Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station is a

Royal National Lifeboat Institution 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 ...

(RNLI) station located in the town of

Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to its west by the Adur Valley and to its south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach on the ...

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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

.OS Explorer Map 122 - Brighton and Hove, Folded Map. Publisher:Ordnance Survey; B2 edition (27 April 2009). It underwent extensive re-development in 2010 with a new purpose built boathall to accommodate its new all-weather lifeboat (AWB). It operates two lifeboats, the AWB and the Inshore lifeboat . Over the years, Shoreham Lifeboat Station crew have been involved in many rescues. Eight RNLI medals for gallantry, five silver and three bronze, have been awarded, the last in 1980.

History

1845–1929: Harbour Commission and transfer to RNLI

In 1845 the Shoreham Harbour Commissioners decided to provide funds to open a lifeboat service for the town. The first lifeboat was the , a self-righting pulling vessel in length.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:SHEADER William Tolladay G: Page 159. In 1865 the RNLI took over the lifeboat service for Shoreham, establishing a station with a boathouse on Kingston beach. In 1870 the Harbour Board funded the installation of a slipway.For Those In Peril – The Lifeboat Service of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Station by Station. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Silver Link Publishing Ltd, First Issue 1999. Work:Part 2, South Coast of England – Eastbourne to Weston-super-Mare, Page 73, Shoreham harbour. The 1865 boathouse was used until 1892, when a new timber-framed boathouse was built on the western side of the Harbour. The old building was demolished. On 16 December 1874 the ''Ramonet'' capsized while on a training exercise in rough weather and heavy seas. One crewman drowned. A local customs officer swam out to attempt to assist, and was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal. In 1903, the boathouse was moved further from the shore. In October 1924, the station was closed, as the silt deposits in the harbour entrance had created a sandbar which made operations impossible. The station did not re-open until October 1929 after work had been carried out to remove the sandbar.

1933–1941: new station and World War II rescues

In 1933 the station moved to Kingston Beach opposite Shoreham Harbour. The new boathouse and slipway were built to accommodate the new 41 ft lifeboat. The 1933 boathouse is still standing, but has undergone several alterations to accommodate different lifeboats serving at the station. During

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 opposin ...

, ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' took part in the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

, crewed by

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

men rather than the lifeboat crew. She was towed to Dunkirk on 1 June 1940 by

naval drifter A naval drifter is a boat built along the lines of a commercial fishing drifter but fitted out for naval purposes. The use of naval drifters is paralleled by the use of naval trawlers. Fishing trawlers were designed to tow heavy trawls, so they w ...

''Kindred Star''. During the evacuation she made three trips from the beaches back to Dover. On 16 November 1941Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:UPPERTON, James and PHILCOX Henry, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 292. the Royal Navy

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

''President Briand'' was had engine trouble along the coast off Shoreham. Strong wind along with heavy seas were threatening to push the vessel onto the shore. ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' was launched to assist and stood by the ship until 9:30 pm, at which time the tug ''SS Goole'' arrived and released the lifeboat. The coxswain of the ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' returned to the ''President Briand'' aboard the Shoreham Pilot Cutter to pilot the minesweeper. At 9:45 pm the lifeboat was recalled to service as both the tug and the minesweeper were being driven ashore by the high winds. The tow line broke and the minesweeper rolled heavily, waves breaking over her decks. Avoiding the presence of the

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s in the vicinity, the lifeboat went alongside multiple times and removed all 22 men aboard the minesweeper, including their own coxswain. Two lifeboat crewmen received RNLI medals for their participation in the rescue. Beginning early on 8 August 1948Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:UPPERTON, James, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 305/306. a strong gale was blowing with rough seas and a heavy swell, shredding the sails of the yacht ''Gull'' and driving her out of control off the coast at Shoreham. ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' was launched to assist, hoisting her sail to give her engines enough speed to catch the yacht. The lifeboat eventually caught the yacht at the entrance to Newhaven Harbour, where she had become waterlogged and caught in shallow water. The lifeboat got alongside her and rescued all six people aboard. For this service the coxswain received an RNLI silver medal.

