Penarth Lifeboat Station
Encyclopedia
Penarth Lifeboat Station is located in Penarth
, Vale of Glamorgan
, Wales
) , Wales () 5.2 miles (8.4 kilometres) south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city
of Cardiff
() and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary
() at the southern end of Cardiff Bay
.
The first Penarth lifeboat started operations in 1861. Closed between 1905 and 1980 the station reopened on Penarth seafront, currently operating an Atlantic 85 and a D class lifeboat
.
The manually powered (rowing
) or "pulling boats" were 30 feet in length and were powered by 12 oar
s. They had cork
in their hull
and shaped air-cases fore and aft.. The boats were self-righting and their double-ended designs could operate a rudder from either end, so there was no need to turn.
In 1883 when the Yacht Club and the raised concrete esplanade were constructed along Penarth seafront an all-weather lifeboat was relocated to a yard and temporary slipway near the Taff Vale Railway’s Marine Hotel on the Dock Beach where it remained until 1905.
The Penarth lifeboat was withdrawn from service in 1905 and all services transferred to the new Barry Dock Lifeboat Station
and the station at Weston-super-mare
. Penarth would have no lifeboat service for the next 75 years until a new station opened in 1980.
With the regular daily hovercraft service between Penarth to Weston-super-mare, coupled with an increase in leisure boating generated by a new water skiing club, in 1980 it was decided to re-establish lifeboat services at Penarth with the provision of an inflatable inshore lifeboat. The new boat was located at the original site next to Penarth Yacht Club, housed in an unused storehouse and launched down the yacht club’s jetty.
The current boathouse was built in 1995 to house a B class lifeboat. Also provided were a launching vehicle, a workshop, an RLNI souvenir shop, a fuel store and improved crew facilities. The following year an Atlantic 21 class lifeboat arrived for a temporary duty at the station. That boat was replaced four months later by the Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-725 named Spirit of Penarth and The D class, D-534 Severn Rescuer.
In 2010 Spirit of Penarth was withdrawn from service and replaced with an Atlantic 85, B839
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) , Wales () 5.2 miles (8.4 kilometres) south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
() and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
() at the southern end of Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
.
The first Penarth lifeboat started operations in 1861. Closed between 1905 and 1980 the station reopened on Penarth seafront, currently operating an Atlantic 85 and a D class lifeboat
D class lifeboat
The D class lifeboat EA16 is a class of inflatable boat formally operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has been replace by the D class lifeboat -Utilization:...
.
History
The Bristol Channel has always been a hazardous stretch of water because of the extreme tidal range. There are very strong currents or rips close inshore, with speeds that exceed 7 knots (13 km/h), for several hours at each tide. The rise and fall of the tides at Penarth are the second highest recorded anywhere in the world The original 1861 oar-powered lifeboat was housed in a shed built near to where Penarth Yacht Club now stands at the southern end of Penarth beach and controlled by staff located at the Coastguard cottages and Trinity House lookout tower on Tower Hill near Marine Parade.The manually powered (rowing
Watercraft rowing
Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...
) or "pulling boats" were 30 feet in length and were powered by 12 oar
Oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...
s. They had cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
in their hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
and shaped air-cases fore and aft.. The boats were self-righting and their double-ended designs could operate a rudder from either end, so there was no need to turn.
In 1883 when the Yacht Club and the raised concrete esplanade were constructed along Penarth seafront an all-weather lifeboat was relocated to a yard and temporary slipway near the Taff Vale Railway’s Marine Hotel on the Dock Beach where it remained until 1905.
The Penarth lifeboat was withdrawn from service in 1905 and all services transferred to the new Barry Dock Lifeboat Station
Barry Dock Lifeboat Station
Barry Dock Lifeboat Station opened in 1901. In 1922, the station received its first motor lifeboat and in 1973 the station received a second lifeboat...
and the station at Weston-super-mare
Weston-super-Mare Lifeboat Station
The Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station is a lifeboat station at Weston-super-Mare in the English county of Somerset, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It is located on Birnbeck Pier.-History:...
. Penarth would have no lifeboat service for the next 75 years until a new station opened in 1980.
