Maryport Lifeboat Station

Maryport Lifeboat Station
Maryport Lifeboat Station in 2012
Maryport, Cumbria
General information
StatusOperational
TypeLifeboat Station
LocationThe Harbour, Marine Road, Maryport, Cumbria, CA15 8AY, England
Coordinates54°42′54.9″N 3°30′17.8″W / 54.715250°N 3.504944°W / 54.715250; -3.504944
Opened
  • 1865–1949 (RNLI)
  • 1978– (Ind.)
Website
Maryport Rescue

Maryport Lifeboat Station, is located on Marine Road at the harbour in Maryport, a town approximately 27 miles (43 km) south-west of Carlisle, sitting just outside the Lake District National Park, and overlooking the Solway Firth on the north-west coast of Cumberland, Cumbria.[1]

A lifeboat station was first established at Maryport in 1865, by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), but closed in 1949 after 84 years of operation.[2][3]

In 1978, with local support, a lifeboat service was re-established at Maryport, initially known as Maryport Inshore Rescue Boat, now Maryport Rescue, and is housed in the old RNLI boathouse on Marine Road.[4]

The station currently operates E-ON Spirit of Maryport, a 9 m (30 ft) Marine Specialist Technology (MST) Rescue 900 Rigid inflatable boat, on station since 2008, and a smaller Zodiac Inflatable boat, Maryport ERB.[4]

History

At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 2 February 1865, two letters of 6 December and 15 December 1864 were read, from H. Lindsay, Collector of Customs at Maryport. He advised of the considerable trade through the port, highlighting that between 15 and 20 vessels had been lost in the locality over a period of just seven years, and noted that there was considerable local support for a lifeboat to be placed at Maryport. The report of the visit to Maryport by Capt. John R. Ward, Inspector of Lifeboats, was also taken into consideration, and his recommendation that a lifeboat station should be established at Maryport was agreed.[5]

It was reported in the October 1865 edition of the RNLI journal 'The Lifeboat', that the station had been established at Maryport. A new boathouse had been constructed, and a 32-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with both sails and (10) oars had been supplied to the station, along with its launching carriage. The lifeboat had been transported to the station by the London and North Western, Lancashire and Yorkshire, and the Whitehaven and Furness Railway Companies.[2]

The cost of the establishment had been defrayed with the gift of £550 from Mr Henry Dixson of Manchester, and at a ceremony held on the arrival of the lifeboat at Maryport, the boat was named Henry Dixson.[2][5]

At 21:00 on 9 October 1878, the barque Carn Tual was seen in distress in the Solway Firth, at anchor riding out a gale. She had departed Maryport three days earlier. The Henry Dixson was launched, but now dark, and with no lights on the vessel, the lifeboat searched for her for 5 hours, with no success. The following day, the lifeboat set out again, this time in the tow of a Steam Tug, and nine men were brought ashore, one reportedly driven insane with fear. The Master and mate refused to leave the vessel, and it was later assisted by the Whitehaven lifeboat and a steamship, and taken into Whitehaven. For this service, and with other rescues taken into consideration, Coxswain John Webster was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.[6][7]

The next two lifeboats to be placed at Maryport are known as Civil Service lifeboats. They were provided by the Civil Service charity, an official charity, set up over 150 years ago by civil servants, and still in operation today. It raises funds through donations from both serving and retired employees, from legacies, and from fundraising events.[8][9]

In 1931, Maryport would receive their first motor-powered lifeboat. Built in 1921, the Priscilla Macbean (ON 655) had already served at Eastbourne and Kirkcudbright, and would serve just three years at Maryport before retirement.[10]

On the 17 January 1934, the steamship SS Plawsworth of Newcastle-upon-Tyne dragged her anchors in a south west gale, and was driven ashore off Workington. Pricilla Macbean was launched at 12:00, and found the vessel ashore stern first, affording no shelter on either side to the lifeboat. The lifeboat was required to set her own anchor, and veer down to the vessel, but damaging the rudder in the process. Hindered with a poorly handling boat, the coxswain still managed to get the boat alongside for 42 minutes, and 13 crew were taken off, with the Master and four crew remaining aboard. The lifeboat landed the survivors at Workington, and after repairs, set out again. They arrived back to find the vessel had shifted, and although the lifeboat could no longer get close, the five people still aboard were now able to wade ashore at low tide. Coxswain Thomas Quayle Reay was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.[11]

The last All-weather lifeboat to be placed at Maryport, arrived on station later in 1934. It is estimated over 20,000 people attended the naming ceremony, which was held on 27 September 1934. One man attending the event was Mr. John Murray, the last surviving member of the 1865 crew of the Henry Nixson, the first lifeboat at Maryport. The new lifeboat, a single-engine 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class, was funded from the legacy of Mr Joseph Braithwaite, a native of Wigton, Cumberland, and was named in his memory.[12]

On the afternoon of 9 October 1940, the wind began to increase, and the herring drifters of Maryport made for home from the Solway Firth. Such was the speed of the increase in wind-speed, that one boat, the ''Mourne Lass, took only 5 minutes longer than the rest hauling in her nets, but lost an hour on the return journey, and was caught in the now gale force conditions. At 18:30, she was spotted in difficulty, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) out. The lifeboat launched at 19:47, and struggled to even leave the harbour. Arriving with the Mourne Lass at 18:30, they found the crew exhausted, with the propeller fouled on the nets, and the mizzen sail in shreds. The lifeboat arrived back to harbour with the four crew aboard, and was guided in by the harbour master flashing his torch. Coxswain Thomas Quayle Reay received the second service clasp to his previously won RNLI Bronze Medal.[13][14]

