| Cullercoats Lifeboat Station | |||||||||||
| Map Type: | Tyne and Wear | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Relief: | 2 | ||||||||||
| Location: | Cullercoats Lifeboat Station | ||||||||||
| Address: | Cullercoats Harbour, North Side | ||||||||||
| Location City: | Cullercoats, Tyne and Wear, NE30 4PZ | ||||||||||
| Location Country: | UK | ||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 55.0355°N -1.432°W | ||||||||||
| Building Type: | RNLI Lifeboat Station | ||||||||||
| Opened Date: | 1852 RNIPLS | ||||||||||
| Owner: | Royal National Lifeboat Institution | ||||||||||
| Website: | Cullercoats Lifeboat Station | ||||||||||
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Cullercoats Lifeboat Station is located on the north side of Cullercoats Harbour, in the town of Cullercoats, North Tyneside, in the county of Tyne and Wear.
A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1852, which became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1854.[1]
The Cullercoats RNLI station currently operates a Inshore lifeboat Daddy's Girl (B-935), on station since 2022.[1]
In 1852, Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, president of the RNIPLS, made funds available for the provision of a lifeboat at Cullercoats. A 36-foot long, 15-foot wide, stone-built boathouse was constructed, also at the expense of the Duke. A modified lifeboat, based on the prize-winning design of James Beeching, was created by James Peake, Master Shipwright at Woolwich Royal Naval Dockyard, and a carriage to transport the boat was designed by Col. Colquhoun, RA, Master-General of Ordnance. Both lifeboat and carriage arrived in Cullercoats on 3 September 1852, the boat being named Percy in honour of the Duke.[2]
By 1858, Percy was found to be suffering from dry rot. A replacement 32-foot 10-oared lifeboat was ordered from Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £174, and requiring a larger carriage, costing a further £80-5s-0d. Costs were again funded by the Duke of Northumberland, and the boat was once again named Percy.[2]
A replacement boathouse was constructed in 1866 to accommodate the larger 33-foot lifeboat Palmerston. Thirty years later, a third boathouse was constructed in 1896. A brick structure, it was built on the site of the 1866 boathouse, and cost £750. Funded by the Co-operative wholesale society, who had also funded a lifeboat Co-operator No.1 (ON 5) in 1884, it was opened on 8 August 1896 by Mr Tweedell, chairman of the Newcastle branch of the Society. It is still in use to this day, and is grade II listed by Historic England.[3] [4]
The era of Pulling and Sailing lifeboats (those with oars and sails) at Cullercoats came to an end in 1937, with the arrival of a motor-powered lifeboat (which would also still have sails), the Richard Silver Oliver (ON 794). The boat had a single 35 hp engine, delivering a speed of 7.33 knots, and cost £3,684. After 85 years, this would also be the first non-self-righting lifeboat at Cullercoats, which 2 years later would prove very costly.[1]
On a training exercise in 1939, the lifeboat was capsized off Sharpness Point. 6 crewmen were lost, including the Coxswain and the Honorary Secretary. The remaining crew refused to use another non-self-righting lifeboat, and the station was closed until the arrival of a self-righting boat in 1940.[3] [5]
Following a coastal review in 1968, with All-weather lifeboats at flanking stations and, and with a Inshore lifeboat at Cullercoats since 1965, the RNLI decided to withdraw the Cullercoats All-weather lifeboat. 37-08 Sir James Knott (ON 975) was formally withdrawn on 4 May 1969, being transferred to the Relief fleet, and then to in 1972. Over the following years, the lifeboats would be replaced with a larger twin engine lifeboat, and then in 1991, a .[1] [2]
The following are awards made at Cullercoats.[3] [6]
Alexander Donkin, 1827
.
John Redford, Coxswain - 1853
Andrew Taylor, Coxswain - 1898
Major William Adamson, Honorary Secretary - 1886
Brian Gould, Helmsman - 1995
Robert Oliver, Helmsman - 1996
Robert Oliver, Helmsman - 2012
Robert Oliver, Helmsman - 1997
Mark Charlton, crew member - 1996
David Pendlington, crew member - 1996
Robert Oliver - 2010
Peter Clark - 2010
Grahame Wood - 2010
Gary Hawksford - 2010
Grahame Wood, crew member - 2012
Stephen Potts, crew member - 2012
Ross Dun, crew member - 2011
Grahame Wood, crew member - 2011
Raymond James Taylor, Honorary Secretary - 1995[7]
Geoffrey Cowan, Community Safety Officer - 2020[8]
In memory of those lost whilst serving Cullercoats lifeboat.[3]
George Brunton, Coxswain
J Redford Armstrong, Second Coxswain
J Leonard Abel, Motor Mechanic
John Heddon Scott, Assistant Mechanic
Lt. Cmdr Lionel E R Blakeney-Booth, RN, Honorary Secretary
Kenneth L Biggar, naval cadet
| ON | Op. No. | Name | In service[9] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Percy | 30-foot Self-righting Peake (P&S) | [10] | ||
| Pre-351 | – | Percy | 1859–1865 | 32-foot Self-righting Peake (P&S) | [11] |
| Pre-452 | – | Palmerston | 1866–1884 | 33-foot 1in Self-righting (P&S) | [12] |
| 5 | – | Co-operator No.1 | 1884–1907 | 37-foot 1in Self-righting (P&S) | [13] |
| 571 | – | Co-operator No.1 | 1907–1937 | 37-foot 6in Self-righting (P&S) | [14] |
| 794 | – | Richard Silver Oliver | 1937–1939 | [15] | |
| 727 | – | Westmorland | 1940–1951 | ||
| 880 | – | Isaac and Mary Bolton | 1951–1963 | ||
| 975 | Sir James Knott | 1963–1969 | |||
All-weather lifeboat withdrawn in 1969
| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-50 | 1965 | |||
| D-87 | ||||
| D-100 | 1969–1974 | |||
| D-229 | 1975–1984 | |||
| C-512 | 1984–1991 | C-class (Zodiac Grand Raid) | formerly | |
| B-514 | Guide Friendship 1 | 1991–1992 | ||
| B-591 | Edmund and Joan White | 1992–2006 | ||
| B-590 | Wolverson X-Ray | 2006–2007 | ||
| B-811 | Hylton Burdon | 2007–2022 | ||
| B-935 | Daddy's Girl | 2022– | ||
| Op. No. | Reg. No. | Type | In service | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T19 | TY 2547 | Clayton | 1949–1951 | |
| T5 | IJ 3424 | Clayton | 1951–1954 | |
| T14 | XW 2075 | Clayton | 1954–1955 | |
| T35 | FYM 558 | Case L | 1955–1963 | |
| T71 | 519 GYM | Case 1000D | 1963–1969 | |
| TW18H | H710 RUX | Talus MB-4H Hydrostatic Mk1.5 | 1991–1993 | |
| TW22H | K501 AUX | Talus MB-4H Hydrostatic Mk2 | 1993–2004 | |
| TW21H | J495 XUJ | Talus MB-4H Hydrostatic Mk2 | 2004–2017 | |
| TW59H | DU04 DVW | Talus MB-4H Hydrostatic Mk2 | 2017– | |