RNLB ''Alfred Corry'' (ON 353) is a Norfolk and Suffolk-class, non-self-righting, sailing and rowing

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 ...

which served in the town of

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is ...

in the county of Suffolk.The Alfred Corry
, The Alfred Corry Museum. Retrieved 2015-11-16. The boat was funded and crewed by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). She is kept on display in a museum in Southwold.The Alfred Corry Lifeboat Museum
Retrieved 2015-11-16.

History

The ''Alfred Corry'' was constructed in 1893 by Beeching Brothers of Great Yarmouth for the RNLI at a cost of £490.7s.4d. The ''Alfred Corry'' was the first example of an improved class of Norfolk and Suffolk lifeboat called the Carvel-class. The boat's construction was funded by a donation left to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from the estate of Alfred James Corry of

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, for whom she was named. During her 25-year working career, she was launched 41 times. She and her crew are credited with saving 47 lives. In 1919 the ''Alfred Corry'' was sold to Lord Albemarle and converted to a yacht, based out of Lowestoft. She was renamed ''Alba'' and an engine was added in 1921. In 1949 the boat was renamed ''Thorfinn''. She was being used as a houseboat at

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...

by 1976, at which point she was bought and restored as a seaworthy yacht under her original name. In 1994 the ''Alfred Corry'' was presented to the newly formed Alfred Corry Charitable Trust. Subsequently, the Trust acquired the former Cromer Lifeboat shed and transported this to Southwold. In 1998, the lifeboat was moved to these new quarters for an extensive restoration to her original state.

Description

The lifeboat is in length and has a beam of . Her depth was . The lifeboat is equipped with two masts carrying

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 ...

s. She originally had 16 oars, but this was later reduced to 14. The lifeboat was launched from the beach until 1908 when a slipway was built in the harbour. The lifeboat would be boarded before the launch. The beach team would then haul the boat by hauling on a line that was fastened around a piling on the beach.

Museum

The ''Alfred Corry'' is housed in a museum named after the boat on the northern side of Southwold Harbour at the mouth of the River Blyth. The current

Southwold Lifeboat Station Southwold Lifeboat Station is an RNLI operated lifeboat station located in the town of Southwold in the English county of Suffolk.''OS Explorer Map 231 – Southwold & Bungay''. . The station operates an lifeboat called ''Annie Tranmer'' whi ...

is adjacent to the museum. The museum was once the Cromer Lifeboat shed, built in 1923 and the first of its type to have been built by the RNLI. The old station was delivered to Southwold by sea in 1998 and was also fully restored. It is one of only a few remaining examples of its type lifeboat sheds built by the RNLI at that time. ''Alfred Corry'' forms the main exhibit in the museum which is free to enter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfred Corry (ON 353) Lifeboats of Suffolk Norfolk and Suffolk-class lifeboats 1894 ships Ships and vessels of the National Historic Fleet