The Valentia Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution station located at Knightstown, Valentia Island, County Kerry, Ireland.
| Valentia Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
 Valentia Lifeboat Station & Slipway | |
  | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Location | Knightstown, Valentia Island, County Kerry |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 51°55′37″N 10°17′18″W / 51.92694°N 10.28833°W |
| Opened | 1864 |
| Owner |  Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
It currently operates a Severn-class lifeboat, 17-07 John and Margaret Doig (ON 1218), on station since 1996.
History edit
The first lifeboat house in the area was constructed in 1864 on the mainland at Reenard Point, facing the island of Valentia. The station was relocated onto Valentia Island in 1869, but it closed in 1896.
Between 1939 and 1945, an auxiliary rescue boat had been stationed at Valentia to help aircraft personnel flying in from the Atlantic during Second World War. After the War, the RNLI re-opened the station in 1946.[1]
In 1985, its personnel participated in the recovery of bodies from Air India Flight 182, the worst aviation disaster in Irish territory.[1] (See Station Honours 1985)
A new boathouse was constructed in 1995, and the following year, the station received 17-07John and Margaret Doig (ON 1218), a Severn-class lifeboat, becoming one of the 35 Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stations around the British Isles to operate the RNLI's largest lifeboat.[2]
Notable rescues edit
On 2 September 1963, seeing a small dingy capsize in poor conditions, Motor Mechanic John Joseph Houlihan set off single handed in the Valentia station boarding boat to the aid of the dinghy. Arriving to find two men in the water, one was dragged aboard, and one left holding the transome. With some difficulty, he brought the two men to shore. For this service, John Joseph Houlihan was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal and The Maud Smith award for Gallantry 1963.
At 6.05pm on 20 February 1970, Valentia Lifeboat was called to the aid of MV Oranmore, with broken down engines, 9 miles NNW of Braddon Head, Co. Kerry, some 42 miles away. The lifeboat arrived on scene at 11.15pm, standing off in rough seas for 2 hours until it was decided that 3 crew be taken off. Eventually, the decision was taken to abandon ship, and the lifeboat rescued a further 7 men, and also the body of the Mate, who had fallen in the sea during the rescue, was recovered, but sadly died. A rope had fouled the port engine during the rescue, so the lifeboat made for Kilrush, and arrived at 6:15am, after just over 12 hours on service. For this service, Coxswain Dermot Walsh was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.[3]
Station Honours edit
The following are awards made to the crew of Valentia Lifeboat Station[2][3]
- William Rowe - 1828
- Joseph Ronowden - 1828
- William Mark - 1828
- Richard Jeffers - 1828
- Nicholas Hanning - 1828
- Hugh Cooper, Coastguard - 1861
- Dermot Walsh, Coxswain - 1970
- John Joseph Houlihan, Motor Mechanic - 1963
- The Maud Smith award for Gallantry 1963
- John Joseph Houlihan - 1963
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- P Murphy, Bowman - 1970
- J Curtin, crew member - 1970
- J Curran, crew members - 1970
- N Murphy, crew member - 1970
- John Joseph Houlihan, Motor Mechanic - 1983
- A Framed letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- The Coxswain and Crew - 1985
- Seanie Murphy, Coxswain - 1989
- Seanie Murphy, Coxswain - 1997
Valentia Lifeboats edit
All-weather lifeboats edit
| ON[a] | Op. No.[b] | Name | In service[4] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | Mary, Crosby Leonard |
1864–1890 | 32 ft Self-Righting (P&S) | [5] |
| 174 | – | Crosby Leonard | 1890–1896 | 33 ft 7in Self-Righting (P&S) | Station Closed in 1896 |
| 690 | – | C. & S. | 1946–1947 | 45ft Watson | Station Reopened 1946 |
| 687 | – | B.A.S.P. | 1947–1951 | 45ft Watson | |
| 717 | – | A.E.D. | 1951–1957 | Barnett | |
| 938 | – | Roland Watts | 1957–1983 | Barnett | |
| 1082 | 52-23 | Margaret Frances Love | 1983–1996 | Arun | |
| 1218 | 17-07 | John and Margaret Doig | 1996– | Severn |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "History" RNLI. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Valentia's Station history". RNLI. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.
- ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021 (2021 ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
Bibliography edit
- Robinson, Richard. Valentia Lifeboats: A History. History Press Limited, 2011. ISBN 1845887077