In 1948, silting of the Maryport harbour was causing difficulties. The RNLI decided to re-establish a station at Workington, previously closed in 1905, and closed Maryport Lifeboat Station in 1949. The lifeboat on station at the time of closure, Joseph Braithwaite (ON 773), was transferred to the Relief fleet, before being sold from service in 1952. It was last recorded in a back garden in Barry, South Wales in 2019.[15]

1970s

The old Maryport lifeboat station building from 1865 was brought back into use as a rescue boathouse in 1978, with the establishment of the independently operated Maryport Inshore Rescue Boat. On 15 April 2013, work began on a £450,000 project to modify and extended the 1865 building, bringing it up to modern standards, to accommodate the needs of the current lifeboat service, Maryport Rescue.[16]

In 2017, Maryport Rescue took delivery of a second-hand Talus MB-H amphibious tractor, acquired from the RNLI. The vehicle, originally built, and now refurbished, by Clayton Engineering, is completely watertight, can be fully submerged, and was originally designed for the towing and launching of Mersey-class All-weather lifeboats through water, sand and mud. This specific vehicle, T106, was previously in service at both Scarborough and Filey lifeboat stations between 1988 and 2013.[17]

The service is co-ordinated by Belfast Coastguard, and has 'Declared Facility' status with H.M. Coastguard. Alongside the lifeboat, Maryport Rescue operates a Flood & Swiftwater Search & Rescue team, and works closely with Cumbria Police & Cumbria Fire & Rescue.[18][19]

Maryport Rescue is a registered charity (No. 1113807), and is a member of the National Independent Lifeboats Association (NILA).[20]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Maryport.[21]

John Webster, Coxswain – 1878
Thomas Quayle Reay, Coxswain – 1934
Thomas Quayle Reay, Coxswain – 1941 (Second-Service clasp)
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
Albert E. Jolley, motor mechanic – 1934
Herbert Rook, motor mechanic – 1941
Maryport Rescue – 2023[22]

Maryport lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats

ON[a] Name Built On Station[23] Class Comments
Pre-437 Henry Nixson 1865 1865−1886 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 1][24]
80 Civil Service No.5 1886 1886−1905 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 2]
544 Civil Service No.5 1905 1905−1931 38-foot Watson (P&S) [Note 3]
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Motor lifeboats

ON[a] Name Built On Station[23] Class Comments
655 Priscilla Macbean 1921 1931−1934 35-foot Self-righting (motor)
773 Joseph Braithwaite 1934 1934−1949 Liverpool [Note 5]
  1. ^ a b ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

Inshore lifeboats

Name On Station Class Comments
E-ON Spirit of Maryport 2008– 9 m (30 ft) MST 900 RIB
Maryport ERB 2020– 4.3 m (14 ft) Zodiac Inflatable

Vehicles

Name Class Reg No. Comments
T106 Talus MB-H amphibious tractor F760 BUJ Previously at Scarborough and Filey
MaryRover 1 Landrover 110 PY14 GWX
MaryRover 2 Landrover 110 PX60 UAB

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 32-foot x 7-foot 4in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £210.
  2. ^ 34-foot x 7-foot 6in (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, costing £294-14s.
  3. ^ 38-foot x 9-foot 4in (10-oared) Watson-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat.
  4. ^ 35-foot self-righting (motor) lifeboat.
  5. ^ 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class (single-motor) lifeboat.

References

  1. ^ "Cumberland XLIV.8". Maps. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Additional Stations and New Life-Boats". The Lifeboat. V (58): 729. 2 October 1865. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  3. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 122.
  4. ^ a b "The History of Maryport Rescue". Maryport Rescue. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Summary of the Meetings of the Committee". The Lifeboat. V (57): 713–714. 1 July 1865. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Carn Tual". The Lifeboat. X (111): 425. 1 February 1879. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  7. ^ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. p. 164. ISBN 0907605893.
  8. ^ "Lifeboat Fund". The Lifeboat Fund. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  9. ^ "The Lifeboat Fund and the RNLI". RNLI. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  10. ^ Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 42–43.
  11. ^ Cox 1998, pp. 266.
  12. ^ "Inaugural Ceremony at Maryport". The Lifeboat. XXIX (320): 381–382. November 1934. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  13. ^ "Mourne Lass". The Lifeboat. The War Years (1940): 108–109. 1940. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  14. ^ Cox 1998, pp. 284.
  15. ^ Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 70–71.
  16. ^ "Maryport Inshore Rescue team launch new home". Times and Star. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  17. ^ Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 106.
  18. ^ "Who's who in search and rescue? Your questions answered". H.M. Coastguard. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  19. ^ "Maryport Inshore Rescue Service". Clubs and Societies. Maryport Town Council. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
  20. ^ "NILA Members". National Independent Lifeboat Association. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  21. ^ Cox 1998, pp. 164, 266, 284.
  22. ^ Moorhouse, Jimmy (25 November 2023). "Maryport Rescue Team 'immensely proud' to win King's award". News and Star. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  23. ^ a b Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 10–71.
  24. ^ "Annual Report". The Lifeboat. VI (64): 276, 277, 308. 1 April 1867. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
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