Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station

Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station
Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station
	Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station
	Broughty Ferry, Scotland
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address	Fisher Street
Town or city	Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 1EF
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	56°27′54.0″N 2°52′38.2″W / 56.465000°N 2.877278°W
Opened	1862
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
	Broughty Ferry RNLI Lifeboat Station

Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station is located at the bottom of Fort Street, in the town of Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee on the north shore of the River Tay estuary, in the historic county of Angus, Scotland.

A lifeboat was first placed here by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station in 1862.^[1]

The station currently operates the All-weather Trent-class lifeboat, 14-31 Elizabeth of Glamis (ON 1252), on station since 2001, and the D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat Oor Lifesaver (D-834), on station since 2019.^[2]

History

The first lifeboat based on the River Tay was placed at Budden Ness, a headland at the mouth of the river. It was operated by the River Tay Lifeboat and Humane Society (RTLHS), established in 1830, following the wreck of the Childe Harold on 27 November 1829, whilst on passage from St Petersburg to Dundee.^[3]

For further information, please see:
Budden Ness Lifeboat Station

In 1859, the RTLHS ordered a self-righting lifeboat from Calman and Martin of Dundee, similar in design to the RNLI Peake-class lifeboats. Under the instruction of the Society however, the air boxes, vital for self-righting, were reduced in size, as it was thought it would increase streamlining and speed. Under test, the boat failed to self-right. After this major failure, and with the Society now also short of funds, calls were made for the management of the lifeboats to be passed to the RNLI, and this was agreed in December 1861.^[1]

It had long been discussed that a lifeboat would be better suited to be based at Broughty Ferry, and in 1862, the RNLI established a new station. A new boathouse was constructed at the bottom of Fort Street, on the foreshore, at a cost of £400. A new 32-foot Peake-class lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, and costing £205, was dispatched on 18 March 1862 aboard the steamship London, of the Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company, arriving in Dundee on 22 March 1862. She was named Mary Hartley, after a fundraiser from Bideford, Devon.^[1]^[4]

The highs and lows of rescue were clearly shown on 24 November 1864, when the Mary Hartley was first called to the schooner David and John. Launched at 03:00am, the lifeboat was towed to the vessel by the Tug Hercules, and the crew of four were saved moments before the vessel broke up. Arriving back at Broughty Ferry at 10:30am, a fresh crew were awaiting the lifeboat. The boat was launched again at 11:00am, and was towed down river by the steamship Queen. It was too late. All 24 passengers and crew of the steamship Dalhousie, wrecked on the Abertay Sands whilst on passage from Newcastle upon Tyne to Dundee, had perished. It was the worst loss of life from shipwreck in the Tay area.^[5]^[6]

On 6 December 1865, the Mary Hartley failed to rescue five crew from the schooner Princess, on passage from London to Dundee, when she was wrecked on the Abertay Sands. This was primarily due to delays finding a vessel to tow the lifeboat down the river, and prompted the reopening of the Budden Ness Lifeboat Station in 1867.^[7]

In 1889, a slipway was constructed, costing £130, to aid the launch of the newly arrived 37-foot lifeboat Samuel Shawcross (ON 200). The lifeboat had been provided by the Ancient Order of Foresters, and the naming ceremony on 23 June 1888 was a grand affair. A procession around the town consisted of 2500 members, and it is estimated there were 15000 spectators. It is reported that the stationmaster at the railway station issued 4,334 tickets that day.^[1]

At 01:00am on the 18 November 1893, pilot cutter No.2 of Dundee stranded on Abertay Sands in gale-force conditions, but it would be daybreak before the alarm was raised. The Samuel Shawcross set sail down the river, taking 30 minutes to reach the casualty vessel. Unable to get close, a line was thrown, and one by one, the seven crew were hauled through the water to the lifeboat. The steam tug Excelsior had been sent from Dundee, and towed the lifeboat back to harbour, to the cheers of the hundreds of people gathered to watch the outcome.^[8]^[9]

Broughty Ferry lifeboat The Robert (1960–1978)

