Barmouth Lifeboat Station

52°43′15″N 4°03′21″W / 52.720955°N 4.055815°W / 52.720955; -4.055815Opened1828Owner Royal National Lifeboat InstitutionWebsiteBarmouth Lifeboat Station

Barmouth Lifeboat Station is located in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach river in Gwynedd, Wales. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828.^[1]

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) currently operate a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337), on station since 2019, and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, Craig Steadman (D-814), on station since 2017.^[2]

Following a request by the Rev. Frederick Ricketts, a lifeboat was provided to the town by the RNIPLS in 1828. The first lifeboat was a 26-foot six-oar Palmer type, which arrived aboard the sloop Dove on 25 October 1828. The unnamed boat served until 1853.^[3]

Local funding provided the first boathouse. It was initially said that a new boathouse would be constructed, but it is possible that an older 1800s building was converted. There are reports of a stone building measuring 30' x 9', with a doorway 6' 6" x 6', and costing £95. It is thought that this building is now the Harbour Master's office.^[3]

On 28 December 1851, with the existing lifeboat deteriorating, Capt. Kenyon of Barmouth wrote to the RNIPLS, requesting that the lifeboat be replaced. In October 1853, a new 27-foot Peake 8-oared, self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, costing £135, was built by Forrestt of Limehouse, and was delivered to Caernarfon free of charge by the London and North Western and the Chester and Holyhead Railway companies. The lifeboat was then sailed down to Barmouth by the crew.^[3]

In 1859, both the Barmouth and Criccieth lifeboats were taken away, and were extended by 6-feet, the Barmouth lifeboat now being 33-foot long, rowing 12-oars.^[3]

In order to accommodate the boat, a new boathouse was constructed 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) south east of the town, where the lifeboat could launch directly into the Afon Mawddach. However, in 1864, the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway began work on the Pwllheli to Aberystwyth Railway, which required the construction of the Barmouth Bridge across the Afon Mawddach. As a result, the line was bridged right over the top of the slipway, creating a unique situation where the boathouse was located to the north of the railway line, and the lifeboat launching underneath the railway line, to the river on the south side.^[3]

The third lifeboat at Barmouth was the Ellen, a double banked 10-oar vessel, placed on station in 1867. She was provided by an 'anonymous' gift, from a lady known only as E.P.S. In 1885, the Jones-Gibb (ON 64), with 12 oars double-banked, was placed at Barmouth, remaining in service until 1905. She was followed by a second Jones-Gibb (ON 538) in service until 1939.^[4]

On 20 March 1982, Barmouth received a new All-weather lifeboat, a Rother-class lifeboat, built by William Osborne of Littlehampton, costing £240,000, and the first lifeboat to be fitted with Radar. A naming ceremony was planned for later in the year, to coincide with a Royal Visit to Barmouth, and on a cold wet 25 November 1982, Diana, Princess of Wales, named the boat Princess of Wales (ON 1063).^[3]

A new lifeboat station was constructed on the promenade, to the west of the town in 2004. Costing £1.23 million, it provided up-to-date facilities for the crew, and is able to house both the All-weather lifeboat, the D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, and both launch tractors. A new Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat arrived in March 2019, and was named 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337) later that year.^[5]

Barmouth is an RNLI "Explore" category station whereby, subject to operational requirements and availability of staff, visitors can look around the station. An RNLI Visitor Centre, and gift shop, are also housed within the building.

During the lifetime of the station thirteen awards for bravery have been presented.

The following are awards made at Barmouth^[1][6]

• RNIPLS Silver Medal

For rescuing seven men from the vessel Neptune on 2 February 1825

Edmond Lewis - 1825

• RNLI Silver Medal

For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971

John Henry Stockford - 1971

Colin Pugh - 1971

Dr Robert Airdrie Haworth - 1971

• The Ralph Glister Award 1971
  (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by the crew of an inshore lifeboat)

For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971

John Henry Stockford - 1971

Colin Pugh - 1971

Dr Robert Haworth - 1971

• RNLI Bronze Medal

For rescuing two men from the fishing vessel Boy Nick on 22 November 1978.

Evan Jones, Coxswain - 1979

• Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum

For the rescue of two men from the vessel Isabel on 18 September 1858

Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858

For saving the boat and crew of the American ship Troy on 19 November 1859

Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858

For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957

George Berridge - 1957

William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1957

For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982

Edward Leonard Vaughan, Acting Coxswain - 1982

• Vellum Service Certificate

For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982

Kenneth Ingram, Mechanic - 1982

Harry Allday, Acting Second Coxswain - 1982

Robert Buckley, crew member - 1982

John Stockford, crew member - 1982

Llewelyn Griffin, crew member - 1982

• Maud Smith Award 1957

(for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew).

For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957

William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1958

• Testimonial on Parchment, awarded by the Royal Humane Society

For entering the sea to rescue a man who had jumped from Barmouth Viaduct on 19 October 1980

John Henry Stockford - 1980

• British Empire Medal

George Kenneth Jeffs, Coxswain Assistant Mechanic - 1989NYH^[7]

ON[a]	Op.No.[b]	Name	In service[5]	Class	Comments[3]
–	–	Unnamed	1828–1853	26-foot Palmer	[Note 1]
Pre-269	–	Unnamed	1853–1867	27-foot Peake	[Note 2]
Pre-505	–	Ellen	1867–1885	34-foot Self-Righting (P&S)	[Note 3]
64	–	Jones-Gibb	1885–1905	37-foot Self-Righting (P&S)	[Note 4]
538	–	Jones-Gibb	1905–1939	38-foot Watson (P&S)	[Note 5]
817	–	Laurence Ardern, Stockport	1939–1949	Surf	[Note 6]
864	–	Chieftain	1949–1982	Liverpool	[Note 7]
1063	37-38	Princess of Wales	1982–1992	Rother	[Note 8]
1185	12-26	Moira Barrie	1992–2019	Mersey	[Note 9]
1337	13-30	Ella Larsen	2019–	Shannon	[8]

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

Op.No.[b]	Name	In service[4]	Class	Comments
D-137	Unnamed	1967–1978	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-268	Unnamed	1979–1988	D-class (RFD PB16)
D-374	Unnamed	1988–1997	D-class (EA16)
D-524	Pilgrim	1997–2007	D-class (EA16)
D-514	Lord Kitchener	2007	D-class (EA16)
D-678	Rotarian Clive Tanner	2007–2017	D-class (IB1)
D-814	Craig Steadman	2017–	D-class (IB1)	[9]

Op. No.[b]	Reg. No.	Type	In service[4]	Comments
T97	C282 LNT	Talus MB-H Crawler	2004
T121	DX04 YZG	Talus MB-H Crawler	2004–2019
SC-T18	HF68 DDL	SLARS (Clayton)	2019–

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