The Mumbles Lifeboat Station (based in Mumbles, Swansea, Wales) opened in 1835 with a lifeboat that was funded and managed by Swansea Harbour Trustees and was known as Swansea Lifeboat Station.[1] The station was taken over by the RNLI in 1863 and moved to Mumbles in 1866. The station only officially became The Mumbles Lifeboat Station in 1904.
| The Mumbles Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
.jpg) New Mumbles Lifeboat Station, opened in 2014 | |
  Swansea, Wales | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Pier Road, Mumbles, Swansea, UK. SA3 4EN |
| Country | Wales, UK |
| Coordinates | 51°34′11″N 3°58′27″W / 51.5698°N 3.9741°W |
| Opened | 1835 (taken over by RNLI - 1863) |
| Owner | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
The station currently operates a Tamar-class lifeboat and a D-class (IB1) lifeboat, and operates from a boathouse at the end of Mumbles Pier.
History edit
When the station first opened, it did not have a boathouse and the lifeboat was stored under the cliffs. In 1866 the first boathouse was built and it was replaced with a larger boathouse when a replacement lifeboat needed more room. A slipway was constructed for launching the lifeboat in 1888 and in 1897, Mumbles Railway and Pier Company constructed a new slipway for the RNLI at no cost to the institution. Another new slipway was built in 1916 and it was extended and had alterations made to it in 1922.
During a gale on Saturday, 27 January 1883, a German barque Admiral Prinz Aldabert was driven on to rocks near the Mumbles Lighthouse. Wolverhampton went out to assist and was washed on to rocks. The lifeboat broke up and four crew drowned and other members missing or seriously injured.[2]
In 1947 the lifeboat Edward, Prince of Wales and her crew of 8 were lost while assisting SS Samtampa which had run aground on Sker Point.[3]
Today edit
The D-class lifeboat is the main workhorse of the station, being used for more than 60 per cent of the callouts. In 2014 a new Tamar class lifeboat entered service at The Mumbles, temporarily based at Swansea Marina while a new, larger, boathouse and slipway were constructed on the end of Mumbles pier. In 2015 and 2016, Mumbles was the busiest station in Wales, launching 83 times, and was the busiest station in 2022, with 126 launches.[4]
The Mumbles Lifeboats edit
All-weather lifeboats edit
| ON[a] | Op. No.[b] | Name | In service [5] | Class | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | Martha and Anne (Swansea) |
1863–1866 | 33ft Self-Righting (P&S) | 10 oared boat [6] |
| – | – | Wolverhampton | 1866–1883 | 33ft Self-Righting (P&S) | [6] |
| 229 | – | Wolverhampton | 1883–1898 | 34ft 8in Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 173 | – | Reserve No.5 | 1898–1900 | 33ft 8in Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 436 | – | James Stevens No. 12 | 1900–1903 | 35ft Self-Righting (P&S) | James Stevens Lifeboats |
| 265 | – | Reserve No.3A | 1903–1905 | 37ft 2in Self-Righting (P&S) | Previously Quiver No.1 at Margate |
| 535 | – | Charlie Medland | 1905–1924 | 43ft Watson | |
| 678 | – | Edward, Prince of Wales | 1924–1947 | 45ft Watson | |
| 849 | – | William Gammon - Manchester and District XXX | 1947–1974 | 46ft 9in Watson | |
| 940 | – | Pentland (Civil Service No.31) |
1974–1985 | 47ft Watson | |
| 1096 | 47-005 | The Ethel Anne Measures | 1985–2006 | Tyne | |
| 1127 | 47-019 | Babs & Agnes Robertson | 2006–2014 | Tyne | |
| 1307 | 16-27 | Roy Barker IV | 2014– | Tamar | [7] |
Inshore Lifeboats edit
| Op. No. | Name | In service [5] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-44 | Unnamed | 1965–1972 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-199 | Unnamed | 1972–1986 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-319 | Unnamed | 1986–1994 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-463 | Nellie Grace Hughes | 1994–2004 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-623 | Peterborough Beer Festival II | 2004–2013 | D-class (IB1) | |
| D-761 | Mark Lott | 2013– | D-class (IB1) |
Station Honours edit
The following are awards made to the crew of Mumbles Lifeboat Station[8]
- William John Gammon, Coxswain - 1944
- John Bevan, Master of the schooner Gower - 1833
- William Evans -1835
- John Reeve, Master of Schooner Wave - 1838
- Captain Thomas Jones - 1839
- Captain John Howell - 1839
- Captain Charles Sutton - 1839
- Captain Joseph Foley - 1839
- Arthur Rees - 1839
- Lewis Jenkins - 1839
- Captain Joseph Foley (Second service clasp) - 1840
- Coxswain Jenkin Jenkins - 1883
- Lionel Derek Scott, Coxswain - 1964
- Lionel Derek Scott BEM, Coxswain (Second service clasp) - 1971
- William John Gammon, Coxswain - 1941
- Robert Trevor Williams, Mechanic - 1941
- William Gilbert Davies, Mechanic
- Thomas John Ace, Bowman - 1944
- Lionel Derek Scott, Coxswain - 1968
- Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- W Davies, Second Coxswain - 1964
- Mechanic J Gammon - 1964
- W Tucker, Assistant Mechanic - 1964
- J Bailey, Signalman - 1964
- K Kostromin - 1964
- G Parsons - 1964
- H Randall - 1964
- J Whitford - 1964
- Alan Richards Jones, Helmsman - 1971
- Peter Allan Algie, crew member - 1971
- Anthony David Lewis, crew member - 1971
- Lionel Derek Scott BEM, Coxswain - 1981
- Anthony David Lewis, Helmsman - 1983
- A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- W Clements - 1973
- The Maud Smith Award 1944
- for the bravest act of life-saving in 1944
- William John Gammon, Coxswain - 1944
- The Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal and Thanks Certificate
- R J Gammon, Mechanic - 1948
- Lionel Derek Scott, Coxswain - 1970[9]
- Capt. Peter Royall Griffiths, DLA - 2009[10]
- Binocular glass from The Emperor of Germany
- Coxswain - 1874
- Engraved Statuette of a Lifeboatman
- Lionel Derek Scott BEM, Coxswain - 1980
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Mumbles Lifeboat - History". Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "Severe Gale And Loss Of Life". The Cornishman. No. 238. 1 February 1883. p. 5.
- ^ "BBC News: Wales: Tribute for 1947 Mumbles disaster". 23 April 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "RNLI crews saved 73 lives at sea during 2016". BBC News. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
- ^ "New era as £2.7m Mumbles lifeboat makes its bow". Wales Online. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "The Mumbles' Station history". RNLI. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 9 February 2024.