Whitstable Lifeboat Station
Whitstable Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in Whitstable in the English county of Kent.[1]
| Whitstable Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
Whitstable Lifeboat Station. | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Whitstable Lifeboat Station |
| Address | The Harbour, Whitstable, CT5 1AB. |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°21′45″N 1°1′32″E / 51.36250°N 1.02556°E |
| Opened | 1963 |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Fabricated steelwork clad with timber, and concrete |
| Website | |
| Whitstable Lifeboat Station | |
The station was established in 1963,[2] and has always operated an inflatable inshore lifeboat.
The first lifeboat was one of the first D-class (RFD PB16) lifeboats in the RNLI fleet, D-2. In 1974, Whitstable received the larger twin engine B-class (Atlantic 21) B-516. The current lifeboat is the B-class (Atlantic 85) named Lewisco (B-877), which has been on the station since 2014.[3]
Boathouse accommodation has been improved over the years, with a single storey extension added to the side to improve crew facilities in 1989, and a new boathouse completed in 2000.[4]
A number of awards have been made to Whitstable crew. These include, between 1977 and 2010, one RNLI bronze medal and four "Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum" for bravery during rescues. The station also received the RNLI’s "Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Annual Award" for the most meritorious rescue by an inshore lifeboat crew in 2009.[4] In the 2003 New Year Honours David Andrew Lamberton, the station's honorary secretary, was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the RNLI.[5]
The annual "Dan Davies Competition" is held in the memory of Whitstable general practitioner Dan Davies,[6] who served as medical officer to the lifeboat station.[7]
In 2023, Whitstable Lifeboat Station celebrated its 60th anniversary. [8]
Whitstable Lifeboats edit
| Op. No.[a] | Name | In service [3] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-2 | Unnamed | 1963–1965 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-24 | Unnamed | 1965 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-28 | Unnamed | 1965 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-45 | Unnamed | 1965–1968 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-49 | Unnamed | 1968–1969 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-45 | Unnamed | 1969–1970 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-182 | Unnamed | 1970–1974 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| B-516 | Unnamed | 1974–1984 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-560 | British Diver | 1984–2000 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-764 | Oxford Town & Gown | 2000–2014 | B-class (Atlantic 75) | |
| B-877 | Lewisco | 2014– | B-class (Atlantic 85) |
- ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.
Station honours edit
The following are awards made at Whitstable[9]
- David Parry, Helmsman - 2000
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- David Victor Foreman, Helmsman - 1977
- Michael A Judge, Helmsman - 1981
- Michael Gambrill, Helmsman - 1986
- Jonathon Carter - 2010
- The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award 2009
(for the outstanding inshore lifeboat rescue of the year)
- Jonathon Carter - 2010
- Michael Judge, crew member - 2001[10]
- David Andrew Lamberton, Former Helmsman, Lifeboat Operations Manager - 2003[11]
Gallery edit
- Whitstable Lifeboat Station
- Oxford Town and Gown Atlantic 75-class lifeboat
- Oxford Town and Gown Atlantic 75-class lifeboat, just after launch
- Oxford Town and Gown inside Whitstable boathouse
- Oxford Town and Gown on her launch cradel inside Whitstable boathouse
See also edit
References edit
- ^ OS Explorer Map 150 – Canterbury & the Isle of Thanet.Published: Ordnance Survey – Southampton. ISBN 978 0 319 2351 88.
- ^ "RNLI Lifeboats". Whitstable Lifeboat Station – Home page. RNLI - Copyright 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ a b RNLI. "Whitstable station history". Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "No. 56797". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2002. p. 19.
- ^ Lifeboat, Whitstable (26 June 2017). "Whitstable lifeboat crews in test of seamanship and first aid skills". Whitstable Lifeboat Station. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Obituary; D. O. Davies". British Medical Journal. 1 (6070): 1222–1223. 7 May 1977. ISSN 0007-1447. PMC 1606865.
- ^ "Double Celebration at Whitstable RNLI". RNLI. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ "Whitstable's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 11 February 2024.