Ilfracombe Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at

Ilfracombe Ilfracombe ( ) is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs. The parish stretches along the coast from the 'Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and along t ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

in the United Kingdom. The first

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

was stationed in the town in 1828 and the present station was opened in 1996. For 29 years a second boat was operated from Morte Bay at

Woolacombe Woolacombe is a seaside resort on the coast of North Devon, England, which lies at the mouth of a valley (or "combe") in the parish of Mortehoe. The beach is long, sandy, gently sloping and faces the Atlantic Ocean near the western limit of th ...

. It operates a all-weather lifeboat (ALB), operational number 13-09 and named The Barry and Peggy High Foundation, Ilfracombe also operates a inshore lifeboat (ILB), under the operational number D-717 and named the Deborah Brown ll.

History

A pilot boat was fitted out as a lifeboat for the town in 1828, and a new lifeboat was bought by local people in 1850 which operated from a boat house in Hiern's Lane near the harbour. The RNLI started its service in Ilfracombe in 1866 when a boat house was built near the pier at the bottom of Lantern Hill with a slipway nearby. Alterations to the pier in 1871 meant that the slipway was lost and the boat then had to be taken along the road to the harbour whenever it needed to be launched. The boat house was demolished in 1893 to allow a larger building be built for the new ''Co-operator No. 2'' which, at was 3 feet longer than the previous boat. This boat house was used until 1996 when it was replaced by a new facility near the slipway at the harbour. In 1871 a lifeboat was stationed at Morte Bay near Woolacombe, about south west of Ilfracombe. When the lifeboat was needed west of

Morte Point Morte Point is a peninsula on the north west coast of Devon, England, belonging to the National Trust. To the east is the village of Mortehoe and to the south is the seaside resort of Woolacombe. In the summer season, tractor and trailer rid ...

a crew came out from Ilfracombe on a carriage. It proved difficult to launch into strong winds blowing onto its west-facing beach and so the station was closed in May 1900. The lifeboat was transferred up the coast to

Watchet Watchet is a harbour town, civil parish and electoral ward in the county of Somerset, England, with a population in 2011 of 3,785. It is situated west of Bridgwater, north-west of Taunton, and east of Minehead. The town lies at the mouth of ...

; the boat house has since been incorporated into a café known as the Boat House Café.Leach N. (2009) p. 45 The first motor lifeboat at Ilfracombe was placed on station in March 1936. This was a lifeboat, a type that was designed for work close inshore. It was replaced by a more conventional boat in 1945, which allowed the Surf boat to be sent to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

where there was an acute shortage of lifeboats at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The all-weather boat has been supported by an inflatable inshore rescue boat since 1991.

Service awards

The volunteer crews of the RNLI do not expect reward or recognition for their work, but the records include many rescues that have been recognised by letters, certificates and medals from the RNLI management. This list is just some of the most notable. On 13 November 1949 the ''Richard Silver Oliver'' was launched to assist the SS ''Monte Gurugu'' which had lost sinking near Morte Point after losing her rudder in a severe storm. After pulling the casualty clear of the shore, the lifeboat took the 23 crew aboard and safely back to Ilfracombe.

Coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...

Cecil Irwin was awarded an RNLI silver medal for his work. In a Force 8 gale on 9 September 1984, the ''Liberty'' was dragging her anchor just from the shore when the ''Lloyds II'' reached her. The lifeboat's crew managed to get a line secured to the yacht and towed her into the harbour. A bronze medal was awarded to Coxswain David Clemence for his courage, leadership and seamanship.

Area of operation

The lifeboat at Ilfracombe has an operating range of and a top speed of . Adjacent lifeboats are stationed at to the West, and to the North, along with an ILB at to the East.

Current lifeboats

Portishead Marina - RNLB 13-09 The Barry and Peggy High Foundation

* 13-09 ''The Barry and Peggy High Foundation'' * IB1 D-717 ''Deborah Brown II'' which is launched and recovered using Talus MB-H amphibious launch tractor (T-92)Denton T. (2010) p. 64

Former lifeboats

'ON' is the RNLI's sequential Official Number; 'Op. No.' is the operational number painted onto the boat.

Pulling and sailing lifeboats

Motor lifeboats

Mersey Class Lifeboat 12007 Photograph By Robert Kilpin

Inshore lifeboats

Notes

References

External links

Official station website

RNLI station information
{{Lifeboat stations in Somerset and North Devon Lifeboat stations in Devon Ilfracombe Buildings and structures in Ilfracombe