James Stevens lifeboats

File:The James Stevens No. 14.jpg

RNLB James Stevens No. 14

The James Stevens lifeboats were a series of twenty lifeboats which were purchased by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) using a £50,000 legacy received in 1894 from the estate of Mr James Stevens, of The Reform Club, Birmingham, UK, an Edgbaston property developer, which was provided for this purpose. This donation provided more boats than any other donation received by the RNLI. (Mrs Sue Denny, Spokeswoman for The RNLI).

Two of the lifeboats, No. 10 and No. 14, are still seaworthy.

Fleet

Boat No.	ON	Class	In service	Station	History
No. 1	401	35 ft Self-Righter	1896–1917	Port St Mary	A ten-oared lifeboat that cost £463, launched on 22 services saving 55 lives
No. 2			1898–1912,	Campbeltown, Kintyre	Costing £538, it was severely damaged in a double rescue on 28 December 1908. Captain Martin was awarded a Silver Medal by the RNLI for his bravery and seamanship that night.
No. 3	420	Steam-class	1898–1903 1903–1908 1908–1915 1915–1919 1919–1922 1922–1928	Cleethorpes Gorleston Angle Yarmouth (Totland Bay) Dover Holyhead	Built by J. Samuel White.
No. 4	421	Steam-class	1899–1900	Padstow	Built by J Samuel White. Lost at sea, eight of her crew of eleven were drowned. On 3 September 2009 a memorial was erected in their memory. One of the first steam powered lifeboats.
No. 5			1899–1917	Newquay	Mar 1908 – capsized during a practice launch with the loss of one life. Dec 1917 – Lost whilst helping the SS Osten, her thirteen crew were saved. The old lifeboat station is now an artists studio.
No. 6	427	Self-Righter	1898–1924	Eastbourne	Broken up in 1948 after service in WWII. The old boathouse is now a museum.
No. 7				Howth, Dublin	1901: Captain John Angus, crew 13.
No. 8	425	Liverpool-class P&S	1899–1914 1913–1916	Ardrossan, Ayrshire Wells	Launched 27 September 1899, replacing the Charles Skirrow. On 17 November 1899, 18 people were rescued from the four-masted sailing ship Oberon
No. 9	430		1899–1909	Southend-on-Sea	Fifty-two lives saved from eleven craft
No. 10	435	35 ft Self-Righter	1899–1933	St Ives	Was rescued and restored to offer trips round the harbour. Found submerged in the Hayle Estuary on 30 December 2015.
No. 11	438	35 ft Self-Righter	1915–1919	Angle
No. 12	436	35 ft Self-Righter	1900–1903	The Mumbles	Capsized with the loss of six crew while standing by the re-float of the Waterford steamer Christina which went aground when attempting to enter Port Talbot harbour.
No. 13			1900–1925	Arbroath	Storm damaged in 1925, No. 13 was replaced by James Gowland.
No. 14	432	Norfolk and Suffolk-class	1899–1928	Walton and Frinton	Fully restored and re-launched in 2009 and is the world’s oldest motor lifeboat. 126 Launches, 227 Live Saved.
No. 15	442	Watson-class P&S	1900–1921	Rosslare Harbour	A memorial commends the eleven crewmen of the Rosslare Port Lifeboat James Stevens and six men from the tug Wexford. For four days the lifeboatmen stood by in an open boat, battling against gales, sleet and mountainous seas before rescuing ten men from the wrecked Norwegian schooner Mexico. The James Stevens Museum at Scoil Mhuire National School relates Rosslare’s maritime and rural history. A Wreath is laid annually to commemorate the rescue.
No. 16			1900–1930	Helvick Head (Dungarvan)
No. 17			1900–1922	Porthoustock
No. 18			1901–1931	Girvan
No. 19			1901–1926	Newburgh	(Relief 1926–1928). 15 November 1923, launched to rescue the Aberdeen trawler Imperial Prince, resulting in crew awarded two silver and a bronze medal for bravery.
No. 20	457		1901–1920	Crosshaven, Ireland	(Relief 1920–1923). Station Number 2, cost £1,739

See also

• List of shipwrecks of Cornwall (20th century)

External links

No.2

• Model replica of No. 2

No.3

• 1904 – Period photo of James Stevens Returning to Gorleston harbour

No.5

• 1909 – Photo of the crew of the No. 5
• Early 1900s, Photo of No. 5 Under Sail
• Early 1900s, Photo of No. 5 on show in Fore St

No.6

• High quality period photo of No. 6
• Another high quality period photo of No. 6
• Lower quality later period photo of No. 6
• Lower quality period photo of No. 6 at sea
• Lower quality period photo of No. 6 at sea

No.9

• Folio 244 of 1922: William Watkins Ltd and others, the owners, masters and crews of Arcadia, Hibernia and Uincia and George Mussell, Coxswain, and the crew of Southend on Sea Lifeboat James Stevens No. 9 v Orcades. Case no: W1285. Brief notes of proceedings.

No.10

• Contemporary photo of No. 10, 2005

No.13

• Photo of No. 13

No.14

• Period photo of No.14, 1900