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Amble Lifeboat Station
Amble Lifeboat Station
Amble, Northumberland
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address	Radcliffe Quay, Warkworth Harbour
Town or city	Amble, Northumberland, NE65 0DJ
Country	England
Coordinates	55°20′11.2″N 1°34′54.0″W / 55.336444°N 1.581667°W / 55.336444; -1.581667
Opened	1842 / 1939
Closed	1856
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Amble RNLI Lifeboat Station

Amble Lifeboat Station is located at Radcliffe Quay, Warkworth Harbour, in the town of Amble, at the mouth of the River Coquet, in the county of Northumberland.

A lifeboat was first stationed here in 1843 by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS). When a lifeboat was placed at Hauxley in 1852, which was considered a more suitable location for the Warkworth Harbour lifeboat, the station at Amble was closed.

Amble lifeboat station was re-opened, and Hauxley station closed, when a motor-powered lifeboat was placed at Amble by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1939.

The station currently operates a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, 13-16 Elizabeth and Leonard (ON 1323), on station since 2016, and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat Alf and Dora Whiting (D-867) since 2022.

History

The early history of Amble Lifeboat Station is somewhat confused, with conflicting reports and dates. It is reported that a lifeboat was first placed at Amble by the RNIPLS in 1842, but it is known that the boat Blythe, formerly at Blyth, was only placed for sale by the Port of Newcastle Shipwreck Association in March 1843, subsequently acquired by the RNIPLS and placed at Amble. The lifeboat had capsized on service at Blyth in 1841, with the loss of 10 lifeboatmen.

In order to comply with the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847, the harbour commissioners were required by law to provide a lifeboat and other rescue equipment. At a time when the RNIPLS was in decline, a lifeboat and Manby Rocket equipment were provided to Warkworth Harbour by the Port of Newcastle Shipwreck Association in 1847, and a boathouse was constructed by the harbour commissioners. With no records available, it must therefore be concluded that this was required because the Blythe was no longer fit for service.

For some time, it was considered that Hauxley would be a far better place to locate the Warkworth Harbour lifeboat, and a station was opened at Hauxley in 1852 by the Newcastle Shipwreck Association. A new boat was provided to Hauxley named Warkworth. In order to comply with the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847, Warkworth Harbour Commissioners would pay a £10 annual subscription for its upkeep.

By 1852, The Duke of Northumberland, who had been a driving force behind the Newcastle Shipwreck Association (NSA), was now president of a much improved RNIPLS, and the NSA transferred management of all its lifeboats to the RNIPLS in 1853. In 1854, the RNIPLS became the RNLI. A new boat was provided to Hauxley in 1855, and the Warkworth was transferred to Bridlington.

The Amble station was to close. Some documents say this happened in 1852 when Hauxley opened, and some say 1856. It would appear that some of the conflicting dates of closure of Amble, are because the old NSA lifeboat was never actually removed, and left at Amble until 1856. Even then, it is reported that the Hauxley lifeboat Warkworth replaced the old NSA boat, ending up back at Amble from 1856 to 1860, when it was overwhelmingly rejected by the Bridlington lifeboat crew.

In the 1930s, the number of men at Hauxley available to crew the lifeboat was in decline, and the fishing industry there had suffered when Druridge Bay started being used by the RAF for target practice. With Hauxley not suitable for a motor-lifeboat, it was decided that when one was available, Amble would re-open, and Hauxley would be closed. The Amble station reopened in 1939, with the arrival of a 45ft Watson-class lifeboat, the Frederick and Emma (ON 659), previously on service at Wick.

On 5 February 1941, the Government cargo steamship Empire Breeze of Sunderland, on her maiden voyage, ran aground on Bondicar Rocks, south of Hauxley, whilst on passage from Scotland to America. All 42 crew were taken off by the Amble lifeboat, in 3 trips. The ship was later refloated, and repaired, returning to service until 25 August 1942, when she was torpedoed and sunk in mid-atlantic.

