's Roads off that place, which are liable to accident or sudden changes of wind, and the local residents were therefore desirous to have a life-boat in readiness for any such emergency. The boat sent is a 33-feet 10-oared one, and is provided with a transporting-carriage, for which a substantial and commodious boat- house has been provided on a suitable site near the creek and village of Abersoch, where the majority of the men who are to form the crew reside. It is also close to the road, along which the boat can be conveyed to Hell Mouth and other small ways to the south- ward, in the event of its being necessary to launch in that direction. The expense of the life-boat establishment has been muni- ficently defrayed—through ROBERT WHIT- WORTH, Esq., and the Rev. E. HEWLETT, M.A., the Treasurer and Hon. Secretary of the Manchester Branch of the Institution— by ROBERT BARNES, Esq., of that city—the boat, at the request of the benevolent donor, being named the Mabel Louisa, after his daughter. On the 15th October last the life-boat was publicly inaugurated at the station under the superintendence of Capt.

J. R. WARD, R.N., the Inspector of Life- boats to the Institution. Mr. WHITWOKTF, who attended on the occasion as the repre- sentative of Mr. BARNES and the Manchester Branch, presented the boat to E. LLOYD EDWARDS, Esq., the President of the Branch, who accepted it on behalf of the locality.

After a prayer had been offered for the success of the boat by the Rev. T. JONES, rector of the parish, the ceremony of naming was performed by Mrs. F. LLOYD EDWARDS in the usual manner, and the boat was launched successfully, amidst the loud cheers of those present on the occasion, arid was then tried by the crew, who de- monstrated its self-righting and other pro- perties.

It is gratifying to record that before the life-boat had been three months on its station, it was the means of saving ]4 men, belonging to the wrecked ship Kenilworth, of Liverpool, from an inevitable death. It was a gallant service; and the Rev. OWEN LLOYD WILLIAMS, who is the zealous Hon.

Secretary to the Abersoch and Porth- denllaen Branch, and who had been inde- j fatigable in his exertions in forming this ' life-boat station, went out in the life-boat on the occasion, and for that and other services in assisting to save life from ship- wreck, he has received the Silver Medal of the Institution. It should be added, that this makes the fourteenth life-boat the Manchester Branch has been enabled to present to the parent Institution. Their stations are as follows:—Berwick and Blyth, Northumberland; Bridlington, Yorkshire; Lyme Regis, Dorset; Carmarthen Bay, Car- digan, Portmadoc, Abersoeh, Llanddwyn, and Llandulas, Wales; Maryport, Cumber- land ; Douglas and Ramsey, Isle of Man; and Courtown, Ireland.

GORTON, SUFFOLK.—On the application of the local residents a life-boat station has been formed by the Institution at the village of Gorton, near Lowestoft,—it being con- sidered that such a boat would be of ser- vice in that place, as there is an open passage through the Gorton Sand Bank immediately opposite the village, and numerous vessels get ashore there, and often break np very quickly after doing so, before, perhaps, the Lowestoft life-boats could get to the assist- ance of the unfortunate crews. As the boatmen here are prejudiced against the Society's self-righting boats, this new life- boat has been built on the Norfolk plan, and is 36 feet long, 1C% feet wide, and pulls 14 oars, double banked. It is large enough to go oft' to the Sands under sail, and yet is manageable under oars for inshore work.

Capt. FOWLER, a Member of the Local Committee, obligingly granted a site for the erection of the very substantial house, which has been erected for the boat. The entire cost of the Life-boat establishment is the gift to the Institution of Mrs. GEORGE DAVIS, of Clapham; and the boat, in accordance with her desire, is named the Husband. On the 19th Oct. last, the boat was conveyed to Gorton, and, on the following day, it was formally presented to the Society by Mrs.

DAVIS, who also named it. It was then launched from the beach under the supervi- sion of the Inspector of Life-boats, and tried With sails and oars, every thing in connection with the demonstration passing .off very well, , Mrs. DAVIS herself taking an active part in the proceedings. She stated at the time, that she had named her life-boat the Hus- band, in memory of him who was one of the best of husbands and kindest of men, and that she trusted that God's blessing would rest on the boat and all connected with the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

LOWESTOFT.—The Institution has placed an additional life-boat on this station to be used for inshore-work, as the other sailing life-boat is too large for management under oars. The new boat is 32 feet in length, 10 feet in width, and rows 12 oars double- banked. Like the Gorton life-boat, and for the same reason, this boat is not one of the self-righting life-boats, but is built on the | Norfolk plan. It was the gift to the [ Society of Miss LEICESTER, of London, who had previously presented to the Institution the boat stationed at Whitehaven, which is named the Elizabeth, after her late mother.

The Lowestoft surf life-boat, which is named the George, after her late brother, | who was a liberal supporter of the Institu- tion, was placed on its station last February by Capt. D. ROBERTSON, R.N., the Assistant- Inspector of Life-boats, without waiting j for the completion of the boat-house, which I is now finished. The boat was sailed round from Yarmouth to its station, and behaved very well.

ALDERNEY.—A Life-boat establishment has been founded by the Institution on the Island of Alderney. As shipwrecks have occasionally taken place there with a lament- able loss of life, and as there was no diffi- culty in procuring a good crew, it was con- sidered highly desirable that there should be a life-boat stationed on the Is/and, and the local residents had made application to the Society accordingly. A convenient site was chosen for the boat-house, which will enable the boat to be conveyed on its car- riage along the roads affording access to the beaches which occur at intervals on the otherwise iron-bound coast, where the boat can be launched when needed.

The Earl of STRAFFORD, P.O., who had presented the Weymouth Life-boat to the Society, also defrayed the expense of this boat—a 33-feet 10-oared one—which, at his request, is named the Mary and Vic- toria. It was conveyed to its station in October last; being taken to Wey- mouth by railway; it was thence, by the kind permission of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, towed to its station by H.M.'s Steamer Seamew, the carriage and gear of the boat being carried on board that vessel. The life-boat, with the drogue out astern, towed very steadily in a considerable sea. The following day after it reached Alderney the boat, mounted on its carriage, was taken through the principal streets of St. Ann's in a procession, which comprised the Local Committee, sailors from the Seamew, soldiers of the Royal Artillery, and 17th Regiment in garrison, Members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and other Societies, and the Band of the Royal Alderney Militia Artillery. On arriving at the pier, Capt. I). ROBERTSON, R.N., the Assistant-Inspector of Life-boats to the Institution, who had taken charge of the boat to its station, presented it to the Local Committee, the gift being acknowledged by their President, THOMAS CLUCAS, Esq., Judge of Alderney, who expressed their high appreciation of the liberality of Lord STRAFFORD, and stated that he felt sure the local boatmen would always do their duty when the services of the life-boat were called into requisition. Mrs. CLUCAS then, in the customary manner, broke a bottle of wine on the boat, and named it, and after the Rev. W. Ross had offered a prayer it was launched amidst the utmost enthusiasm, and the men put through various evolutions by Capt. ROBERTSON.

Amongst the experiments the Life-boat was capsized alongside the Seamew, with the crew on board, speedily righting itself, how- ever. Nearly all the inhabitants of the island had assembled to show their appre- ciation of the gift, and were much pleased with the proceedings and with the behaviour of the life-boat.