100 years ago From The Life-Boat of 1896 In 1995 Dan Laoghaire received the first Trent class lifeboat in Ireland. The contrast between the sailing lifeboat involved in the 1895 Kingstown disaster recounted below and herl 995 high-tech cousin, could not be more extreme. The 100 years of experience - some bitter - leads to constant progress in the sophistication of lifeboats and equipment for their crews.

Terrible Life-Boat disaster at Kingstown Fortunately and mercifully disasters resulting in the loss of a whole Life-Boat crew are very few and far between, but an accident of this character took place alas! at Kingstown on Christmas Eve, and was the worst which had befallen the service for nine years.

Since the establishment of the Institution in 1824, there have only been three cases in which a whole crew has been lost, and one of these happened to a life-boat unconnected with the Institution.

At 10 am on the 24th December, the ship Palme of Finland, was observed dragging her anchors off Kingstown Harbour, while a strong gale was blowing from the ESE with a heavy sea. The Kingstown No.2 Life-boat, Civil Service No. 7, proceeded to her assistance under sail, but when about 600 yards distant from the vessel, which went aground 1l /2 miles NNW of Kingstown Harbour in 15 feet of water, where she was surrounded by a rough, short and confused sea, the Life-Boat capsized, remaining keel upwards and the whole of her crew of fifteen lost their lives. The Kingstown No. 1 Life-boat, Hannah Pickard, put off soon after the other boat had left. She had only a crew of nine men on board, and accordingly she went to H.M.S. Melampus, and obtained six volunteers to complete, intending then to join a steam-tug, which had got under way for the purpose of towing her. The tug however, finally declined to go out and the Life-boat therefore went alone under sail; she behaved well, but as she neared the vessel the large Life-boat was found capsized. This boat also capsized while under sail but righted immediately and all but three of the crew regained her; these three, of whom only one was really separated from the boat, were promptly got on board; she was repeatedly filled by the curling seas, from which she freed herself at once, but having lost her mlzzen and some of the oars, and finding they could not make the wreck on account of their leeward position, the crew returned to the land, which was reached after a severe struggle, the boat being considerably damaged in landing on a rocky shore. The Life-boat Aaron Stark Symes, stationed at Poolbeg, also went out but was unable to reach the vessel.

On the following morning Mr. Basil Hall, the Institution's Inspector of Life-Boats in Ireland, went out in a steam-tug with the Poolbeg Life-Boat in tow, but after encountering several heavy seas, which halffilled the stokehold, was compelled to slip the Life-Boat and turn back. The boat attempted to proceed alone, but was unable to do so, and eventually running back was re-taken in tow, and returned to Poolbeg. The s.s.

Tearaght, belonging to the Commissioners of Irish Lights, also attempted to reach the vessel from Kingstown Harbour, but was compelled to put back..