An increase in water leisure activity in the 1950s and 60s prompted the RNLI to introduce a small fast inshore D-class lifeboat (ILB) at stations around the country. D-51 was placed at Amble in 1966.

On 29 September 1969, the HMAFV Pinnace 1386 Hullat capsized off the north pier, with seven men aboard. In rough conditions, the ILB was immediately dispatched, and the crew managed to rescue two men clinging to the upturned boat, returning them to the harbour. The 46ft Watson-class lifeboat Millie Watson (ON 848) arrived, rescuing a third man. With knocking heard from inside the upturned boat, it was decided to attempt to tow the boat to better water. Meanwhile, two local divers were taken out to the boat aboard the ILB. Despite everyone's best efforts, access to the boat was impossible. Navy divers from Rosythe later managed to cut a hole in the hull, and rescued the one man left inside. Four RNLI Bronze Medals were awarded to lifeboat crew, two being the first ever awarded to the crew of an Inshore lifeboat.

Station honours

The following are awards made at Amble

• RNLI Bronze Medal

William Henderson, Coxswain - 1970

James Stewart, crew member - 1970

Andrew Barton Scott, ILB crew member - 1970

Robert Wade Stewart, ILB crew member - 1970

The awards to Robert Stewart and Andre Scott were the first medals for a service carried out in an inshore lifeboat.

• The Ralph Glister Award 1970
  (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by a rescue boat crew)

Andrew Barton Scott, crew member - 1970

Robert Wade Stewart, crew member - 1970

• The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum

John Connell, Second Coxswain - 1970

Ronald Falcous, Acting Bowman - 1970

Ronald Sabiston, Mechanic - 1970

Hugh Jones Matthews, Assistant Mechanic - 1970

Hugh Ronald Matthews Jnr., crew member - 1970

Keith Stewart - 1977

Jeffrey Matthews - 1977

Matthew Stuart, Helmsman - 1978

Ian Matthew, crew member - 1978

Rodney Burge, Second Coxswain - 1991

• Vellum Service Certificates

Norman Rowell - 1977

• A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution

J B Sample, skin diver - 1970

E Bramham, skin diver - 1970

John Connell, Coxswain - 2001

John Sim, Helmsman - 2003

Esmond Coulter, crew member - 2003

Christopher Nisbet, crew member - 2003

• Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Rodney Burge, Coxswain - 1998NYH

Amble lifeboats

All-weather lifeboats

Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Inshore lifeboats

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
2. ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• List of former RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

Notes

1. 29-foot 10-oared non-self-righting North Country type, built by Wake of Sunderland.
2. Provided to Warkworth Harbour Commissioners by Newcastle Shipwreck Association.
3. 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Teasdel of Great Yarmouth, costing £200.
4. 45ft Watson lifeboat, cost £7,141, legacy of Miss E. M. Beer of Birmingham.
5. 45ft Watson lifeboat, cost £7,515, gift of Mr. J. W. Archer of Bournemouth.
6. 45ft 6in Watson lifeboat, previously at Humber.
7. 46ft Watson lifeboat, cost £14,462, legacy of Mrs M. E. Walton, Douglas, Isle of Man.
8. Rother-class lifeboat, cost £89,000, gift of the Salvesen Trust.

References

1. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
2. ^ Brown, Carnegie R. (1990). The Lifeboat Stations of Amble and Hauxley. Carnegie R. brown. pp. 1–64.
3. ^ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0-907605-89-3.
4. "From the brink of disaster: Richard Lewis and the making of the modern RNLI". RNLI. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
5. Morris, Jeff (July 1996). The History of the Blyth and Cambois Lifeboats. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–50.
6. "Druridge Bay Air Gunnery and Bombing Range" (PDF). Gov.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
7. "The S.S. Empire Breeze". The Lifeboat. War Years (1941). 1941. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
8. "Remembering a local tragedy: the loss of RAF Pinnace 1386". The Ambler. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
9. "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
10. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–120.

External links

• Amble Lifeboat Station

• Lifeboat stations in Northumberland
• Amble