Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station is located at the mouth of the

River Adur The Adur () is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th centur ...

, on Brighton Road, in

Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...

(Shoreham), a town approximately west of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, overlooking the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

.OS Explorer Map 122 - Brighton and Hove, Folded Map. Publisher:Ordnance Survey; B2 edition (27 April 2009). A lifeboat was first placed at Shoreham by the Harbour Commissioners in 1845, with management of the station being transferred to the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on s ...

(RNLI) in 1865. Lifeboats at Littlehampton RNLI open day 2024 02

The station operates two lifeboats, the All-weather lifeboat ''Enid Collett'' (ON 1295), on station since 2010, and the much smaller Inshore lifeboat ''Joan Woodland'' (D-784), on station since 2015.

History

Ever since its founding in 1824, the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS), later to become the RNLI in 1854, would award medals for deeds of gallantry at sea, even if no lifeboats were involved. On 13 January 1843, the smack ''Prince Regent'', was on passage from London to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, when she stranded at Copperas Gap. A line was thrown from the vessel, and a coastguard attached himself to the line, then being dragged through the surf to the vessel. He then assisted the crew of five to be rescued by

Breeches buoy A breeches buoy is a rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one place to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harne ...

. Abraham Young, Chief Boatman of H.M. Coastguard at Fishersgate, was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.

1845–1929: Harbour Commission and transfer to RNLI

In 1845 the Shoreham Harbour Commissioners established a lifeboat service. A 30-foot lifeboat was provided, costing £100. Records show that two lives were saved. In 1865, management was transferred to the RNLI, and Shoreham Lifeboat Station was fully refurbished. A new boathouse was constructed on Kingston beach, at a cost of £133-10s-0d, and a new 33-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat was also provided, one with sails and (10) oars, which was transported to the station free of charge by the

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR (known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton)) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at ...

. The lifeboat was funded from the gift of £300 from Miss Robertson of London, and at a service on 1 November 1865, the lifeboat was named ''Ramonet'' (ON 212) in accordance with her wishes. In 1870, the Harbour Board funded the installation of a slipway.For Those In Peril – The Lifeboat Service of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Station by Station. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Silver Link Publishing Ltd, First Issue 1999. Work:Part 2, South Coast of England – Eastbourne to Weston-super-Mare, Page 73, Shoreham harbour. On 16 December 1874, the ''Ramonet'' capsized, while on a training exercise in rough weather and heavy seas. Crewman Robert Brazier drowned. A local customs officer swam out to attempt to assist, and was awarded the

RNLI Silver Medal A number of awards have been established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) since its creation in 1824. None are approved by the Crown, and are therefore unofficial awards. As such, they do not appear in the official British order ...

.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:SHEADER William Tolladay G: Page 159. The 1865 boathouse was used until 1892, when a new timber-framed boathouse was built on the western side of the Harbour, and the old station building was demolished. In 1903, the boathouse was moved further from the shore. In October 1924, the station was closed, as silt deposits in the harbour entrance had created a sandbar, which made operations impossible.

1929–1941: New station and World War II rescues

After work had been carried out to remove the sandbar, the station re-opened in October 1929. In 1933 the station moved to Kingston Beach opposite Shoreham Harbour. A new boathouse and slipway were built to accommodate the new 41-foot ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' (ON 758) lifeboat. The station would be known as Shoreham Harbour Lifeboat Station. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' took part in the

Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

, crewed by

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

men, instead of the lifeboat crew. She was towed to Dunkirk on 1 June 1940 by

naval drifter A naval drifter is a boat built along the lines of a commercial Drifter (fishing boat), fishing drifter but fitted out for naval purposes. The use of naval drifters is paralleled by the use of naval trawlers. Fishing trawlers were designed to tow ...

