Cromer-class Lifeboat
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RNLB ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' (ON 12)The Cromer Lifeboats, by Bob Malster & Peter Stibbons,:Poppyland Publishing, was a Cromer non self-righter type lifeboat stationed at
Cromer Lifeboat Station Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work. The current lifeboat station on the end of C ...
in the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
county of Norfolk from September 1884''Cromer Lifeboats 1804-2004'', Leach, Nicholas & Russell, Paul, Pub: Tempus Publishing, 2004, until September 1902.


Design and construction

The ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' was the fifth lifeboat to be stationed at the Norfolk town of Cromer, and the second lifeboat to bear the name ''
Benjamin Bond Cabbell Benjamin Bond Cabbell FRS FSA FGS DL (1782/83 – 9 December 1874), was a British politician and philanthropist. Life He was educated at Westminster School in London. He studied at Oriel College, Oxford from June 1800, but left the universit ...
''. At the design process for this lifeboat, a number of meetings were held by the
RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
’s chief inspector of Lifeboats, Captain the Hon H.W. Chetwynd and the service's surveyor Mr Prowse with the crew of the Cromer Lifeboat. At the meetings the lifeboat men were asked what their preferences were, when considering designs for the new lifeboat. The local men who were mainly fishermen expressed a desire for a new boat to be on the lines of the lifeboat which had been stationed there before 1858. These suggestions by local men, Mr James Davis, Mr James Mayes and Mr Thomas Blogg were very similar to the Norfolk and Suffolk Type lifeboats. By 27 November 1883 the surveyor, Mr Prowse, had agreed a design with the local fisherman, and an order was placed with James Beeching boat builders, of
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
.


Construction

The new lifeboat hull was constructed using the clench method fixed with
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
fastenings. The
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was deep and wide, with an
iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
keel plate and a belt of
cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
. She was long with a breadth of . The inside depth was . There were fourteen
oar An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...
s which were double banked and she was also equipped with a dipping
lug sail The lug sail, or lugsail, is a fore-and-aft, four-cornered sail that is suspended from a spar, called a yard. When raised, the sail area overlaps the mast. For "standing lug" rigs, the sail may remain on the same side of the mast on both the port ...
. The lifeboat would be steered by either a
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
or sweep oars. ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' had a watertight deck, with
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
tubes and self-acting valves to release the water, and portable airtight cases round the sides of the boat between the deck and the
thwart A thwart is a part of an undecked boat that provides seats for the crew and structural rigidity for the hull. A thwart goes from one side of the hull to the other. There might be just one thwart in a small boat, or many in a larger boat, especial ...
s. Cork-packed air-cases were placed under the deck in the wings of the lifeboat. These cases weighed 4.5 tons and drew of water clear of ballast. The boat had a relatively light construction with a high bow and a raking stem. The keel was curved, typical of the north country-designed lifeboats first built in the late eighteenth century. The water ballast tanks had ten relieving valves and the rudder was retractable to prevent it being damaged when beach launched or during the recovery procedure.


Service

The ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' was formally named and christened on 29 September 1884 by Mrs Bond Cabbell when she broke a bottle of claret over the boat, followed by a launch from the lifeboats carriage, whilst the band played Rule Britannia and the church bells rang. The ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' was launched to only thirteen times during her service at Cromer, saving twenty six lives in the process. Her first service took place on 28 January 1888. ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' was launched at 11:15 am to the brigantine ''Jane Marie'' of
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
which was bound from
Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...
for
Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
with a cargo of
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
. The crew of seven were taken on board the ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' and landed at Cromer.


A Hero’s early years

On 28 December 1894 an eighteen-year-old boy joined the crew of the ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' for the first time. His name was Henry George Blogg and he would go on to be referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"."Henry Blogg, the Greatest of the Lifeboatmen", Jolly, C., Pub: Poppyland Publishing, new edition 2002, pdf of "Henry Blogg, the Greatest of the Lifeboatmen"
/ref> Henry Blogg GC BEM (6 February 1876 – 13 June 1954) took part in his first service to the schooner ''Fair City'' of
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
. She had lost her mast and rigging in severe weather. The lifeboat stayed with her through the night escorting her part way to shore before her crew were taken off by the
Sea Palling Sea Palling is a village and civil parish covering in the English county of Norfolk. The village is south-east of Cromer, north-east of Norwich and north-east of London. The village lies east of the A149 road, A149 between Kings Lynn and G ...
Lifeboat ''Hearts of Oak ON351''. The schooner then broke into pieces and sank


Last service

Her final service was to the steamship ''Celerity'' of
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
on 17 February 1901. The ''Celerity'' was bound from
Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...
to
Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...
carrying a cargo of
cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
when she began shipping water and her fires had to be extinguished. After standing by her all night the lifeboat then escorted the vessel to Great Yarmouth. The ''Benjamin Bond Cabbell II'' was withdrawn from service after the RNLI deemed she was unfit for further service. She was replaced by in 1902.


Service and rescues


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin Bond Cabbell II 1884 ships Cromer lifeboats Cromer-class lifeboats