Palmer-class lifeboat

The Palmer-class lifeboat was an early design of small lifeboat used by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in the middle years of the nineteenth century.

Design

George Palmer was a London businessman. He joined the committee of the RNIPLS in 1826, just two years after its founding, and later became its deputy chairman. One of the organisation's activities was to provide lifeboats and it bought them from several sources. Palmer offered a design based on a whaleboat, narrow and pointed at both ends. It was given extra buoyancy by the use of cork (material) fittings and air chambers.[1]

Palmer lifeboats

ON Name Built Builder In Service Station Length Oars Comments
– Unnamed 1828 Harton 1828–1853 Barmouth 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [2]
Pre-128 Unnamed 1828 – 1828–1841 Newburgh
– Unnamed 1828 Harton 1828–1840 Ramsey 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [3]
– Unnamed 1828 Taylor 1828–1840 Peel 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6
Pre-131 Unnamed 1828 Harton 1828–1853
1853–1859 		Cemlyn
Rhoscolyn 		25 ft 8 in
(7.82 m) 		5/6 [2]
Pre-144 Unnamed 1828 – 1828–1858 Holyhead 32 ft 0 in
(9.75 m) 		–
Pre-145 Unnamed 1828 Harton 1830–1853 Rhoscolyn 26 ft 3 in
(8.00 m) 		6 [2]
Pre-150 Assistance 1831 Harton 1832–1857 Appledore 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [4][3]
Pre-151 Unnamed 1830 Harton 1831–1848
1848–1853
1853–1865 		Penmon
Moelfre
Cemlyn 		26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		5 Transferred to Moelfre in 1848.[5][2]
Pre-155 Unnamed 1831 Harton 1832–1842 Tynemouth 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [3]
Pre-156 Unnamed 1831 Harton 1832–1856 Rye 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [2]
Pre-160 Unnamed 1833 1833–1861 Great Yarmouth 39 ft 0 in
(11.89 m) 		–
Pre-161 Unnamed 1836 1836–1838 Dymchurch 25 ft 0 in
(7.62 m) 		[3]
Pre-162 Unnamed 1833 – 1833–1858 Great Yarmouth 25 ft 0 in
(7.62 m) 		–
Pre-166 Unnamed 1834 Harton 1835–1852 Berwick-upon-Tweed 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [3]
– Unnamed 1835 Harton 1835–1851 Mostyn [3]
Pre-178 Victoria 1837 Taylor 1837–1859 Aberdovey 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [2]
– Unnamed 1837 Taylor 1837–???? Brighton 28 ft 0 in
(8.53 m)
– Unnamed 1839 Taylor Rosslare Fort 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		5 [2]
Pre-184 Unnamed,
Heroine 		1839 – 1839–1851
1851–1857 		Humber
Hornsea 		25 ft 6 in
(7.77 m) 		–
– Unnamed 1839 Harton 1839–1855 Robin Hood's Bay [3]
Pre-195 Marianne,
Sisters 		1840 – 1840–1872 Pakefield 45 ft 0 in
(13.72 m) 		–
Pre-196 Unnamed 1840 Taylor 1840–1861 Llanddwyn 27 ft 0 in
(8.23 m) 		6 [6]
Pre-208 Unnamed 1844 Taylor 1844–1853 Penrhyn Du 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		6 [2]
– Unnamed 1844 Taylor Derrynane 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		5 [2]
Pre-218 Unnamed 1846 – 1846–1865 Caister 42 ft 0 in
(12.80 m) 		–
– Unnamed 1847 Taylor Kilmore 26 ft 0 in
(7.92 m) 		5 [2]
Pre-229 Victoria,
Laetitia 		1850 – 1850–1876 Lowestoft 42 ft 0 in
(12.80 m) 		–
– Unnamed 1852 Branford 1852–1858 Palling 32 ft 0 in
(9.75 m) 		[3]
Pre-427 Birmingham No.2,
Covent Garden 		1865 1865–1883 Caister 42 ft 0 in
(12.80 m)
Unnamed Burnham-on-Sea For the port of Bridgwater.[3]
Unnamed Cromer [3]
Unnamed Laugharne [3]
Unnamed Redcar [3]
Unnamed Swansea [3]
Unnamed Youghal [3]
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Later whale boats

Most lifeboats built from the 1850s were of the Peake self-righting type but some whale boat lifeboats continued to be provided to stations where there was a need for a small boat, the last being built in 1910 and withdrawn in 1938.

ON Name Built Length In service Station Comments
280 Henley 1889 30 ft 3 in
(9.22 m) 		1890–1893 Tramore [7]
376 Captain Hans Busk 1869 28 ft 8 in
(8.74 m) 		1869–1905 Ryde Retained as a boarding boat until 1910.[8]
481 Richard Cresswell 1902 29 ft 1 in
(8.86 m) 		1902–1910 Poolbeg [9]
1910–1931 Campbeltown No. 2
551 Selina 1905 30 ft 0 in
(9.14 m) 		1905–1923 Ryde Sold in 1923 and now awaiting restoration.[10]
615 John Watson Wakefield 1910 30 ft 0 in
(9.14 m) 		1910–1938 Poolbeg [11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cameron, Ian (2009). Riders of the Storm. Orion Books. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7528-8344-1.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State and condition of the several life-boats, boathouses, etc". Life-boat. Vol. 1, no. 3. 1855. p. 40.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "The late George Palmer, Esq". Life-boat. Vol. 8, no. 83. 1872. p. 2.
  4. ^ "North Devon Humane Society". Life-boat. Vol. 1, no. 4. 1852. pp. 66–72.
  5. ^ "County associations". Life-boat. Vol. 1, no. 2. 1852. p. 26–27.
  6. ^ Morris, Jeff (July 1986). The Closed Lifeboat Stations of Anglesey. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–4.
  7. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 14–15.
  8. ^ Leonard & Denton, pp. 16–17. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLeonardDenton (help)
  9. ^ Leonard & Denton, pp. 20–21. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLeonardDenton (help)
  10. ^ Leonard & Denton, pp. 24–25. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLeonardDenton (help)
  11. ^ Leonard & Denton, pp. 26–27. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLeonardDenton (help)
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