With the regular daily hovercraft service between Penarth to Weston-super-mare, coupled with an increase in leisure boating generated by a new water skiing club, in 1980 it was decided to re-establish lifeboat services at Penarth with the provision of an inflatable inshore lifeboat. The new boat was located at the original site next to Penarth Yacht Club, housed in an unused storehouse and launched down the yacht club’s jetty.
The current boathouse was built in 1995 to house a B class lifeboat. Also provided were a launching vehicle, a workshop, an RLNI souvenir shop, a fuel store and improved crew facilities. The following year an Atlantic 21 class lifeboat arrived for a temporary duty at the station. That boat was replaced four months later by the Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-725 named Spirit of Penarth and The D class, D-534 Severn Rescuer.
In 2010 Spirit of Penarth was withdrawn from service and replaced with an Atlantic 85, B839
Some historic rescues by the Penarth lifeboat
| Date of incident | Vessel in distress | Penarth Lifeboat | Details |
| 18 November 1864 | Far West | George Gay | The Penarth lifeboat was towed by the paddle tug Marquis to the English and Welsh grounds near the mouth of the River Usk where the full-rigger Far West of Newport was aground with 22 crewmen, having lost her anchors, hawsers and windlass off Lundy. The Penarth lifeboatmen were put aboard, her anchors recovered and she was eventually refloated before being towed to Bristol for repairs. |
| 17 November 1867 | Marie | George Gay | The brig Marie from Grieffswald, Prussia lost her anchor and cables and was driven up the Bristol Channel and into shallow waters by high winds after rescue attempts by three tugs and two pilot skiffs failed. After ten hours of rowing the Penarth lifeboat managed to manoeuvre under her lee and rescued all 11 sailors. The lifeboat crew were as exhausted as the rescued seamen and suffering from exposure. |
| 1 November 1872 | Jernbyrd | George Gay II | The Norwegian barque Jernbyrd and the Magna Carta from Halifax, Nova Scotia collided during a heavy gale in Penarth Roads. The Canadian ship freed herself but the Norwegian vessel was holed below the water line and the Penarth lifeboat launched to assist. The Norwegian captain asked the lifeboat to standby while his crew attempted repairs; they stayed alongside all night until dawn when the ship was towed to Cardiff for repairs. |
| 6 December 1872 | Eleanor | George Gay II | During a bad storm the brig Wallace rolled over and sank with all hands and a Nova Scotian barque also sank with its full crew. The Penarth lifeboat launched to assist the Eleanor of Quebec that had gone aground on Cardiff Sands. They rescued five crew members but the ship’s mate refused to leave his vessel. The following day the lifeboat rowed out twice with crew members who re-boarded and were able to re-float her and sail to Cardiff. |
| 7 March 1877 | Crocodile | Joseph Denman | The Penarth lifeboat launched to assist the brig Crocodile from Dartmouth that had gone aground on Cardiff Sands in high winds. The brig was re-floated on the flood tide and continued its journey to Cardiff docks. |
| 14 October 1881 | Febo | Joseph Denman | The barque Febo from Genoa was driven up the Bristol Channel by a stiff gale until she was off Penarth Roads in poor shape, her fore and main masts broken at deck level and her anchors lost. The Penarth lifeboat launched and put several lifeboatmen on board to jury-rig temporary sails. The vessel was taken in tow by a tugboat and the lifeboat took 14 crew members to the shore. |
| 27 January 1884 | Juan de la Vega | Joseph Denman | The Spanish brigantine was bound for Cardiff with a heavy cargo of pit-props and found itself in difficulty off Lavernock Head. The lifeboatmen from Penarth repaired the rigging and commenced pumping her out while she was towed to Cardiff dock by a tug. |
Greathead Class - Self-righting 30 foot, 12 man rowing vessels
- 1861 - 1870 - George Gay
- 1870 - 1875 - George Gay II
- 1875 - 1890 - Joseph Denman
- 1890 - 1905 - (Name unknown)
D class Lifeboats
- 1980 - 1998 - D class
- 1998 - 2008 - D Class - D534 - Severn Rescuer
- 2008 - present - D class - D692 - Connie Dains
B class Lifeboats
- 1996 - 1996 - Atlantic 21
- 1996 - 2010 - Atlantic 75 - B725 - Spirit of Penarth
- 2010 - present - Atlantic 85 - B839 - Maureen Lilian