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Caister Lifeboat Station

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Coordinates: 52°38′45.9″N 1°44′09.9″E / 52.646083°N 1.736083°E / 52.646083; 1.736083
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Caister Lifeboat Station
Caister Lifeboat Station.
Caister Lifeboat Station is located in Norfolk
Caister Lifeboat Station
Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk
General information
StatusClosed
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
AddressSkippers Walk
Town or cityCaister-on-Sea, Norfolk, NR30 5DJ
CountryEngland
Coordinates52°38′45.9″N 1°44′09.9″E / 52.646083°N 1.736083°E / 52.646083; 1.736083
OpenedNASLSM 1845 / RNLI 1857
Closed1969

Caister Lifeboat Station is located in the village and seaside resort of Caister-on-Sea, on the east coast of the county of Norfolk.

A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners (NASLSM) in 1845. Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1857.[1]

The RNLI station closed in 1969. The station was reopened as an independent station, managed by the Caister Volunteer Lifeboat Service.[1]

History

[edit]

In the late 1700s, a group of men, mainly fishermen, formed the "Caister Company of Beachmen", in order to find extra employment offering additional boat services, ferrying passengers and pilots, retrieving discarded anchors to re-sell, and in times of shipwreck, to rescue people, and more importantly, salvage boats and cargo. When lifeboats started being placed along the coast, these would be the men to crew the lifeboat. This company would survive until 1941, when a motor-lifeboat was placed at Caister. During this time, the company would also provide their own boats, and carry out rescues, sometimes in conjunction with the lifeboat.[2]

The first Lifeboat was placed at Caister in 1845, by the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners (NASLSM) (or Norfolk Shipwreck Association). The boat was transferred from its previous service at Bacton Lifeboat Station in Norfolk, but on arrival, it was found to be in very poor condition. The Caister boatmen refused to use the boat.[2]

The NSA then provided a new boat, a 42-foot Norfolk and Suffolk-class non-self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with Oars and Sails, built of oak, by Branford of Yarmouth, which arrived in Caister in 1846. A store and lookout were constructed at the end of Beach Road with the permission of the Lord of the manor, Thomas Clowes. The lookout was the top of a ship's mast, purchased for £3-10s-0d, and standing 60 feet (18 m) tall.[2]

In 1857, management of the Caister lifeboat was transferred to the RNLI, who provided a new lifeboat in 1865. A gift of the Birmingham Lifeboat Fund, the boat was named James Pearce Birmingham No.2. In the following 18 years on service at Caister, the boat would save 484 lives.[2]

The RNLI would provide an additional second lifeboat in 1867, Caister No.2 Lifeboat, a smaller 32-foot lifeboat named Boys, thanks to a donation from the Routledge magazine for boys.[1] In 1875, Caister No.2 boat Boys would be renamed Godsend, following a donation by Lady Jane Barbara Bourchier (1810–1884) of Hampton Court Palace.[3] Lady Bourchier had previously funded a boat, also the Godsend, at Chapel Lifeboat Station in Lincolnshire.[1][4] In 1878, donations from the Covent Garden Lifeboat Funds would be appropriated to the Caister No.1 lifeboat, it being renamed Covent Garden. This would then be the first of three Caister lifeboats to carry that name.[1]

Covent Garden was launched on 25 March 1879 to the aid of the brig Cato, wrecked on Haisborough Sands whilst on passage from Arendal to Calais. All eight crew were rescued.[5] On 6 November 1880, sixteen crew were rescued from the steamship Swan, aground on Haisborough Sands. 10 days later, on 16 March 1880, 17 survivors were rescued from the steamship Ringdove, which had run aground on Cross Sand.[6][7]

In 1887, a new lifeboat building was built, located approx. 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) to the south of Beach road, and known as the "white shed". The shed was used just for equipment storage, with the lifeboats standing on the beach.[2]

Launching just after 4:00am on 8 November 1899, Caister No.2 lifeboat Beauchamp (ON 327) would save the lives of eight men from the lugger Palestine, stranded on Cockle Sand. Setting anchor and veering down, the lifeboat was washed on top of the partly sunken vessel, causing considerable damage to her bow. With waves crashing over both boats, the master and a boy from the vessel had a lucky escape, being pulled from the water, after having jumped and missed the lifeboat. With all eight aboard, the lifeboat moved clear, and then waited until daybreak, at which point the tug Gleaner was signalled, and she towed the lifeboat back to Caister. In her 9-years of service, Beauchamp would be launched 81 times, and save 146 lives. [8]

