Littlehampton_Lifeboat_Station
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station
RNLI Lifeboat Station in Fisherman's Quay, England
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station in the town of Littlehampton, in West Sussex, on the south coast of England.[1] The station is on the harbour side on the eastern bank of the River Arun, a quarter mile from the harbour entrance and the pier. The current lifeboat house on Fisherman's Quay was built in 2002. The lifeboat station currently operates with two inshore lifeboats: a B-class (Atlantic 85) lifeboat, Renee Sherman (B-891) and a D-class (IB1) lifeboat, Ray of Hope (D-769).[2][3]
| Littlehampton Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Architectural style | Steelframe Boathouse with brick and block construction |
| Location | Fisherman's Quay |
| Address | Littlehampton, West Sussex , BN17 5BL |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°48′28.9″N 0°32′40.1″W |
| Opened | 1884 re-established in 1967 |
| Owner |  Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Concrete, brick, block and steel |
The RNLI opened the first lifeboat station in the town in 1884.[4][5] It was built on the east bank of the River Arun, near what is now the Harbour Park amusement park. The pulling and sailing lifeboat (a lifeboat using oars and sail, with no engine) was manned by local sailors and fishermen. In 1903 the boathouse was moved closer to the lighthouse. The lifeboats were launched 26 times before this original station closed in 1921 due to lack of qualified staff, and the placement of a new motor lifeboat further west at Selsey.[4][5]
Reopening and Blue Peter appeals
Increased leisure boating in the area led to a corresponding rise in marine rescues, including swimmers and small craft washed out to sea, necessitating a faster local response. The station re-opened in 1967 as an inshore lifeboat station operating a D-class lifeboat housed in a garage on the east bank of the river Arun. The cost was defrayed by a fundraising appeal on the BBC programme Blue Peter.[6][7][8] The lifeboat was called Blue Peter 1 (D-115).[7] The original Blue Peter 1 lifeboat was replaced five times, funded each time by appeals on Blue Peter; each replacement lifeboat retained the name Blue Peter 1 until 2016.[9]
1979–present
In 1979, a new boathouse was built for the station near Fishermen's Quay, enabling quick launch down a short ramp into the Arun.[4]
In 2002, the station underwent a large re-development to fit in with the recent waterside changes in the area. The new station has been designed specifically as a two-boat station at a cost of £550,000.[9] At this time, the station was provided with a B-class (Atlantic 75) lifeboat, Blue Peter 1 (B-779), at a cost of £100,000.[9]
A new D-class inshore lifeboat, D-631 Spirit of Juniper, was donated by the Campaign for Real Gin in 2004 at a cost of £25,000, and served until 2014.[9] She was replaced by D-769 Ray of Hope, a later version of the D-Class IB1, funded by a private donor at a cost of £42,000.[10]
The final Blue Peter 1 was replaced in 2016 by a B-class (Atlantic 85) boat, Rennee Sherman (B-891).[3]
The Littlehampton lifeboat station was the busiest in the West Sussex area, with 61 call outs in 2020 and 913 between 2008 and 2020.[11]
All-weather lifeboats
| ON[lower-alpha 1] | Name | In service [12] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Friend | 1882–1885 | 33-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| – | Undaunted | 1884–1888 | 32-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | Previously Joshua (Newquay) and James and Elizabeth (Chichester) |
| 172 | James, Mercer and Elizabeth | 1888–1904 | 34-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 531 | Brothers Freeman | 1904–1921 | 35-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | Station Closed in 1921 |
Inshore Lifeboats
D-class
| Op.No.[lower-alpha 2] | Name | In service [12] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-115 | Blue Peter I | 1967–1972 | D-class (RFD PB16) | D-class upgraded to B-class in 1972 |
| D-431 | Veronica | 2003–2004 | D-class (EA16) | Additional D-class added in 2003 |
| D-458 | Maureen Samuels | 2004 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-631 | Spirit of Juniper | 2004–2014 | D-class (IB1) | [13] |
| D-769 | Ray of Hope | 2014– | D-class (IB1) | [14] |
B-class
| Op.No.[lower-alpha 2] | Name | In service [12] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-504 | Blue Peter I | 1972–1973 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-517 | Blue Peter I | 1973–1974 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-523 | Blue Peter I | 1974–1985 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-564 | Blue Peter I | 1985–2001 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-779 | Blue Peter I | 2002–2016 | B-class (Atlantic 75) | [15] |
| B-891 | Renée Sherman | 2016– | B-class (Atlantic 85) | [16] |
- The Littlehampton Atlantic 75-class lifeboat Blue Peter 1 (B-779) being retrieved by the stations TC45 tractor in its launch cradle on the slipway outside the lifeboat station at Fishermen’s Quay on the banks of the River Arun.
