The Landguard Fort Lifeboat is an example of early attempts to design an unsinkable vessel. Several years before the foundation of the RNLI, Richard Hall Gower had been addressing the special problems of

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

design. Bayleys at

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

built one to his design, being paid for by public subscription initiated by Admiral Page. They launched her from the yard near Stoke Bridge in April 1821 and thoroughly tested her on the

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

. She took station at Landguard Fort, South of

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...

. There is a plan of this vessel in Gower's "Original Observations". She had a long flat floor, flared out to project at both head and stern. She was steered by a long sweep over the stern. Fourteen copper-clad water-tight cases, five on each side and four down the mid line provided buoyancy.

Oars An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...

and two foul-weather sprit-sails provided propulsion and there was provision for self-draining when she was fully waterlogged. About 30' overall and 7' breadth, she was capable of supporting 25 men even when flooded. Her normal crew was six oarsmen and a

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...

. Gower remarked very emphatically that a coxswain should be in constant charge of her; for without such an experienced man, she would be almost useless.

References

Gower, R. H. (1834). Original Observations regarding the inability of ships to perform their duty etc. S. Piper, Albion Press, Ipswich.Ch. IX pp. 67-74 Lifeboats