Skerries Lifeboat Station is situated at Harbour Road, on Red Island, a

tied island A tied island or land-tied island is a landform consisting of an island that is connected to the mainland or another island only by a tombolo, which is a spit of beach materials connected to land at both ends. St Ninian's Isle in the Shetlan ...

Skerries, County Dublin Skerries () is a coastal town in Fingal, in the north of County Dublin, Ireland. Skerries was historically a fishing port and later a centre of hand embroidery. These industries declined in the early 20th century, however, and it became both a ...

, a town approximately north of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in the administrative region of

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which ...

, on the east coast of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. A lifeboat was first stationed at Skerries in 1833 by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS), but the station closed just five years later in 1838. A station was re-established by 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 1855. The station currently operates a Inshore lifeboat, ''Louis Simson'' (B-866), on station since 2013.

History

A 24-foot lifeboat built by William Plenty of

Newbury, Berkshire Newbury is a market town in West Berkshire, England, in the valley of the River Kennet. It is south of Oxford, north of Winchester, southeast of Swindon and west of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. It is also where West Berkshire Council is hea ...

, costing £130, was initially placed at on 30 November 1826. This would be the first lifeboat station in Ireland. Just 3½ years later, having never been launched on service, the boat was relocated to ,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, in April 1930, and the Arklow station was closed. Three years later, in 1833, the boat was transferred to Skerries, and was stationed there for five years until 1838, when it was transferred once again, this time to . The boat was not replaced at Skerries. On 21 January 1854, Ireland suffered one of its largest maritime disasters of the period, when the RMS '' Tayleur'', lost in fog with a misreading compass, ran aground on

Lambay Island Lambay Island (), often simply Lambay, is an island in the Irish Sea off the coast of north County Dublin, Ireland. The largest island off the east coast of Ireland, it is offshore from the headland at Portrane, and is the easternmost point ...

, located mid-way between Skerries and

Howth Howth ( ; ; ) is a peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the ...

, approximately off the mainland. The

passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

, named after Charles Tayleur, founder of the

Vulcan Foundry The Vulcan Foundry Limited was an English locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire (now Merseyside). History The Vulcan Foundry opened in 1832, as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches, crossi ...

at Bank Quay,

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

. was on its maiden voyage from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

. After initially hitting the rocks, the vessel was washed back into deeper water, and sank, with the estimated loss of 362 lives. In the 1854 October edition of 'The Lifeboat', it was announced that a 29-foot lifeboat, built by Forrestt of

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throu ...

, based on Mr Peake's (self-righting) design, was ready to be transported to the station, along with her new carriage, built by Ransome and Sims of Ipswich, aboard the

British and Irish Steam Packet Company The British and Irish Steam Packet Company Limited was a steam packet and passenger ferry company operating between ports in Ireland and in Great Britain between 1836 and 1992. It was latterly popularly called the B&I, and branded as B&I Li ...

vessel ''Foyle''. A boathouse was constructed, at a cost of £98, on a site provided by

James Hans Hamilton James Hans Hamilton (February 1810 – 30 June 1863), was an Anglo-Irish Member of Parliament. Hamilton was the son of Hans Hamilton and Anne Mitchell. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 17 June 1828. He was elected to the House of Co ...

, MP., and a "local committee of gentlemen" had been created, with Hans Hamilton Woods as chairman, and Henry Alex Hamilton appointed as honorary secretary. It was also reported that considerable contributions had been forthcoming from the residents of the local area, as detailed on issue 12 page 119 of The Lifeboat. ''"The recent wrecks of the Tayleur and of the brig Agnes in this locality will probably be remembered by many of our readers as amongst those which have pointed it out as a desirable one for a life-boat station"''. The Austrian

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

''Tregiste'' was stranded in a gale on 14 November 1858, between

and

Portrane Portrane or Portraine () is a small seaside village located three kilometres from the town of Donabate in Fingal, County Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Nethercross in the north of the county. P ...