1963–1990: refurbishment and Tyne-class lifeboat

In 1963, ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' was retired and replaced by the .Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:FOX, John Alfred, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 343. In 1967 the station was supplied with a second lifeboat. This was a inshore lifeboat and was kept in its own berth constructed beneath the main boathouse. From 16 to 19 October 1971, the drilling rig '' William Allpress'' was anchored three-quarters of a mile off the coast near

Rustington Rustington is a small town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex. Rustington is approximately at the midpoint of the West Sussex coast and midway between the county town of Chichester and Brighton. The A259 runs along the nor ...

awaiting a tow in deteriorating weather. The rig's five crewmen crew were unable to eat or sleep in the rough weather, and needed rescue. The ''Dorothy and Philip Constant'' was launched at 2:10 pm; the seas were rough and torrential rain made visibility extremely limited. The life-boat crew were able to pull the rig's crew on board across the foredeck to safety. The coxswain was awarded an RNLI Bronze medal for his part. On 5 August 1975,Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:FOX, John Alfred, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 347. the yacht ''Albin Ballard'' was drifting with wrecked sails owing to heavy seas and gale-force winds. At 3:15 am the ''Dorothy and Philip Constant'' was launched and found the yacht due south of

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort, and pleasure harbour, and the most populous civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south sout ...

, deluged with large waves, and with a seasick, exhausted crew. Two of the lifeboat's crewmen boarded the yacht and set up a towline, safely bringing her into Shoreham at 7.25 am. The coxswain was awarded an RNLI Bronze medal for his part.

On 20 January 1980, the MS ''Athina B'' arrived at

from the

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archipelago. During the voyage, she had problems with her

generator Generator may refer to: * Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals * Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. * Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...

gyro compass A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical direction automatically. The use of a gyroc ...

and

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, and put in at

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

in France for repairs. On arrival at Shoreham, the vessel was caught in gale force seven or eight winds, and with seas breaking across her decks, she was unable to enter. Her engines failed, and a Mayday call was issued. The ''Dorothy and Philip Constance'' was launched to service at 8:40, and rescued half the crew as well as the captain's family. The lifeboat returned the next day to rescue the remaining crew.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:VOICE, Kenneth Frederick David, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 370. The coxswain was awarded an RNLI Silver Medal. In 1981, sinkage of the slipway led to the allocation of a 13-ton lifeboat, primarily designed for carriage launching. The slipway was strengthened following the decision to place a boat on station. The Rother was replaced in 1986 by the first of two boats that served for four years before being replaced by the new Tyne. In 1990 the new lifeboat arrived at Shoreham. She was on station until 2010, following which the station was served by various relief fleet Tynes until the new entered service in December 2010.

2008: redevelopment and Tamar-class lifeboat

In 2008, a £1 million public appeal was launched to partially fund another rebuild, this time to accommodate a new lifeboat. In January 2009 the old station boathouse and slipway were demolished and the station was temporarily housed on Kingston Beach. The building is timber-framed on three storeys, has boat halls for the all-weather and inshore lifeboats, and dedicated slipways to the harbour. The previous boathouse and station encountered occasional problems with flooding due to high spring tides and waves. The rebuilt station included a wave pit at the front of the station, which breaks the waves before they hit the boathouse door, preventing these floods. The project cost a total of £4.2 million and was officially opened by the

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duk ...

on 16 June 2011. The £2.7 million Tamar-class arrived at the station on 10 December 2010. She was funded by bequests, gifts, legacies. The station also maintains a D-class inshore lifeboat, the '' Joan Woodland (D-784)'', which was placed in service in 2015.

Fleet

All Weather lifeboats

Inshore lifeboats

Gallery

Neighbouring Station Locations

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official station website

RNLI station information
Lifeboat stations in West Sussex Shoreham-by-Sea