Ramsey Lifeboat Station is located on Queens Promenade, in Ramsey, a town overlooking Ramsey Bay, approximately north of Douglas, on the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Ramsey by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1829. The station was re-established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1868.
The station currently operates a All-weather lifeboat, 13-42 Ann and James Ritchie II (ON 1349), on station since 2022.
History On 28 May 1828, Sir William Hillary, President of the Isle of Man District Association of the RNIPLS, wrote to the Institution's headquarters in London, requesting that a lifeboat be placed at both and Ramsey, which was duly agreed.
The first lifeboat for Ramsey was a non-self-righting 10-oared lifeboat, built by Harton of London, and purchased for £55. She was completed in November 1828, and transported to Ramsey aboard HM Cutter Industry, arriving on 20 February 1829. There are no records to show that the boat was ever launched on service. By the 1840s, the boat was in disrepair. Following the death in 1848 of Sir William Hillary, the driving force behind the RNIPLS, and with little or no funding available, Ramsey lifeboat station effectively ceased.
In 1854, a rejuvenated RNIPLS became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). In 1868, the Lieutenant governor of the Isle of Man wrote to the RNLI to request that a station be re-established at Ramsey, which was agreed. An order was placed with Forrestt of Limehouse, London, who built a 33-foot (10 metre) ten-oared self-righting lifeboat, provided by the gift of Mr James Ryder, via the Manchester Branch of the RNLI, and which was delivered to Ramsey in November 1868. A boat house had also been commissioned, built by Y. Gallow on the Esplanade, at a cost of £145, which was completed in September 1869. A naming ceremony was then held on 28 September 1869, when Miss Christian of Milltown named the boat Two Sisters, after the daughters of Mr Ryder. She was launched 42 times and saved 117 lives.
Following the Mexico disaster, when 27 lifeboat men from and lost their lives in December 1886, and with concerns raised regarding older self-righting boats, a replacement lifeboat was ordered for Ramsey. A new 37-foot 12-oared self-righting lifeboat was built by Hansen of Cowes, costing £421, arriving in Ramsey in August 1888. The boat, carriage and all equipment was funded by Mr and Mrs Norbury of Port Lewaigue, near Ramsey, and she was named Mary Isabella (ON 222). She was launched twice on service in 1889, but the coxswain and crew were unhappy with her seaworthiness, and the boat was sent back for alterations. The Two Sisters returned to service, performing another 7 rescues, and saving 30 lives.
Also in 1889, a new boathouse was proposed, complete with a first floor committee room, and living accommodation above for the coxswain and his family. In all, the boathouse and the slipway opposite cost over £1700, and with £300 once again donated by Mr and Mrs Norbury, the Norbury Boathouse was opened in February 1890.
It was only in January 1891 that the Mary Isabella returned to Ramsey. She was launched 28 times, and saved 90 people, but was holed during a launch off the quay in February 1895, repairs taking three days, and in April that year it was decided to replace her. Hansen of Cowes built a 10-oared self-righting boat, which was delivered to Ramsey in April 1896. Costing £551, and once again funded by Mr and Mrs Norbury, she was also named Mary Isabella (ON 391).
20th century Another name that has become synonymous with Ramsey lifeboats is the name Ritchie. Keen seafarers James and Ann Ritchie, of the Isle of Man brewing company Heron and Brearley, decided to fund a lifeboat for Ramsey. lifeboat James Ball Ritchie (ON 995) arrived on service in 1970, shortly after James' death.
His widow, Ann Ritchie, née Gough, President of the Ramsey Ladies Lifeboat Guild, decided to fund two more lifeboats: one for , and one went to . After her death in 1990, the residue of her estate became the Gough Ritchie Charitable Trust. One third of its income is distributed to the RNLI for use in the Isle of Man.
In 1991, a second boat for Ramsey was provided, lifeboat 12-14 Ann and James Ritchie (ON 1171). To accommodate the new boat, the Norbury Boathouse, which had been in use for 96 years, was demolished to make way for a new building, The New Norbury Boathouse. This building provided a larger space for the new lifeboat, along with improved crew facilities and a souvenir shop.
Ann and James Ritchie was retired in 2019, and lifeboat 12-22 Ruby Clery (ON 1181), formerly at , was placed on service until the arrival of Ramsey's new lifeboat in 2022. Once again, more construction work was required at the boathouse to accommodate the new boat and SLARS launch system. The work included removal of the front elevation to extend the building, installing a ground source heat pump system, and internal layout reconfiguration with updated crew facilities.
lifeboat 13-42 Ann and James Ritchie II (ON 1349) arrived in Ramsey in 2022. She is the sixth lifeboat funded by James and Ann Ritchie, and the Gough Ritchie Charitable Foundation.
Notable rescues On the 7 November 1890. the Two Sisters was launched in rough seas to the steam dredger Walter Bibby, rescuing the 15 men on board. Only 4 days later, in similarly poor weather, the Two Sisters was launched again, this time to the vessel Margaret, travelling from Runcorn to Belfast. Her three-man crew were landed safely. For these two actions, Edward Christian Kerr, Honorary Secretary, and Robert Garett, Coxswain, were awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.