- The Littlehampton D-class Spirit of Juniper (D-631) was on station from 2004 to 2014, here inside the boathouse at Fishermen’s Quay, Littlehampton.
- Rennee Sherman (B-891) being launched in a cradle in the river Arun, Littlehampton Lifeboat Station, 9 May 2016.
- Rennee Sherman (B-891) in the river Arun heading out to sea, 9 May 2016.
- Rennee Sherman (B-891) being launched from Littlehampton Lifeboat Station, 9 May 2016.
The following are awards made at Littlehampton[17][18]
- Lt. Timothy Macnamara, RN, coastguard - 1840
- Lt. George Davies, RN, coastguard - 1840
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- C R Cole, crew member - 1970
- C J Pelham, crew member - 1970
- David William Woollven, Helmsman - 1982
- "The RNLI Littlehampton Lifeboat Station website". Home page of station website – RNLI. ©2014 RNLI. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- "The lifeboats". RNLI Littlehampton. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
- "The latest news on our new Atlantic 85 lifeboat". littlehamptonlifeboat.org.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- For Those In Peril – The Lifeboat Service of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Station by Station. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Silver Link Publishing Ltd, First Issue 1999. Work:Part 2, South Coast of England – Eastbourne to Weston-super-Mare, Page 74, Littlehampton. ISBN 1 85794 129 2
- "A Brief History of Littlehampton". Reference to the early work of the RNLI at Littlehampton. Arun District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- Strong to Save – Dramatic first-hand accounts of the RNLI lifeboat rescues around the British Iles. Author: Kipling, Ray and Susannah. Publisher:Patrick Stephens Ltd, re-printed addition – 1998. Work: Blue Peter to the Rescue – references to the Blue Peter appeals and involvement with the RNLI, Page 104. ISBN 1 85260 495 6
- "Shorething! - Blue Peter lifeboats and rescue". Description of the relationship of Blue Peter 1 to Littlehampton. RNLI. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- Never Turn Back – The RNLI since the Second World War. Author:Kipling, Ray and Susannah. Publisher:Sutton Publishing, 2006. Work: Chapter 7, page 154, From Whitehall to White City – Blue Peter book appeal, ISBN 0 7509 4307 6
- "Station History – Littlehampton Lifeboat Station". Littlehampton History – reference to new station and Lifeboat. Copyright © 2014 RNLI Littlehampton. All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- Ash, Tim (13 October 2014). "Official naming ceremony for new lifeboat at Littlehampton RNLI lifeboat station". RNLI. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- "Littlehampton lifeboat busiest in West Sussex". Sussex World. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- "Naming Ceremony and Service of Dedication of Spirit of Juniper". The Campaign for Real Gin. Retrieved 21 May 2005.
- "Littlehampton lifeboat crew welcomes its new craft". Sussex World. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- "Littlehampton's Blue Peter lifeboat to be retired". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- "New Littlehampton RNLI lifeboat to be named in honour of French-born donor". RNLI. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- "Littlehampton's station history". RNLI. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.