''Kindred Star''. During the evacuation she made three trips from the beaches back to Dover. On 16 November 1941, the Royal Navy

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

''President Briand'' suffered engine trouble whilst along the coast off Shoreham. Strong wind along with heavy seas were threatening to push the vessel onto the shore. ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' was launched to assist, and stood by the ship until 21:30, at which time the tug ''SS Goole'' arrived and relieved the lifeboat. The coxswain of the ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' returned to the ''President Briand'' aboard the Shoreham Pilot Cutter to pilot the minesweeper. At 21:45, the lifeboat was recalled to service as both the tug and the minesweeper were being driven ashore by the high winds. The tow line broke and the minesweeper rolled heavily, waves breaking over her decks. Avoiding the presence of the

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...

s in the vicinity, the lifeboat went alongside multiple times and removed all 22 men aboard the minesweeper, including their own coxswain. Two lifeboat crewmen received RNLI medals for their participation in the rescue.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:UPPERTON, James and PHILCOX Henry, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 292. Beginning early on 8 August 1948 a strong gale was blowing with rough seas and a heavy swell, shredding the sails of the yacht ''Gull'' and driving her out of control off the coast at Shoreham. ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' was launched to assist, hoisting her sail to give her engines enough speed to catch the yacht. The lifeboat eventually caught the yacht at the entrance to

Newhaven Newhaven is a port town in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England, lying at the mouth of the River Ouse. The town developed during the Middle Ages as the nearby port of Seaford began drying up, forcing a new port to be established. A ...

Harbour, where she had become waterlogged and caught in shallow water. The lifeboat got alongside her and rescued all six people aboard. For this service the coxswain received the

.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:UPPERTON, James, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 305/306.

1963–1990: Refurbishment and Tyne-class lifeboat

In 1963, ''Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn'' was retired and replaced by the ''Dorothy and Philip Constant'' (ON 967). In 1967 the station was supplied with a second lifeboat. This was a Inshore lifeboat and was kept in its own berth constructed beneath the main boathouse. From 16 to 19 October 1971, the

drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construction purposes, into the earth's subsurface. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to ...

'' William Allpress'' was anchored three-quarters of a mile off the coast near

Rustington Rustington is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex. Rustington is approximately at the midpoint of the West Sussex coast and midway between Chichester and Brighton. The A259 runs along the north of Rustington, west ...

awaiting a tow, in deteriorating weather. The rig's five crew were unable to eat or sleep in the rough weather, and needed rescue. The ''Dorothy and Philip Constant'' was launched at 2:10 pm; the seas were rough and torrential rain made visibility extremely limited. The life-boat crew were able to pull the rig's crew on board across the foredeck to safety. Coxswain John Fox was awarded an

RNLI Bronze Medal A number of awards have been established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) since its creation in 1824. None are approved by the Crown, and are therefore unofficial awards. As such, they do not appear in the official British order ...

.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:FOX, John Alfred, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 343. On 5 August 1973, the yacht ''Albin Ballard'' was drifting with wrecked sails owing to heavy seas and gale-force winds. The ''Dorothy and Philip Constant'' was launched at 03:15, and found the yacht due south of

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south south-west of London, west of Brighton and ...

, deluged with large waves, and with a seasick, exhausted crew. Two of the lifeboat's crew boarded the yacht and set up a towline, bringing her safely into Shoreham at 07:25. Coxswain John Fox was awarded a second

.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:FOX, John Alfred, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 347.

On 20 January 1980, the MS ''Athina B'' arrived at

from the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

archipelago. During the voyage, she had problems with her generator,

gyro compass A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical direction automatically. A gyrocompass make ...

and

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

, and put in at

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

in France for repairs. On arrival at Shoreham, the vessel was caught in gale force seven or eight winds, and with seas breaking across her decks, she was unable to enter. Her engines failed, and a

Mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiz ...

call was issued. The ''Dorothy and Philip Constance'' was launched to service at 08:40, and rescued half the crew, as well as the captain's family. The lifeboat returned the next day to rescue the remaining crew. Coxswain Kenneth Voice was awarded the

.Lifeboat Gallantry - RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & son Ltd and the RNLI, 1998. Work:VOICE, Kenneth Frederick David, Shoreham Lifeboat: Page 370. In 1981, sinkage of the slipway led to the allocation of a 13-ton lifeboat, primarily designed for carriage launching. The slipway was strengthened following the decision to place a boat on station. The Rother was replaced in 1986 by the first of two boats that served for four years, before being replaced by the new Tyne. In 1990 the new lifeboat ''Hermione Lady Colwyn'' (ON 1158) arrived at Shoreham. She was on station until 2010. A succession of relief fleet Tynes then followed, until the new lifeboat entered service in December 2010.

