Sidmouth Lifeboat
Lifeboat station in Sidmouth, United Kingdom
50°40′43″N 3°14′10″W / 50.6785°N 3.2360°W / 50.6785; -3.2360Sidmouth Lifeboat is a charity that provides lifeboat and lifeguard services in Sidmouth in Devon, England. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) previously operated a lifeboat at Sidmouth between 1869 and 1912. The charity's independent service dates from 1968 and since 2019 its principal lifeboat has been an Arctic 24 boat named Peter & Barbara Truesdale.
RNLI Sidmouth Lifeboat Station
The RNLI had established stations at Lyme Regis in 1853 and at Exmouth in 1858.[1] The station at Sidmouth was opened in 1869 to cover the coast between the two earlier stations. A boathouse was built at the end of Ham Lane which housed two lifeboats at different times:[2]
| At Sidmouth | ON | Name | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | Rimington | 1860–1885 | Peake |
| 40 | William and Frances | 1885–1912 | Self-righter[3] |
The Sidmouth RNLI lifeboat saved 38 lives but by 1912 it was seldom called out and so the station was closed. The boathouse was later demolished but a stone carved with the initials 'RNLBI' was saved and is now over a doorway of the building that stands on the site.[2]
Independent service
Students at a local secondary school set up a beach lifesaving organisation in 1968 and a rigid inflatable lifeboat was purchased in 1972. The organisation was accredited with the Coastguard as a rescue facility in 1982. A new boathouse was built on The Esplanade when it obtained a new lifeboat in 1991.[2] The lifeboat covers Lyme Bay between Budleigh Salterton and Axmouth.[4]
Inshore lifeboats
| Name | At Sidmouth | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–1981 | Atlantic 16 | [2] | |
| Spirit of Sidmouth | 1981–1998 | Humber | [2] |
| Sidmouth Herald | 1998–2004 | Atlantic 21 | Purchased from the RNLI, Operational Number B-577.[2] |
| Pride of Sidmouth | 2004–2019 | Arctic 24 | [2] |
| Peter & Barbara Truesdale | 2019– | Acrtic 24 | [5] |
The Arctic 24 lifeboats are 7.66 m (25.1 ft) long and can carry 4 crew with 8 survivors. Sidmouth Lifeboat also operates a 4.2 m (14 ft) MilproAvon Sea Rider boat which is known as Speedy Sid.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Denton, Tony (2009). Handbook 2009. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. p. 59.
- ^ a b c d e f g Leach, Nicholas (2009). Devon's Lifeboat Heritage. Twelveheads Press. pp. 4–5. ISBN 978-0-906294-72-7.
- ^ Denton, Tony (2010). Handbook 2010. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. p. 2.
- ^ "Sidmouth Lifeboat". Sidmouth Lifeboat. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Meet the fleet". Sidmouth Lifeboat. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sidmouth Lifeboat Station.
- Sidmouth Lifeboat
