AUGUST 1910: DONAGHADEE station was established, its first boat being one of the earliest motor lifeboats in the Institution's fleet, a 43' Watson with a 40 hp engine capable of nearly 7 knots.

August 1975: it was announced that the station had been allocated a new fast afloat lifeboat, a 44' steel Waveney with twin General Motors diesel engines capable of a top speed of just over 15 knots.

Two unrelated facts? Perhaps, but it is interesting that at the station's beginning, as now, it was deemed wise for it to have one of the most advanced boats available. Even without any more of the background filled in, these two strokes of the brush give an impression of broad horizons, well-used waters; and, as detail is added, a picture emerges of a busy station in a key position.

Donaghadec, a fishing harbour on the southern approaches to Belfast Lough, looks out eastward across the 19 miles of the Northern Channel to Portpatrick in Scotland. Traffic to Belfast and the smaller ports of Bangor and Carrickfergus, trade to the Clyde, Liverpool, Dublin, the Isle of Man . . .

Donaghadee and Portpatrick watch over all this shipping as it passes through the neck of the Irish Sea.

As well as being the waterway of a busy port, Belfast Lough is now the sailing water for many a yacht and dinghy, and the venue not only for local regattas but also for national and international meetings. An ILB station at Bangor, six miles to the west, has for its particular care the racing dinghies, cruising yachts and holidaymakers of the summer months, but Donaghadee lifeboat is there to give more extended cover for a growing fleet of pleasure boats.

Ferries, too. They converge on Belfast from Liverpool, Ardrossan and Douglas; they ply between Larne, Stranraer and Cairn Ryan, carrying between them many hundreds of passengers. The lifeboat at Donaghadee is their protection as they approach or leave the Northern Irish Coast. Happily their passing is usually a regular daily event without incident, but there was one winter Saturday, 23 years ago, when in squally winds gusting up to 70 knots a stern loading door was breached and the normal was transformed into disaster.

The ferry Princess Victoria left Stranraer on the morning of January 31, 1953, bound for Larne. She carried 127 passengers, a crew of 49, mail, cargo and a number of motor vehicles. As she left harbour she ran into severe northwesterly gales and rough seas; frequent squalls of sleet and snow cut down visibility from five or six miles to, at times, nothing. Soon after leaving Loch Ryan a heavy sea burst open the stern doors, damaging them so that they could not be re-secured. Despite the efforts ofthe crew a succession of seas forced the doors open, the sea poured on to the car deck and the ferry started to list to starboard. An attempt to return to Loch Ryan left her damaged stern vulnerable to the waves, so she turned bow to seas and continued slowly towards Ireland.

At 0946 a first message had been sent, asking for the immediate help of a tug; an hour later—sos. Portpatrick lifeboat, the 46' Watson Jeanie Speirs, launched at 1100 and made for the position given, 4 miles north west of Corsewall Point; when she arrived she could find nothing.

It was the beginning of a desperate search in winds increasing to hurricane force and very rough and confused seas. The destroyer HMS Contest was already searching. At 1315 Princess Victoria sent the message: 'We are preparing to abandon ship'. Donaghadee lifeboat, the 46' 9" Watson Sir Samuel Kelly, informed of the situation by Bangor Coastguard at 1322, slipped her moorings at 1340; but, misled by inaccurate positions, none of these vessels was able to find Princess Victoria before she sank soon after 1400. Her radio officer, who went down with the ship, was sending out messages to the end, but even the last position given, 5 miles east of the Copeland Islands, was wrong.

At 1432 Cloughey lifeboat, the 35' 6" Liverpool Constance Calverley, launched.

Then Sir Samuel Kelly heard from ss Orchy that this ship was near survivors 4 miles north north east of Mew Island; the Donaghadee lifeboat altered course northward and at 1515 reached the area in which Princess Victoria had gone down. She rescued 31 people from the ship's lifeboats and rafts but, although she searched until 1700, she could find no other survivors and returned to station at 1745.

Constance Calverley continued searching until 1920, but found nothing; then she led Portpatrick lifeboat, with twomore survivors on board, back to Donaghadee. Newcastle's Liverpool class lifeboat, William and Laura, had also launched, at 1620, but found no one.

Sir Samuel Kelly's service had not ended. She was out from 2145 to 0130, in a north-by-west gale, taking off a survivor, six bodies and some recovered mail bags from a trawler, Eastcotes, and at 0700, later that morning, she put out once more, in better weather and good visibility, to take up the search with the help of aircraft; no more survivors, however, were found.

The Princess Victoria disaster was theworst suffered by a British merchant ship in time of peace for a quarter of a century.

For this service the RNLI's bronze medals for gallantry were awarded to Coxswain Hugh Nelson of Donaghadee and to Coxswain William McConnell of Portpatrick. Coxswain Nelson was also awarded the British Empire Medal and the Maud Smith award for the bravest act of lifesaving in 1953. The thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum were awarded to the motor mechanics of the two boats, James 'Jim' Armstrong of Donaghadee and James Mitchell of Portpatrick.

Nelson is a familiar name at Donaghadee, a station with strongfamily traditions. Like, for instance, Bunting and Simpson, Nelson is a name which recurs right through its history.

The first coxswain was William George Nelson. The first bronze medal for gallantry awarded to the station was to Coxswain Samuel Nelson for two services in 1940, both to steamers ashore—ss Coastville of Liverpool on the rocks at Ballymacormick Point, and ss Hope Star of Newcastle-upon-Tyne aground on the rocky shore of Ballyholme Bay; his two brothers, Motor Mechanic David Nelson and Bowman Alexander Nelson, were accorded the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum. Today, another Samuel Nelson, the oldest member of the crew, is assistant mechanic, and Quinton Nelson is one of the younger crew members.