. Joint Honorary Secretary for the Skerries and Balbriggan Branch of the RNLI, Henry Alexander Hamilton, JP, Chief Boatman with H.M. Coastguard, Balbriggan, took charge of the lifeboat, which was launched at 11:00 on 15 November. Conditions were too rough to make progress, and the lifeboat had to put back to Rogerstown. There the crew waited until 17 November for a break in the weather, reaching the vessel, and rescuing 13 men. For this service, Henry Alexander Hamilton was awarded the

RNLI Gold 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 ...

. On 1 February 1873, the Skerries lifeboat ''Admiral Mitchell'' (1859) was launched on a bitterly cold night, to the

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Sarah'' of

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and Runcorn Docks, cargo port in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England. Runcorn is on the south bank of the River Mersey, where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. It is upstream from the port of Live ...

. The vessel had wrecked on the rocky shore at Balbriggan. In an effort to get close, oars were broken, and control of the boat was lost. The lifeboat was anchored, but after an hour of riding the surf, the lifeboat capsized, and seven men were thrown into the water. Only the coxswain managed to regain the boat, which was then capsized twice more, fortunately with no more loss of life. A memorial to the six men lost stands in Holmpatrick Cemetery. On service to the

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

''S. Vaughan'' of

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Nova Scotia Highway 101, Highway 101. The community has a history d ...

on the 23 October, the Skerries lifeboat ''Laura Platt'' was being towed by a trawler, and capsized after the tow line parted. No lives were lost. A new boathouse was constructed in 1903, costing £767, to house the ''William Maynard'' (ON 493), a 35-foot Liverpool (P&S) lifeboat, funded from the legacy of Rev. W. S. Maynard of

Gressingham Gressingham is a small village and civil parish in the City of Lancaster In the 2001 census, it had a population of 153, decreasing slightly to 151 at the 2011 census. St John the Evangelist's Church was originally built in the 12th century. ...

. In 1930, a motor lifeboat, ''Lady Kylsant'' (ON 721), was placed at , approximately to the south. Skerries Lifeboat Station was then closed. The ''William Maynard'' (ON 493) was sold out of service.

1981 onwards

In July 1981, it was decided to once again establish a lifeboat station at Skerries, and a lifeboat (D-176) was placed on service. The station was formally opened on Sunday May 1 1983 by John Boland, Minister for the Public Service in the Republic of Ireland. In just under two years on service, the inshore boat had performed 11 rescues, and saved 13 lives. Successful evaluation trials with held with the lifeboat ''Round Table'' (B-543) in 1997. The ''Helen Mitchell Scrimgeour'' (D-393) was withdrawn. Work began in April 1997 to construct a new boathouse for the Atlantic-class lifeboat and Talus MB-764 County launch tractor, which was completed in August 1997. On 22 June 1998, the lifeboat ''Rockabill'' (B-747) was placed at Skerries. The current lifeboat is the ''Louis Simson'' (B-866), which arrived on 28 February 2013, and was funded from the bequest of Mrs Charlotte Jordon Simson.

Station honours

The following are awards made at Skerries. *

::Henry Alexander Hamilton, JP, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard, Balbriggan – 1858,
Joint Honorary Secretary for the Skerries and Balbriggan Branch of the RNLI. * RNIPLS Silver Medal ::John Carter, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, Skerries – 1828 *

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 ...

::Alexander Bain, seaman – 1859 ::John Payne, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, Skerries – 1877

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Skerries lifeboat. *Lost when the lifeboat ''Admiral Mitchell'' capsized, whilst on service to the

''Sarah'' of

, 1 February 1873. ::Albert Anning, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard (32) ::Richard Cochrane (40) ::William Fitzpatrick (20) ::Joseph Halpin (42) ::James Kelly (45) ::Patrick Reid (24)

Skerries lifeboats

Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats

:Station Closed, 1930 :

Inshore lifeboats

D-class

B-class

Launch and recovery tractors

Notes

References

{{Reflist

External links

Skerries RNLI Lifeboat Station
Sea rescue County Dublin Lifeboat stations in Ireland 1833 establishments in Ireland 1855 establishments in Ireland 1981 establishments in Ireland