Caister No.1 lifeboat James Leath (ON 607) at Chatham Historic Dockyard

Launched on 29 January 1919 to the aid of the barquentine Nimrod, aground on Barber Sands, Coxswain John Haylett of the Covent Garden (ON 431) was injured, and died some weeks later. Only two crew of the Nimrod survived, making it ashore in the ships boat.[9][10]

In 1929, the Caister No.1 lifeboat was withdrawn, and that 'station' was closed. James Leath (ON 607) was transferred to Aldeburgh, serving there until 1936. The boat is now preserved as part of the RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard.[1]

It would be 1941 before Caister got their first motor-powered lifeboat, a single-engine Liverpool-class lifeboat. A new boathouse was constructed on the site of the White Shed to house the boat for the first time, and also for the first time, the lifeboat was transported on a carriage, using a Clayton tractor (T12). This boathouse is currently the Caister Lifeboat Heritage Museum.[1]

In 1964, Caister got a new 37-foot 8-knot Oakley-class lifeboat, 37-11 The Royal Thames (ON 978), the first self-righting lifeboat to be placed at Caister. Her time at Caister, however, was short-lived. A coastal review by the RNLI in the late 1960s deemed that there was sufficient local lifeboat cover, with a faster 16-knot Waveney-class lifeboat now at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, just 6 miles (9.7 km) to the south. In 1969, after 124 years service, Caister RNLI station was closed.[1]

Caister held the record for the most lives saved by any lifeboat station in the British Isles, and there was a public outcry. Caister Volunteer Rescue Service (CVRS) was formed, and took over on the same day as the RNLI withdrew. The service still operates today.[11]

In 2016, a cast-iron RNLI Coin Collecting box, of a type used between 1863 and 1935, was discovered in the sand dunes near the station. Believed to have been washed away in a storm, it was identical to a box that had only recently been restored, which once stood in the Caister graveyard next to the Beauchamp Memorial. Both now reside in the Caister Lifeboat Heritage Museum.[12] [13]

"Caister men never turn back"

[edit]
Caister Lifeboat Memorial

Just after 11:00pm on 13 November 1901, Cockle light-ship fired a signal, indicating a ship in distress on Barber Sands. First attempts to launch the lifeboat Beauchamp failed, the boat being washed off the skids, and it wasn't until 2:00am that the boat was finally launched. Most of the launchers headed home for dry clothing, but 78-year-old James Haylett Snr, former Asst.Coxswain stayed on watch, having two sons, two grandsons, and a son-in-law on board. Not long after, cries for help were heard. The 5-ton Beauchamp had capsized on the shore, trapping the crew underneath. James Haylett Snr, along with Frederick Haylett, was instrumental in the rescue of the three survivors, Charles Knights, John Hubbard, and James' grandson Walter Haylett. Without food or dry clothing, he remained with the boat until it was finally righted at 11:30am, and the last of the bodies recovered.[14]

At the subsequent inquest of the 1901 Caister lifeboat disaster, when questioned if the lifeboat had abandoned its mission, James replied "They would never give up the ship. If they had to keep at it 'til now, they would have sailed about until daylight to help her. Going back is against the rules when we see distress signals like that." In the press, it was reported that he said "Caister Men Never Turn Back".

A memorial was erected in Caister cemetery, and a new stained glass window in the parish church was dedicated to the disaster. At a ceremony at Sandringham House on 6 January 1902, King Edward VII, Patron of the RNLI, and George Prince of Wales, and RNLI president, presented James Haylett Snr., Launcher and former Asst. Coxswain, with the RNLI Gold Medal.[15][16]

Station honours

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The following are awards made at Caister.[2][15]

James Haylett Snr, Launcher, formerly Asst, Coxswain - 1901
Lt. Henry Baillie, RN, H.M. Coastguard - 1828
Lt. Sydenham Wylde, RN, H.M. Coastguard - 1838
Philip George, Coxswain - 1875
S. Bishop, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1875
Philip George, Coxswain - 1887 (Second-Service Clasp)
James Henry Haylett Jnr., Coxswain - 1893
James Henry Haylett Jnr., Coxswain - 1900 (Second-Service Clasp)
John Haylett, Coxswain Superintendent - 1906
John Plummer, Asst. Coxswain - 1906
Solomon Brown, crew member - 1906
Walter Haylett, crew member - 1906
(All from Caister No.2 Lifeboat)
John Robert Plummer, Coxswain - 1964
  • The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
Frederick H. Haylett - 1901
John Robert Plummer, Coxswain - 1969QBH[17]

Roll of honour

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In memory of those lost whilst serving Caister lifeboat.