2008: Redevelopment and Tamar-class lifeboat

In 2008, a £1 million public appeal was launched, to partially fund another rebuild, this time to accommodate a new lifeboat. In January 2009, the old 1933 station boathouse, and slipway, was demolished, and the station was temporarily housed on Kingston Beach. The new building is timber-framed on three storeys, has boat halls for both the All-weather and Inshore lifeboats, and dedicated slipways. The previous boathouse and station encountered occasional problems with flooding due to high spring tides and waves. To eliminate this problem, a wave pit was created at the front of the lifeboat house, to help dissipate the energy of storm waves racing across the open harbour mouth to the slipway. The project cost a total of £4.2 million, and was officially opened by

The Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of peerage of Great Britain, Great Britain and the peerage of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom, most recently as a Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedom ...

on 16 June 2011. The £2.7 million All-weather lifeboat ''Enid Collett'' (ON 1295) arrived at the station on 10 December 2010, so named after Enid Collett of

Great Shelford Great Shelford is a village located approximately to the south of Cambridge, in Cambridgeshire, in eastern England. In 1850 Great Shelford parish contained bisected by the River Cam. The population in 1841 was 803 people. By 2001, this had g ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, whose legacy primarily funded the lifeboat. The station also maintains a Inshore lifeboat, currently the ''Joan Woodland'' (D-784), which was placed on service in 2015.

Station honours

The following are awards made at Shoreham Harbour * RNIPLS Silver Medal ::Abraham Young, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard, Fishersgate – 1843 *

::William Tolladay G Sheader, Examining Officer, H.M. Customs – 1875 ::James Thomas Upperton, Second Coxswain – 1941 ::James Thomas Upperton, Coxswain – 1948 (Second-Service clasp) ::Kenneth Frederick David Voice, Coxswain – 1980 *

::Henry Philcox, Motor Mechanic – 1941 ::John Alfred Fox, Coxswain – 1972 ::John Alfred Fox, Coxswain – 1973 (Second-Service clasp) *The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum :: Henry Philcox, Motor Mechanic – 1948 The Shoreham Harbour Lifeboats, 1865-1965 and Supplements 1965-1990 ::Ken L. Everard, Assistant Mechanic – 1972 ::Ken Everard, Assistant Mechanic – 1973 ::Geoff Tugwell, crew member – 1973 ::John Alfred Fox, Coxswain – 1973 ::Michael Fox, Helm of the D-class lifeboat – 1977 ::Kenneth Everard, Second Coxswain – 1980 ::Jack Silverson, Motor Mechanic – 1980 ::Michael Fox, Assistant Mechanic – 1980 ::Geoff Tugwell, Emergency Mechanic – 1980 ::John Landale, Emergency Mechanic – 1980 ::Peter Huxtable, crew member – 1980 ::Peter Huxtable, Coxswain – 1999 *A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution ::Coxswain and Crew – 1968 ::Peter Huxstable, Coxswain – 2001 ::Steve Smith, Deputy Second Coxswain – 2012 ::Simon Tugwell, crew member – 2012 * Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) ::Peter Ronald Huxtable, Coxswain – 2005NYH *

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

::Henry Philcox, Second Coxswain and Motor Mechanic – 1971NYH ::Andrew Peter Morgan, Visits Officer and Water Safety Volunteer – 2021QBH

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Shoreham Harbour lifeboat. *Drowned when the lifeboat capsized on exercise, 16 December 1874. ::Robert Brazier, crew member

Shoreham Harbour lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing lifeboats

:Station Closed, 1924–1929

Motor lifeboats

Inshore lifeboats

Gallery

Neighbouring Station Locations

Notes

References

{{reflist

External links

Shoreham Harbour RNLI Lifeboat Station
Lifeboat stations in West Sussex Shoreham-by-Sea