The present coxswain, James 'Jim' Bunting, has been in the crew since 1949 and served as second coxswain before becoming coxswain in 1968; his father had been assistant mechanic. There are two Simpsons in today's crew—uncle and nephew—Second Coxswain John 'Jack' Simpson and Motor Mechanic Thomas Walker Simpson. Bowman W. T. 'Billy' Lennon is the son-in-law of a previous coxswain, John Trimble.

And so it goes on ...

The present honorary secretary of Donaghadee, D. T. 'Nicky' McKibbin, followed his father, David McKibbin.

The deputy launching authority is Harbour Master Captain Robert Hughes.

The lifeboat station is closely woven into the fabric of the town. When the maroons go up the police are on the spot to help rush the crew and their helpers down to the harbour; and, day or night, however bad the weather, other people from the town will come down to see the boat go out—and, such is their concern, wait for her return.

On the fund raising side, too, there is strong support. Of particular note is the perpetual Lifeboat Trophy event atDonaghadee Golf Club; it started as a day's competition for the ladies' section, but in 1975 it grew into a week's competition for the whole club, and outstanding contributions have been made to the lifeboat station: £641.50 in 1972, £810.58 in 1973; £1,020.55 in 1974 and £1,250 in 1975. Madame Anne Rittweger, honorary secretary of the ladies' section of the golf club, has this year been awarded a silver badge in recognition of all she has done over many years for the Institution.

A new lifeboat ladies' guild was founded in the town in May last year; by September it had already raised £357.

On December 4, 1967, Donaghadee lifeboat took part in an exhaustive search for the two-man test crew of a crashed RAF Sea Vixen aircraft. Naval and merchant ships, RFA, RN and RAF aeroplanes and helicopters searched the North Channel and Irish Sea; coastguards, lifeboats, police, a mountain rescue team and the army searched coastal waters and land areas in County Down, Wigtownshire, Cumberland, Westmorland and the Isle of Man. All to no avail. A modulator unit was picked up, but there was no sign of the Sea Vixen or her crew. For two days of westerly gales Sir Samuel Kelly searched.

She slipped her moorings at 1244 on December 4, not returning until 2335.

By 0640 next morning she had resumed the search and continued until 1820 that evening. On board were Coxswain George Lindsay, Jim Bunting, then second coxswain, Motor Mechanic Jim Armstrong, Sam Nelson, Billy Lennon, Quinton Nelson, D. McKinney, Walker Simpson. As a last bid, on Friday December 8, a day of heavy snow, Sir Samuel Kelly ferried 30 volunteers from Sydenhams yard across to comb the Copeland Islands; but this also proved fruitless. Thanks for 'the willing and intensive effort' made by all who had taken part were received both from RAF Pitreavie and from Commander Peter Jones, RN, general manager of Sydenham Royal Naval Aircraft Yard.

The Copeland Islands, in the summer months, are holiday playgrounds. One April night in 1963 the Coastguard reported seeing a fire on the islands and a flashing light which could be an sos message. There was a near gale blowing from the south east and the sea was rough. Sir Samuel Kelly put out on an ebbing tide with the boarding boat in tow. A landing party found that help had been sought for a deaf and dumb boy of 16, ill and unable to walk. The lifeboat returned to Donaghadee for doctor, and by 0310 had brought both doctor and boy back to the mainland.

These islands give shelter from the north east to Donaghadee. The harbour is more open to the east through to the south east and, when gales blow from that direction, it can become pretty wild; in winter it is cleared of all craft except the lifeboat and fishing boats.

The lifeboat, however, is snug in her mooring, stern to the southern harbour wall, with a chain and anchor mooring forward and stout nylon warps to the quay aft. When the maroons go up, it's down an iron ladder to the boarding boat, moored on a trot; a few pulls on the rope and the crew have ferried themselves across the short gap to the lifeboat.

And they can get away quickly. After the service to the missing Sea Vixen an anonymous donation of £5 was receivedDonaghadee Lifeboats 1910-1932: ON 595, William and Laura 43' Watson.

1932-1950: ON 753, Civil Service No. 5 45' 6" Watson cabin motor lifeboat.

1950- : ON 885, Sir Samuel Kelly 46' 9" Watson.

by the station from someone congratulating the crew on its prompt turnout: Sir Samuel Kelly had been at sea within six minutes of receiving the call.

In 66 years, Donaghadee lifeboat has launched on service 300 times, and saved 221 lives and 27 vessels.

With a vast water-borne population to care for—holidaymakers, yachtsmen, fishermen, merchant seamen, ferry passengers—Donaghadee needs a fast boat, and one which can take on board a large number of survivors should the need arise. Her new boat, a Waveney, is now building at Bideford Shipyard, North Devon. This class of lifeboat has a top speed of 15 knots, can travel 175 miles at 13 knots without re-fuelling and carry 25 survivors under cover. She is exceptionally manoeuvrable and, with steel hull and aluminium superstructure, has a self-righting capability. She is fitted with radar, radios, directionfinding equipment and an echo-sounder and carries such lifesaving equipment as a line-throwing gun, breeches buoy and fire hose. She will take over from a wellloved veteran, the 26-year-old Sir Samuel Kelly; a new chapter in the station's history will be starting..