The Wells lifeboat disaster occurred in 1880 when 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 ...

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 A ...

''Eliza Adams'', based at Wells-next-the-Sea 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 Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, attempted to go to the aid of the stricken

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

''Ocean Queen'' in heavy seas and was lost along with 11 of its 13 crew. The Wells lifeboat was an open boat propelled by a combination of oars and sail, based at the old lifeboat house on the quay at the head of Wells Harbour. Because of the strong tides in the mile long channel that connects the quay with the harbour mouth, it was common for the lifeboat to use the services of a

steam tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

to be towed to sea. On 29 October 1880, gales were lashing the north coast of Norfolk. The ''Ocean Queen'', of 171 tons and built in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

in 1838, was on passage from

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

to Seaham when she was caught in the storm and sought shelter at Wells. At 1:00pm, the Wells lifeboat launched to the aid of another brig, the ''Sharon Rose'', which had run ashore on the beach at nearby Holkham. Seven sailors were rescued from the vessel and the lifeboat returned safely to Wells. However, on arrival back to the quay, the ''Ocean Queen'' was seen close to the harbour entrance, flying a distress flag. After changing 8 of her 13 crew, the ''Eliza Adams'' was again towed to sea. By this stage the ''Ocean Queen'' had been driven ashore on the nearby sands. The lifeboat reached the brig, but was unable to help and so set sail to return to port. In so doing, a heavy wave broke over the lifeboat and it capsized. Eleven of the 13 crew drowned, leaving 10 widows and 27 children without a father. One crew member, William Bell, managed to stay with the boat until it righted itself. Another, Thomas Kew, was washed ashore alive. A memorial to the members of the Wells lifeboat crew who lost their lives stands adjacent to the old lifeboat house. The Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

is used jointly as the Harbour Masters Office and a Maritime Museum. The crew of the ''Ocean Queen'' remained aboard their vessel, and were able to walk ashore once the storm had abated and the tide receded. Since 1895, the current Wells-next-the-Sea Lifeboat Station, housing both an all-weather lifeboat and an inshore rescue boat is located at the harbour entrance.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells Lifeboat Disaster Lifeboat Disaster Shipwrecks in the North Sea Maritime incidents in October 1880 Maritime incidents in England 1880 in England Royal National Lifeboat Institution History of Norfolk