The Aberdeen steam trawler Strathairlie ran aground at Skellig Bay north of Ramsey, on the night of 20 November 1941. Ramsey lifeboat Lady Harrison was launched to their aid. Unable to get close enough, a cable system was run to the trawler, and 15 men were rescued in turn. John Comish, Coxswain, was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.
Station honours The following are awards made at Ramsey Sea Gallantry Bronze Medal Harry Sharpe – 1918 RNIPLS Silver Medal John Covin – 1845 RNLI Silver Medal Robert Fell, Coxswain – 1883 Edward C. Kerr, Honorary Secretary – 1890 Robert Garrett, Coxswain – 1890 Silver Medal awarded by the Finnish Government Jack T. Lord, Coxswain – 1937 RNLI Bronze Medal John Comish, Coxswain – 1942 Bronze Medals awarded by the Finnish Government Ramsey Lifeboat Crew – 1937 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' Ernest Starkey, Acting Motor Mechanic – 1942 James Kinnin, Coxswain – 1986 James Kinnin, Coxswain – 1993 Vellum Service Certificate Douglas Martin, Second Coxswain – 1986 Ronald Crowe, Assistant Motor Mechanic – 1986 Gerald Evison, Emergency Mechanic – 1986 Kevin Crowe, crew member – 1986 Alan Christian, crew member – 1986 Kim Holland, crew member – 1986 Anthony Gaines, crew member – 1986 Raymond Stanfield, Second Coxswain – 1993 Mark Kenyon, Assistant Mechanic – 1993 Kevin Christian, crew member – 1993 Kim Holland, crew member – 1993 Robert Wade, crew member – 1993 'A Letter of Appreciation signed by the Director of the Institution' Juan Sable, Tractor Driver – 1993 Mervyn Sims, Asst. Tractor Driver – 1993 Certificate on Vellum, awarded by the Royal Humane Society R. E. Wilkinson, reserve crew member – 1968 Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) William Reginald Edwards, Honorary Secretary – 1966NYH James Kinnin, Coxswain – 1997QBH Kevin Andrew Christian, Volunteer Operations Manager – 2012QBH Stewart Mark Kenyon, Coxswain – 2020QBH British Empire Medal William Frank Cottier, Coxswain – 1971QBH James Harold Kneale, Mechanic – 1987QBH
Ramsey lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments – 1829 1829–c.1840 28-foot Palmer x (10/12-oared) Palmer-class lifeboat, funded by the IOM district association, built by Harton of Limehouse, London, costing £55. Two Sisters 1868 1868–1888 33-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr J. Ryder, via the Manchester branch of the RNLI, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £297.Gifted to Ramsey on retirement, for display at Mooragh lake. 222 Mary Isabella 1888 1888–1889 37-foot self-righting (P&S) x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr and Mrs Norbury of Port Lewaigue, IOM, via the Manchester branch of the RNLI, built by Hansen of Cowes, costing £421.Returned to manufacturer in 1889 for modifications. Pre-513 Two Sisters 1868 1889–1890 33-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) Temporarily returned to service 222 Mary Isabella 1888 1891–1896 37-foot self-righting (P&S) Damaged in service, and broken up in 1896. 391 Mary Isabella 1896 1896–1915 37-foot self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr and Mrs Norbury of Port Lewaigue, IOM, via the Manchester branch of the RNLI, built by Hansen of Cowes, costing £551.Sold in 1916. 402 Anna Maria Lee 1897 1915–1927 37-foot self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded from the legacy of Mrs S. A. Lee of Gunnersbury, built by Rutherford of Birkenhead, costing £567 when new.Previously at . Sold in 1927. 512 1903 1927–1931 x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of the Misses Simpson of Lancaster, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £928 when new.Previously at . Transferred to .
Motor lifeboats ON Op.No. Name Built Class Comments 745 – Lady Harrison 1931 1931–1948 35-foot 6in self-righting (motor) Transferred to 862 – Thomas Corbett 1948 1948–1970 Transferred to 995 37-24 James Ball Richie 1970 1970–1991 1171 12-14 Ann and James Richie 1991 1991–2019 1181 Ruby Clery 1992 2019–2022 Previously at 1349 13-42 2021 2022– More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.
Launch and recovery tractors Op.No. Reg.No. Type Comments T4 XA 9192 Clayton 1931–1933 T18 PY 7589 Clayton 1933–1938 T30 DMN 850 Case L 1938–1955 T41 JXR 66 Case LA 1955–1963 T45 9065 MN Case LA 1963–1970 T76 119 TMN Case 1000D 1970–1980 T80 H359 MAN Case 1000D 1980–1983 T78 MAN 2241 Case 1000D 1983–1990 T110 G751 MNT Talus MB-H Crawler 1990–2002 T105 FMN 664V Talus MB-H Crawler 2002–2015 T101 MMN 258H Talus MB-H Crawler 2015–2021 T108 1222 MN 2021–2022 SLARS (Clayton) 2022–
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
Notes
References
External links Ramsey RNLI Lifeboat Station