  • Lifeboat Beauchamp (ON 327) capsized on service on 13 November 1901[14]
Aaron Walter Haylett, Coxswain
William Brown, Asst. Coxswain
Charles Brown
Charles George
James Haylett (Jnr)
George King
Harry Knights
John Smith
William Wilson
John Haylett, Coxswain (died of injuries received, 11 March 1919)

Caister lifeboats

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Caister No.1 Station

[edit]
ON[a] Name In service[18] Class Comments
Pre-218 Unnamed 1846−1865 42-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 1]
Pre-427 James Pearce Birmingham No.2,
Covent Garden (1878–) 		1865–1883 42-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 2]
17 Covent Garden 1883–1899 42-foot 4in Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 3]
431 Covent Garden 1899–1919 40-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 4]
607 James Leath 1919–1929 42-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 5]

Station Closed, 1929
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Caister No.2 Station

[edit]
ON[a] Op. No.[b] Name In service[18] Class Comments
18 – Boys,
God Send (1875–) 		1867−1892 32-foot 6in Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 6]
327 – Beauchamp 1892−1901 36-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 7]
506 – Nancy Lucy 1903−1929 35-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 8]
526 – Charles Burton 1929–1941 38-foot Liverpool (P&S) [Note 9]
834 – Jose Neville 1941–1964 Liverpool [Note 10]
978 37-11 The Royal Thames 1964−1969 Oakley [Note 11]

Station Closed, 1969

Launch and recovery tractors

[edit]
Op. No.[b] Reg. No. Type In service[1] Comments
T12 IJ 5658 Clayton 1941–1944
T16 YW 3377 Clayton 1944–1949
T48 KGP 853 Case LA 1949–1959
T47 KGP 2 Case LA 1959–1963
T72 518 GYM Case 1000D 1963–1965
T76 BGO 680B Case 1000D 1965–1969
  1. ^ a b ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ a b Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 42-foot Norfolk and Suffolk non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Branford of Yarmouth.
  2. ^ 42-foot (14-Oared) Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat, built by Blake and Mills of Yarmouth, costing £238.
  3. ^ 42-foot 4in Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat
  4. ^ 40-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat, built by Thames Ironworks, costing £1295.
  5. ^ 42-foot (10-Oared) Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat
  6. ^ 32-foot 6in (12-Oared) Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat, built by Beeching of Yarmouth, costing £152
  7. ^ 36-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat, built by Critten, costing £266
  8. ^ 35-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) lifeboat, built by Thames Ironworks, costing £1603
  9. ^ 38-foot Liverpool-class (P&S) lifeboat
  10. ^ 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class lifeboat
  11. ^ 37-foot Oakley-class lifeboat

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tooke, Colin (1986). Caister Beach Boats and Beachmen (1st ed.). Poppyland Publishing. pp. 1–28. ISBN 0946148198.
  3. ^ Parker, Sarah E. (2005). Grace & Favour - Historic Royal Palaces. Historic Royal Palaces. p. 42. ISBN 1873993552. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  4. ^ Morris, Jeff (April 1989). The Story of the Mablethorpe and North Lincolnshire Lifeboats (1st ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 14.
  5. ^ "Shipwrecks and Loss of Life". Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough. No. 3672. Middlesbrough. 26 March 1879.
  6. ^ "Shipping". Liverpool Mercury. No. 10242. Liverpool. 8 November 1880.
  7. ^ "Latest Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 30041. London. 17 November 1880. col B, p. 12.
  8. ^ "Gallant Life-Boat Services In 1899". The Lifeboat. 17 (196). May 1900. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Last voyage of the Nimrod". The Times. No. 42012. London. 31 January 1919. col B, p. 5.
  10. ^ a b "Caister Lifeboat's 1919 rescue attempt remembered". BBC. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Caister Lifeboat". Caister Lifeboat. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  12. ^ Whittaker, Martin (Spring 2023). "Penny in the Box". Lifeboats Past and Present (18): 51–53.
  13. ^ "Mystery of twin box marking sea tragedy". Great Yarmouth Mercury. 26 March 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b "The Caister Life-Boat Disaster". The Lifeboat. 58 (559). Winter 2002. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  15. ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0-907605-89-3.
  16. ^ "Beauchamp Lifeboat Memorial, Caister-on-Sea". Historic England. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  17. ^ "British Empire Medal (Civil Division)". The Gazette. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  18. ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–120.
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