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Abersoch Lifeboat Station

Coordinates: 52°49′36″N 4°30′12″W / 52.8266°N 4.5034°W / 52.8266; -4.5034
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Abersoch Lifeboat Station
Abersoch Lifeboat Station
Abersoch Lifeboat Station is located in Gwynedd
Abersoch Lifeboat Station
Abersoch, Gwynedd
General information
TypeLifeboat station
LocationMin-y-Don
AddressAbersoch, Gwynedd, LL53 7AG
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates52°49′36″N 4°30′12″W / 52.8266°N 4.5034°W / 52.8266; -4.5034
Opened1869; 155 years ago (1869)
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/abersoch-lifeboat-station

Abersoch Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Abersoch in Gwynedd, Wales. A station was opened in 1869 but was moved to become Penrhyndhu Lifeboat Station from 1894 until 1931. An inshore lifeboat station was opened in Abersoch in 1965 and moved into its present building in 1994. It operates an Atlantic 85 lifeboat.

History

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The RNLI opened a lifeboat station on the north side of the bay at Abersoch in 1869. It was moved to a new site on the south side of the bay in 1894 and was then known as Penryndhu. This boathouse was extended in 1897 by the addition of a watch room. The station was closed in 1931 when a motor lifeboat was stationed at Pwllheli which could cover the coast around Abersoch. The 1894 building still stands and is known as the 'old lifeboat station'.[1][2]

The RNLI started to provide Inshore Lifeboats (ILBs) in the 1960s and a D-class was sent to Abersoch in 1965, a new lifeboat station being established for it. Similar boats were used at Abersoch until 1978 when the station was upgraded to use larger and faster B-class lifeboats. The boathouse was extended in 1987 so that the tractor could be kept coupled to the trolley on which the lifeboat was launched. [3]

A new lifeboat station with improved crew facilities was built in 1994.[3]

Awards

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Just a few months after the station opened it was proving its worth. On a night in January 1870 the lifeboat was launched to save the crew of the Kenilworth which had run aground while carrying a cargo of tobacco and cotton. It took three hours for the lifeboat crew to row through the storm to reach the wreck but 13 men were saved. Owen Lloyd Williams was awarded an RNLI Silver Medal for his part in the rescue. In 1879 he was awarded a second-service clasp for his medal for his 'intrepid services' at both Abersoch and nearby Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station.[2]

The inshore lifeboat crews have been recognised for several difficult rescues. On 25 June 1972 the Abersoch and Pwllheli lifeboats rescued two people from rocks at Cilan Head using a breeches buoy. The Abersoch crew were given framed letters of thanks from the RNLI's chairman. More of these were presented to the three crew involved in rescuing a climber who fell 35 35 m (38 yd) from cliffs into the sea on 13 April 1977.[3]

A girl and her dog were rescued from a rock on 26 October 2000. The operation was carried out after dark and in rough seas. Lifeboat helm Richard Hughes and crew member Simon Harris were presented with the 'Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum'. Barrie Duncan McGill was awarded the MBE by the Queen in 2009 for his services to the RNLI.[3][4]

Lifeboats

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Pulling and sailing lifeboats

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'ON' is the Official Number used in RNLI records from 1884.

At Abersoch ON Name Built Class Comments
1869–1892 237 Mabel Louisa 1869 Self-righter [5]
1892–1904 335 Oldham 1894 Self-righter Transferred to Wick and withdrawn in 1913.[6]
1904–1930 530 Oldham 1904 Watson Sold and converted to a yacht named Grey Dawn.[7]
1930–1931 581 Maria Stephenson 1907 Watson Previously stationed at Buckie and Moelfre; sold in 1936.[8]

Inshore lifeboats

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Launching B-886 Peter and Ann Setten

'Op. No.' is the Operational Number carried on the side of the boats.

At Abersoch Op. No. Name Built Type Comments
1965–1968 D-70 (no name) 1965 RFD PB16 [9]
1968–1970 D-12 (no name) 1963 RFD PB16 [9]
1971–1977 D-192 (no name) 1971 RFD PB16 [9]
1978–1990 B-540 Wolverhampton 1978 Atlantic 21 [10]
1990–2002 B-582 Borough of Solihull 1990 Atlantic 21 [10]
2002–2015 B-790 Margaret Bench of Solihull 2002 Atlantic 75 [10]
2015– B-886 Peter and Ann Setten 2015 Atlantic 85 [11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lifeboat station, Abersoch". Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Abersoch inshore lifeboat station". History Point. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Abersoch station history". RNLI. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ^ Denton, Tony (2010). Handbook 2010. Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society. p. 5.
  6. ^ Denton 2010, p. 7.
  7. ^ Denton 2010, pp. 14–15.
  8. ^ Denton 2010, pp. 16–17.
  9. ^ a b c Denton 2010, pp. 53–56.
  10. ^ a b c Denton 2010, pp. 49–52.
  11. ^ "Our lifeboats". RNLI. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
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