Buckie Lifeboat Station

Buckie Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Buckie, Moray, on the Moray Firth coast of NE Scotland. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1860.[1]

Buckie Lifeboat Station
Buckie Lifeboat Station
Buckie Lifeboat Station is located in Scotland
Buckie Lifeboat Station
Buckie
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
AddressCommercial Road
Town or cityBuckie, Moray, AB56 1TX
CountryScotland
Coordinates57°40′51.0″N 2°57′10.0″W / 57.680833°N 2.952778°W / 57.680833; -2.952778
Opened1860
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/buckie-lifeboat-station

Since 2003, the station has operated a Severn-class All-weather lifeboat, 17-37 William Blannin (ON 1268).[2]

History

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A request in February 1860 from Commander McDonald, Inspector of H.M. Coastguard, that a lifeboat be placed at Buckie, was considered and accepted by the RNLI Committee of Management, and was formally agreed on 5 April 1860. An order for a lifeboat was placed with Forrestt of Limehouse, London, who constructed a 30-foot Peake type 6-oared self-righting lifeboat, and a boathouse was commissioned. The lifeboat, which was named Miriam, arrived by rail on 10 November 1860.[3]

Miriam was only launched 3 times on service, but she is also recorded to have saved 49 lives over those 3 occasions. She was converted to be a 10-oared boat in 1866, but by 1870, the RNLI had decided to replace her with a larger 33-foot lifeboat.[2]

A new boat was ordered, again from Forrestt of London, at a cost of £277-17s-6d. It was transported free of charge by the North Eastern, Caledonian and Great North of Scotland railway companies. The boat arrived in Portsoy on 25 January 1871, from where it was pulled on a carriage by a team of horses 10 miles to Buckie, to be greeted by 3000 people. Two bands joined the procession down to the boathouse, where the boat was named James Sturm, to recognise the legacy of Mr. James Sturm of Holborn.[3]

 
1895 Boathouse, Low Street, Buckie

As part of the ongoing redevelopment of Buckie harbour, the RNLI were contacted by the Great North of Scotland railway company in 1883, who wished to extend their lines, and needed the land where the 1860 boathouse stood. A deal was struck, and the boathouse and land were sold for just over £121. A new boathouse (shown right) was constructed on Low Street in 1885, costing £447-19s-0d, but it is not known if this was paid by the RNLI, or the gift of the railway company.[3]

Buckie received their first powered lifeboat in 1922, a 40ft Watson-class non-self-righting lifeboat, with a single 45 h.p. engine, giving a speed of 7.36 kts. She was named K. B. M. (ON 681) in recognition of her late benefactors, Mr. William Kirkhope, Mr Charles Bailey, and Miss Charlotte McInroy. This boat required the construction of a new boathouse, and it was one of only two built of this design, the other one being at Sunderland. With insufficient room for a conventional slipway, the boathouse was built over the water, and utilised an internal boat platform, which could be lowered down to the water underneath.[3]

The 1922 boathouse was used until 1984, when Buckie received an Arun-class lifeboat, 52-27 Charles Brown (ON 1093), which was moored afloat. Further works were carried out to create new crew facilities in 1995, and a pontoon berth was constructed, which is now home to Severn-class lifeboat, 17-37 William Blannin (ON 1268).[1]

In 2018, the recently restored 47ft Watson-class lifeboat Laura Moncur (ON 958) made a return trip to her old station, 34 years after she last departed, and received an emotional reception from her former crew members.[4]

Notable rescues

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In the very early hours of 21 February 1968, relief lifeboat George and Sarah Strachan (ON 749) was launched to the aid of fishing boat Mistletoe, aground at the mouth of the River Spey. The boat was found close to the beach, in heavy swell and pounding waves. Working in dark and freezing conditions, attempts to get a tow-line in place failed, so Coxswain Jappy skillfully brought the lifeboat alongside, and all 6 crew were rescued. They were given rum and hot drinks, and landed in Buckie just before 5am.
For this service, Coxswain George Alexander Jappy was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal, with the crew being awarded Medal Service Certificates.[5]

Station honours

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The following are awards made at Buckie[1][5]

Peter Fernie, Fisherman - 1890
William Raich, Fisherman - 1890
George Alexander Jappy, Coxswain - 1968
  • Medal Service Certificates
Buckie Lifeboat Crew - 1968
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
James Gale, Coxswain - 1868
Francis Mair, Coxswain - 1942
George Jappy, Coxswain - 1967
  • A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
John Murray, Coxswain - 1987
Kenneth Farquhar, Acting Second Coxswain - 1987
George Stewart, Motor Mechanic - 1987
Philip Latchem, crew member - 1987
Gordon Lawtie, crew member - 1987
Steven Matheson, crew member - 1987
John Murray, Coxswain - 1991
  • Plaque of Merit, awarded by the Swedish Lifeboat Society
Royal National Lifeboat Institution - 1949
  • A Diploma, awarded by the Swedish Lifeboat Society
Buckie Lifeboat Station - 1949
John Cole, Motor Mechanic - 1974[6]

Buckie lifeboats

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All-weather lifeboats

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ON[a] Op.No.[b] Name In service[2] Class Comments
Pre-369 Miriam 1860−1871 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 1]
Pre-546 James Sturm 1871−1889 33-foot Self-righting (P&S)
244 James Sharp 1889−1908 34-foot Self-righting (P&S)
581 Maria Stephenson 1908−1922 38-foot Watson (P&S)
681 K. B. M. 1922−1949 40ft Watson
857 Glencoe-Glasgow 1949−1960 41ft Watson
736 W & S 1960−1961 45ft 6in Watson
958 Laura Moncur 1961−1972 47ft Watson [Note 2]
940 Pentland
(Civil Service No.31)
1972−1974 47ft Watson [Note 3]
958 Laura Moncur 1975−1984 47ft Watson [7]
1093 52-27 Charles Brown 1984−2003 Arun
1268 17-37 William Blannin 2003− Severn
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 30-foot, Peake-type Self-righting 6-oared lifeboat, costing £156-3s-10d, built by Forrestt of London
  2. ^ 1972, sent for Self-Righting conversion
  3. ^ Pentland (Civil Service No.31) Relief fleet boat

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Buckie's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  3. ^ a b c d Morris, Jeff (February 1990). The Story of the Buckie Lifeboats. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–26.
  4. ^ Walker, David (21 July 2018). "Legendary lifeboat returns to Buckie after 34 years". Press & Journal. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0-907605-89-3.
  6. ^ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Laura Moncur". National Historic Ships. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
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