In 1910, Broughty Ferry would receive the Maria (ON 560), only the fourth motor-powered lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. To accommodate the larger 40-foot boat, a new boathouse had been required, and plans were drawn up as early as 1908. There was much difficulty with the local council, who insisted that the boathouse could not be built over the adjacent sewer, and at one point, offered the RNLI £100 just to leave the site. Terms were finally agreed, and the boathouse was constructed in time for the arrival of Maria. With no local electricity supply, a special supply was laid on from King street, costing the RNLI £6 per year. The boathouse is the one still in use today.^[1]

In 1964, the station would be the first in Scotland to receive one of the new fast D-class (RFD PB16) Inshore lifeboats. Officially unnamed, the boat was locally named Pinafore, as it had been funded by the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group production of HMS Pinafore.^[9]

Work began on a new landing stage in 2001, and on 14 April 2001, Broughty Ferry received the new 25 knot Trent-class lifeboat 14-31 Elizabeth of Glamis (ON 1252). This lifeboat is still on service at Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station.^[2]^[9]

Notable rescues

Both lifeboats from Arbroath and Broughty Ferry were launched to the aid of the steam trawler Quixotic of Aberdeen on 5 December 1939, when the vessel was driven on to Bell Rock. The Arbroath lifeboat arrived first, but attempts to veer down to the vessel failed when the anchor parted. The coxswain of the Broughty Ferry lifeboat Mona set anchor, and with a grappling hook aboard the vessel, pulled the lifeboat alongside the trawler. With heavy seas washing over both boats, the lifeboat managed to retrieve the nine crew in 30 minutes. For this service, Coxswain James Coull was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal, with Acting Second Coxswain George Bell Smith and Motor Mechanic John Grieve awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.^[10]^[11]

RNLB Mona (ON 775)

On 8 December 1959, the eight crew of the Broughty Ferry lifeboat Mona (ON 775) were lost after the lifeboat capsized, whilst on call to the North Carr lightship, which was seen adrift in terrible conditions after the anchor chain parted at 02:02am. Setting out at 03:13am, the last radio contact was around 04:48, although the boat was seen some 40 minutes later. Investigators later concluded that the boat was lost sometime between 05:30am and 06:00am. The battered wreck of the lifeboat was found at daybreak on the shore of Budden Ness. Amongst those onboard had been new Coxswain Ronald Grant, former Coxswain Alex Gall, bronze medal holders Second Coxswain George Bell Smith and Motor Mechanic John Grieve, along with John's son, John T. Grieve, aged 22.

See Main Article RNLB Mona (ON 775)

Memorial Plaque to the crew of the RNLB Mona (ON 775)

The lifeboat was recovered by the Arbroath lifeboat Duke of Montrose (ON 934) and towed first to Arbroath, and then to the William Weatherhead shipyard at Cockenzie (now owned by regular lifeboat constructors J. Samuel White) for formal examination. Once investigation work was concluded, the boat lay stripped and abandoned at Cockenzie. In the early hours of Friday 18 March 1960, in a move not appreciated by many, but on the direct orders of the RNLI, the boat was towed around the breakwater, allowed to dry out, and destroyed by fire.

The crew of the North Carr lightship survived, when their second, and then third emergency anchor held. Two weeks after the disaster, the relief lifeboat, City of Bradford II (ON 709) was placed on station, and a new crew had already been found. On 3 June 1962, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the north wall of the lifeboat house.^[1]^[12]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Broughty Ferry.^[10]^[9]

RNIPLS Silver Medal

Daniel Kidd, Fisherman - 1828

RNLI Silver Medal

James Coull, Coxswain - 1940

RNLI Bronze Medal

Charles Gall, Coxswain - 1920

George Bell Smith, Acting Second Coxswain - 1940

John Grieve, Motor Mechanic - 1940

The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum

Sam Craig, crew member - 1940

G. Watson, crew member - 1940

G. Gall, crew member - 1940

William Findlay, crew member - 1940

Robert Smith, crew member - 1940

Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)

David Martin, Lifeboat Operations Manager - 2015NHY^[13]

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Broughty Ferry lifeboat.^[9]

Lifeboat Mona (ON 775), lost on service to the North Carr Lightship, 8 December 1959

Ronald Grant, Coxswain (28)

George Bell Smith, Second Coxswain (53)

John Grieve, Motor Mechanic (56)

George Watson, Bowman (38)

David Gall Anderson (42)

James Ferrier (43)

Alex Gall, Former Coxswain (56)

John T. Grieve (22)