Girvan Lifeboat Station can be found on Knockcushan Street in Girvan, a harbour town sitting at the mouth of the Water of Girvan, overlooking the Firth of Clyde, approximately south-west of Glasgow, in the county of South Ayrshire, in Scotland.

A lifeboat station was established at Girvan by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1865.

The station currently operates at All-weather lifeboat, 13-23 Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan (ON 1330), on station since 2018.

History There were few lifeboats in south west Scotland in the 1860s but they had gradually been established along the Firth of Clyde, the shipping route to the industrial centre of Glasgow. One was placed at in 1803, in 1807, and in 1834.

It was decided that Girvan would also be a good place for a lifeboat, as it was a location where there were many fishermen who would be able to form a crew. In 1865, a self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (10) oars, was constructed by Forrestt of Limehouse, and along with its transporting carriage, was conveyed to the town by the London and North Western and Glasgow and South Western railway companies.

The gift to the Institution of £400 from Alexander Kay, an insurance broker of Glasgow, was appropriated towards the cost of the boat and carriage. At his request, the boat was named (The) Earl of Carrick. A boathouse was constructed at the seaward end of Knockcushan Street, at a cost of £191-16s, on land donated by Henrietta Dundas Dalrymple-Hamilton, Duchess of Coigny, daughter of Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton.

The Girvan lifeboat Earl of Carrick was launched on 26 October 1868, to the fishing smack Margaret Davis of Girvan, after she ran ashore in a gale, onto a reef of boulders, south of the harbour. The crew had hoped to re-float the vessel, but the gale turned to hurricane. After two hours of exertion, the lifeboat reached the vessel, and saved the crew of three.

In 1882, the gift of £500 from Mrs Popham of Ardchattan, Argyll was appropriated to Girvan lifeboat station. The lifeboat was renamed Sir Home Popham. A replacement lifeboat arrived on station in 1887, retaining the name Sir Home Popham (ON 167).

When the telegraph failed in 1898, two men, Mr McKenna and Mr Lawson, rode a tandem bicycle in poor conditions south from Girvan to Ballantrae Lifeboat Station, to alert the crew of a vessel in distress, arriving at 03:00 covered in mud and soaked from the rain. Each man was accorded 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' for their efforts.

A new boathouse was constructed in 1910, again at the seaward end of Knockcushan Street, just a few yards from the original boathouse, at a cost of £800.

Two of the earliest motor-powered lifeboats were dispatched to stations in Scotland in 1909, being placed at and . However, it would be 1931 before one was assigned to Girvan. In the 66 years that a Pulling and Sailing lifeboat had been stationed at Girvan, the lifeboat had been launched at least 40 times, saving 64 lives.

In the presence of a large crowd, a ceremony was held on the 16 May 1931, with singing led by the Girvan Pipe Band, and a guard of honour provided by the Boy Scouts. A new self-righting motor lifeboat, with a single 35-hp 'Weyburn AE6' engine, was presented to the Girvan branch by The Duke of Montrose. The lifeboat was the gift to the Institution from Mrs. Lawrence Glen, of Glasgow, wife of the head of the Glen Shipping Line. After a dedication by Rev. R. G. Colquhoun, MA BD, of Chalmers Church, Girvan, Mrs Glen named the lifeboat Lily Glen-Glasgow (ON 739).

With motor-powered lifeboats now at the flanking stations of (1929) and Girvan, able to cover a larger area much faster and efficiently, the remaining P&S lifeboat at was effectively obsolete. At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 14 January 1932, it was decided to close Ayr Lifeboat Station.

On 12 May 1976, the Girvan lifeboat James and Barbara Aitken (ON 909), which had seen 14 years service at , before being transferred to Girvan in 1968, suffered a fouled propeller, and was subsequently driven ashore. All the crew survived the incident without injury, but the badly damaged boat was withdrawn from service.

The station would receive a new class of lifeboat in 1983. 33-04 Philip Vaux (ON 1084) was a 'Intermediate' lifeboat, designed to fill the gap between a full All-weather lifeboat, and the Inshore lifeboat, and operated at Girvan until 1989. A second Brede-class lifeboat, 33-12 Amateur Swimming Associations (ON 1105), was on station until 1993.

