Swanage Lifeboat Station can be found on the north facing shore of Peveril Point, a headland on the Isle of Purbeck, to the south of Swanage, a seaside resort and town sitting mid-way between Weymouth and Bournemouth, on the Jurassic coast of the county of Dorset in southern England.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Swanage by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on 16 September 1875.
The station underwent extensive re-development in 2015/16, with a new purpose-built boathouse opened in 2017, to accommodate its new All-weather lifeboat (ALB).
The station currently operates 13-13 George Thomas Lacy (ON 1320), a All-weather lifeboat, on station since 2016, and Roy Norgrove (D-884), a Inshore lifeboat (ILB), on station since 2023.
History On 23 January 1875, the brigantine Wild Wave of Exeter, carrying a cargo of coal bound for Poole, was wrecked at Peveril Point. Efforts to save the crew failed on the first day, but putting out the following day, the crew of four men and a boy were rescued. H.M. Coastguard Officer John Lose was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.
Prompted by the wreck, an application for a local lifeboat was made to the RNLI by local residents. On 4 March 1875, at a meeting of the RNLI committee of management, following the visit and recommendation by the Inspector of Lifeboats, the establishment of a station at Swanage was agreed.
A lifeboat house, with a stone slipway for launching the boat, was constructed on a suitable site granted by the Earl of Eldon, costing £526. A 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with both sails and (10) oars, was sent to the station in September 1875. The boat was presented to the Institution by S. J. Wilde on behalf of his aunt, the late Miss M. K. Wilde of London.
A large crowd gathered on 16 September 1875 to witness the service of dedication and naming ceremony of the new lifeboat. After prayers by the Rev. B. D. Travers, the boat was named Charlotte Mary (ON 193), at the request of the benefactor, in memory of her two sisters. Joined by lifeboats from and , the new Swanage boat was launched, and its self-righting capabilities demonstrated to the assembled spectators.
The lifeboat's first service was on 13 March 1876, saving one man from the ketch William Pitt of Poole, when it was driven ashore near Bournemouth.
In 1890, the slipway was lengthened.
On service to the barque Brilliant on 12 January 1895, Coxswain William Brown was washed overboard, along with another crew member. The crew man was recovered to the boat, but Coxswain Brown, aged 44, was drowned. The RNLI committee of management voted £275 to a local fund set up in aid of his wife and children, and also defrayed the cost of his funeral.
Motor lifeboats On 7 July 1928, a crowd of 6000 people gathered to witness the inauguration of the new lifeboat Thomas Markby (ON 706), the first motor-powered lifeboat to be stationed at Swanage. The lifeboat, costing £6,559, was built by S. E. Saunders of Cowes, funded from the legacy of the late Mrs Thomas Markby of London, and was named in memory of her late husband. A 40-hp Weyburn CE4 petrol engine gave the boat a range of , and a top speed of .
1992 renovation
Work was carried out on the boathouse in 1992 to make room for the station's new lifeboat. This included an extension to the side of the boathouse and an increase in the roof's height. Work was also undertaken on the slipway.
On 3 September 1992, the new lifeboat was named 12-23 Robert Charles Brown (ON 1182), in honour of Robert Charles Brown BEM, who was a lifeboatman at the station for over fifty years.
Inshore lifeboats On 3 April 1993 a Inshore lifeboat (ILB) was sent to the station for evaluation, and a new slipway was built the following year to accommodate it. In 1995, the ILB was given permanent status, and a new Inshore lifeboat Phyl Clare 2 (D-475) was placed on service on 8 April.
A shoreworks project including extra parking which cost £13,333 was completed in July 2002.
On 27 August 2003, a new ILB, the Jack Cleare (D-613) was placed on service, with Phyl Clare 2 (D-475) being withdrawn.
On 12 July 2012, the Phyl & Jack (D-752) was placed on service, with the Jack Cleare (D-613) being withdrawn. This lifeboat was funded in part by a gift and bequest from Mrs Phyl Cleare.
In December 2023, Swanage Lifeboat station welcomed Roy Norgrove (D-884) as their new Inshore lifeboat, replacing Phyl & Jack which had been on service for 12 years.
2016 rebuild
In November 2014, the RNLI's contractors (BAM Nuttall) arrived on site to start modifications of the boathouse. The Robert Charles Brown had its final slipway launch on 1 February 2015.
The lifeboat arrived on 8 April 2016, and was officially placed on service on 20 April. The Robert Charles Brown (ON 1182) left Swanage for the last time on 22 April, after more than 23 years of service. On 8 November, trials of the new Shannon class slipway began, and successfully completed, the boat moved into its boathouse on 14 December. On 13 February 2017, the Phyl & Jack (D-752) was moved into its new boathouse.
On 29 April 2017, the new lifeboat station was officially opened, and the lifeboat 13-13 was formally named George Thomas Lacy (ON 1320). Having cost a total of £8 million, of which more than £465,000 was raised locally, the boathouse was opened to the public on 1 May. The station has the only slipway launched Shannon-class lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.
