Barmouth Lifeboat Station () is located on the Promenade in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach in Gwynedd, Wales.

A lifeboat was first provided to Barmouth by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828, operated by the Harbour Trust until 1851. The station was re-established in 1853 by the RNIPLS, which became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1854.

The station currently operates 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337), a All-weather lifeboat, on station since 2019, and Craig Steadman (D-814), a Inshore lifeboat, on station since 2017.

History 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 six-oared type, which arrived aboard the sloop Dove on 25 October 1828. The unnamed boat was operated by the Harbour Trust until 1851.

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 x , with a doorway x , and costing £95. It is thought that this building is now the Harbour Master's office.

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 self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (eight) oars, was built by Forrestt of Limehouse at a cost of £135, 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.

In 1859, both the Barmouth and lifeboats were taken away, and were extended by , the Barmouth lifeboat now being , rowing 12 oars.

In order to accommodate the boat, a new boathouse was constructed 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 launched underneath the railway line, to the river on the south side.

The third lifeboat at Barmouth was the Ellen, a 10-oared (double banked) 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, the gift of Mrs F. G. Smart of Tunbridge Wells, was placed at Barmouth, remaining in service until 1905. She was followed by a second Jones-Gibb (ON 538), which was in service until 1939.

1939 onwards In 1939, Barmouth would finally receive a motor-powered lifeboat, some thirty years after the first ones were introduced. The boat was one of only nine lifeboats constructed, a lightweight vessel suited to shallow conditions. It employed twin 12-hp "Weyburn F2" engines, which drove two internal Hotchkiss Internal Cone water-jet propulsion units, rather than standard propellers, and was capable of without refueling.

The new lifeboat, which cost £3,492, was funded from the legacy of Mrs. M. A. Ardern, of Prestbury, Cheshire. At a ceremony on 8 Aug 1939, a service of dedication was carried out by the Venerable Thomas A. Williams, BA., Archdeacon of Merioneth, with singing led by the Barmouth Male Voice Choir, accompanied by the Harlech Silver Prize Band. Lady Harlech then named the lifeboat Lawrence Ardern, Stockport (ON 817) in accordance with the donor's wishes.

In 1964, in response to an increasing amount of water-based leisure activity, the RNLI placed 25 small fast Inshore lifeboats around the country. These were easily launched with just a few people, ideal to respond quickly to local emergencies. More boats were gradually deployed, and a Inshore lifeboat (ILB) was placed at Barmouth in June 1967.

For a service on 21 June 1971, two crew members of the ILB, and medical advisor Dr Howarth, were each awarded the RNLI Silver Medal, and collectively awarded The Ralph Glister Award for 1971, for their efforts to try to save a woman who had fallen from a cliff at Friog.

On 20 March 1982, Barmouth received a new All-weather lifeboat, a 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).

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 the All-weather lifeboat, the Inshore lifeboat, and both launch tractors.

The station received a new All-weather lifeboat on 10 March 2019. The £2.2 million lifeboat was primarily funded by The Basil Larsen 1999 Charitable Trust, and at a ceremony on 8 June 2019, the boat was formally handed to the RNLI. She was then passed to the care of the Barmouth branch of the RNLI, and named 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337).

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.

Station honours The following are awards made at Barmouth:

RNIPLS Silver Medal For rescuing seven men from the vessel Neptune on 2 February 1825 Edmund Lewis, seaman – 1825

RNLI Silver Medal For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971 John Henry Stockford, crew member – 1971 Colin Pugh, crew member – 1971 Dr Robert Haworth, Hon. Medical Advisor – 1971

The Ralph Glister Award 1971 For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971 John Henry Stockford, crew member – 1971 Colin Pugh, crew member – 1971 Dr Robert Haworth, Hon. Medical Advisor – 1971

RNLI Bronze Medal For rescuing two men from the fishing vessel Boy Nick on 22 November 1978. Evan David Jones, Coxswain – 1979

'The 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 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

Barmouth lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments – 1828 1828–1851 26-foot Palmer x (6-oared) Palmer-class non-self-righting lifeboat, funded by the RNIPLS, built by Harton of Limehouse, London, costing £56.Condemned in 1851. 1853 1853–1867 27-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) x (8-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded by the RNIPLS, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £135. Modified to x in 1860.Sold in 1867. Pre-505 Ellen 1867 1867–1885 x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mrs E. P. Sidebottom of Manchester, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, costing £301.Broken up in 1885. 64 1885 1885–1905 37-foot self-righting (P&S) x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mrs F. G. Smart of Tunbridge Wells, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £390.Placed for sale in 1905, finally sold in 1915. 538 Jones-Gibb 1905 1905–1939 38-foot Watson (P&S) x (12-oared) Watson-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mrs F. G. Smart of Tunbridge Wells, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £1,032.Sold in 1939. Renamed Thrift, later Saor Alba. Last reported as Jones-Gibb at Dauntless Boatyard, Canvey Island, June 2021. Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Motor lifeboats ON Op.No. Name Built Class Comments 817 – 1939 1939–1949 864 – Chieftain 1948 1949–1982 1063 37-38 Princess of Wales 1982 1982–1992 1185 12-26 Moira Barrie 1992 1992–2019 1337 Ella Larsen 2018 2019– More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

Inshore lifeboats D class Op.No. Name Class Comments D-137 1967–1978 D-268 1979–1988 D-374 1988–1997 D-524 Pilgrim 1997–2007 D-514 Lord Kitchener 2007 2007–2017 D-814 Craig Steadman 2017–

Launch and recovery tractors Op. No. Reg. No. Type Comments T97 C282 LNT Talus MB-H Crawler 2004 T121 DX04 YZG Talus MB-H Crawler 2004–2019 SLARS (Clayton) 2019–

See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

Notes

References