After 1983, the lifeboat house was not required to house the lifeboat, with the , and successive lifeboats, remaining afloat. A new station building was constructed in 1993, still on Knockcushan Street, but closer to the town, on a site overlooking the river. The old lifeboat house was subsequently demolished.

In the same year, a new All-weather lifeboat was placed at Girvan. 12-37 was the last of the fleet of 37 Mersey-class lifeboats constructed, costing £680,000. Over 600 invited guests attended a service of dedication and naming ceremony held on Saturday 16 October 1993.

The lifeboat was funded from the bequest of Miss Silvia Burrell, who died in 1992 at the age of 90. Until forced to stop through failing eyesight, she was well known within the RNLI, for having knitted almost 400 pairs of woollen mittens for lifeboat crews. Silvia Burrell, previously Marion Burrell until she changed her name, was also the daughter of Sir William Burrell, who inherited the Burrell & Son shipping line, and became one of the world's great art collectors. He ultimately donated the Burrell Collection to the city of Glasgow. 50 members of the Burrell family attended the ceremony, which was combined with the opening of the new boathouse, where the lifeboat was named 12-37 Silvia Burrell (ON 1196).

A new pontoon berth was constructed at the station, and completed in March 2004, at a cost of £202,390.

After serving Girvan for 25 years, Silvia Burrell was replaced in 2018 by a new All-weather lifeboat. Measuring in length and weighing 18 tonnes, the new lifeboat is capable of , nearly 50% faster than the previous lifeboat, and has an operation lifespan of 25-years, extending to 50 years with a refit.

The Girvan harbour quayside was lined with a large number of people, families, friends, guests and VIPs on Saturday 5 May 2018, to witness the dedication and naming ceremony of Girvan's new lifeboat. The service of dedication was carried out by the Rev. Richard Moffat, Minister of Girvan North Parish Church. The new £2.1 million lifeboat was funded by The John & Elizabeth Allan Memorial Trust, which was set up in 1998 by Professor James Allan in memory of his parents. Two Inshore lifeboats, and now two All-weather lifeboats have been provided by the trust. With the now traditional Quaich of Whisky, Coxswain Mechanic Callum Govus named the lifeboat 13-23 Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan (ON 1330), after the two late sisters of Professor Allan.

Station honours The following are awards made at Girvan: 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' Mr McKenna – 1898 Mr C. Lawson – 1898

Girvan lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments 1865–1882 Earl of Carrick186532-foot Prowse self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) Prowse-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mr A. Kay of Glasgow, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £198.Renamed Sir Home Popham in 1882. 1882–1887 Sir Home Popham Gift of Mrs Popham of Ardchattan, Argyll.Sold in 1887. 1887–1901 167 Sir Home Popham 1887 x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Mrs Popham of Ardchattan, Argyll, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £336.Sold after being dismantled in 1902. 1901–1931 452 1901 35-foot Liverpool (P&S) x (12-oared) Liverpool-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr J. Stevens of Birmingham, Gift of Mrs Popham of Ardchattan, Argyll, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £938.Sold in 1931. 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 1931–1952 739 – 1931 35-foot 6in self-righting (motor) Last reported derelict at Rye, East Sussex, 2014 1952–1955 795 – Frank and William Oates 1937 Previously at . Transferred to the Relief fleet, later at . 1955–1960 874 – Robert Lindsay 1950 Relief fleet lifeboat. First deployed at . 1960–1961 857 – Glencoe, Glasgow 1949 41-foot Watson Previously at . Transferred to the Relief fleet, later at Portavogie. 1961–1968 897 – St Andrew 1951 41-foot Watson Previously at . Transferred to . 1968–1976 909 – James and Barbara Aitken 1954 Previously stationed at . Withdrawn after being wrecked in service. Sold in 1977, in storage awaiting restoration at Migennes in France, December 2024. 1976–1977 897 – St Andrew(Civil Service No. 10) 1951 41-foot Watson Lifeboat from the Relief fleet. Previously at . 1977–1983 941 – William and Mary Durham 1957 42-foot Watson Previously at . 1983–1989 1084 33-04 Philip Vaux 1982 1989–1993 1105 33-12 Amateur Swimming Associations 1985 Previously in the Relief fleet. 1993–2018 1196 12-37 Silvia Burrell 1993 2018– 1330 13-23 Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan 2018 More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

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

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External links

RNLI: Girvan Lifeboat Station