Rescues and awards Over the years, Swanage Lifeboat Station crew have been involved in many rescues. Ten medals for gallantry, five silver and five bronze have been awarded, the last in 1996.
RNIPLS Silver Medal Lt. William Parsons, RN, Officer of the Coastguard – 1839 Lt. George Davies, RN – 1839 Edward Leggett, Gunner, RN – 1839 Charles Stubbs, Seaman, RN – 1839 (all of the Revenue Cutter Tartar)
RNLI Silver Medal John Lose, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, Swanage – 1875
RNLI Bronze Medal Robert Charles Brown, Assistant Motor Mechanic – 1934 Ronald Hardy, Coxswain – 1970 Ronald Hardy, Coxswain – 1977 (Second-Service clasp) Victor Albert Marsh, Second Coxswain/Mechanic – 1977 Christopher Haw, Coxswain – 1996
The Maud Smith Award 1996 Christopher Haw, Coxswain – 1996 (Swanage)
The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum Robert C. Brown, Coxswain – 1936 The crew of the Swanage lifeboat – 1965 D. Dyke, Second Coxswain – 1970 P. Dorey, crew member – 1970 Alec Edmonds, crew member – 1971 Ronald Hardy, Coxswain – 1976 Philip Dorey, Emergency Mechanic – 1976 Dr William Tudor-Thomas, Honorary Medical Adviser – 1979 John Corben, crew member – 1979 Christopher Haw, crew member – 1979 Philip Dorey, Acting Coxswain – 1981 Victor Marsh, Coxswain/Mechanic – 1988 Martin Steeden, Emergency Mechanic – 1988 Christopher Haw, Coxswain – 1990 Christopher Haw, Coxswain – 1993
Thanks of the Committee of Management inscribed on Vellum Dr D. I. Aitken – 1966
A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution Victor Marsh, Coxswain/Mechanic – 1978 George Bishop, Second Assistant Mechanic – 1978 Thomas Haw, crew member – 1978 Christopher Haw, Coxswain – 1994 Terry Pond, crew member – 1994
A Collective Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution Malcolm Turnbull, crew member – 1992 Anthony Byron, crew member – 1992 Christopher Coe, crew member – 1992
Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Capt. Neil Michael Hardy, Lifeboat Operations Manager – 2015QBH David Graham Corben, Chair, Lifeboat Management Group – 2024KBH
British Empire Medal Robert Charles Brown, Former Coxswain – 1977QBH Victor Albert Charles Marsh, Coxswain Mechanic – 1989NYH
The following are for services to the motor launch Chasseur 5 of the French Naval Forces, December 1943: Letter of Thanks from the Commander in Chief French Naval Forces in UK Swanage Lifeboat Station – 1944
French Government Medals Swanage Lifeboat Crew – 1946
French Lifeboat Society Medals Coxswain, Mechanic and Bowman – 1946
Roll of honour In memory of those lost whilst serving at Swanage:
Lost when washed out of the lifeboat, on service to the barque Brilliant on 12 January 1895. William Brown, Coxswain (44)
Swanage lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments 1875–1890 193 Charlotte Mary 1875 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Miss M. Rider Wilde, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £389.Sold in 1890. 1890–1893 296 William Erle 1890 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Lady Erle of Liphook, built by Watkins of Blackwall, London, costing £533.Transferred to the relief fleet. Later stationed at . 1893–1914 358 William Erle 1893 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Lady Erle of Liphook, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £585.Sold in 1914. 1914–1918 392 Zaida 1896 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr F. B. Drybrough of Piccadilly, built by Hansen of Cowes, costing £492 when new.Previously at . Sold in 1918. 1918–1928 664 1918 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mrs H.Sturmy of Blackheath, built by Summers and Payne of Southampton, completed by Saunders of Cowes, costing £2,800.Transferred to .
Motor lifeboats ON Op. No. Name Built Class Comments 1928–1949 706 — Thomas Markby 1928 40-foot Self-righting (motor) Transferred to . 1949–1975 858 — R. L. P. 1949 Sold in 1981. Renamed Beya. A workboat at Millport. Last reported with a sea cadet group in England, June 1989. 1975–1992 1023 37-31 J. Reginald Corah 1974 Sold in 1995. Renamed Louise 2-G-B-H. Unaltered at Guldborg, Denmark, December 2025. 1992–2016 1182 12-23 Robert Charles Brown 1992 Sold in 2019. Renamed Atlantic, later Robert Brown. At Zaandam, Netherlands, December 2025. 2016– 1320 13-13 2016
Inshore lifeboats Op. No. Name Class Comments 1993–1994 Phyl Clare First deployed in the relief fleet in 1990, transferred to in 1994. 1994–1995 D-417 First deployed in the relief fleet in 1991. 1995–2003 D-475 Phyl Clare 2 2003–2012 D-613 Jack Cleare 2012–2023 D-752 Phyl & Jack 2023– D-884 Roy Norgrove
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
Notes
References
External links
RNLI Swanage Lifeboat Station