Arklow Lifeboat Station

Arklow Lifeboat Station is located at South Quay in Arklow, County Wicklow, a harbour town at the mouth of the River Avoca, on the east coast of Ireland.

A lifeboat was first placed here in 1826 by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS). It was the first lifeboat station in Ireland.

Closed in 1830, the station would be reopened by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1857.

The station currently operates a Trent-class lifeboat, 14-19 Ger Tigchelaar (ON 1223), on station since 1997.

History
Following a request from Capt. J. Dombrain, Dublin Inspector of Coastguard, who highlighted a number of shipwrecks in the area, a lifeboat was first placed at Arklow by the RNIPLS. A 24-foot lifeboat built by William Plenty of Newbury, Berkshire, costing £130, arrived on 30 November 1826. She was stored in a boathouse rented from the coastguard at £7 per annum. It would be the first lifeboat station in Ireland.

Only 3½ years later, having never been launched on service, and at the recommendation of Capt. Samuel Sparshott, Deputy Inspector General of Coastguard, the boat was relocated to Newcastle, County Down in April 1930, and the station was closed.

The station was reopened by the RNLI in 1857 after a series of maritime disasters. An order was placed with Forrestt of Limehouse for a 30-foot Self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, and a boathouse was constructed with a slipway, for the boat to launch directly into the river. The boat was transported from London free of charge by the British and Irish Steam Packet Company, arriving in Arklow of 7 June 1857.

On 26 December 1865, the Arundel Venables was launched to the aid of the vessel Tenessarian, on passage from Liverpool to Calcutta, ashore on Blackwater Bank. With great skill in dreadful conditions, the lifeboat rescued 34 men. Coxswain Peter Kavanagh was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal. In 1868, a cholera outbreak in Arklow claimed 60 lives. One of the victims was Coxswain Peter Kavanagh. Kavanagh, who had served as coxswain since the station reopened in 1857, left a widow and eight children.

In 1912, a motor-powered lifeboat was announced for Arklow, and modification to accommodate a new boat were made to the 1873 boathouse. However, it would by 1915 before the boat arrived, John Taylor Cardwell (ON 642), a 40-foot Self-righting lifeboat, with a single 40 hp engine, delivering a speed of 7½ knots.

A case of rum was awarded to the crew of the Arklow lifeboat Inbhear Mor in 1956. The award was made by the Sugar Manufacturers Association (of Jamaica), for the longest winter lifeboat service. The Arklow lifeboat had been on service to the MV Gansey of Castletown, Isle of Man for over 17 hours.

The 42ft Watson-class lifeboat William Taylor of Oldham (ON 907) was launched to the aid of the trawler Jadestar Glory on 16 January 1974, ashore on Roney Rock. In extreme gale-force conditions, 6 men were rescued from two life-rafts. Coxswain Michael O'Brian was awarded the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

In 2023, it was announced that the Trent-class lifeboat 14-19 Ger Tigchelaar (ON 1223), on service at Arklow since 1997, was due to be replaced with a new €2.85 million Shannon-class lifeboat, due to arrive in 2024.

Station honours
The following are awards made to the crew of Arklow Lifeboat Station


 * RNLI Silver Medal
 * James Dillon, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard - 1848


 * Peter Kavanagh, Coxswain - 1866


 * Captain Edward Kearon - 1867


 * John Cummings, Coxswain - 1870


 * William Manifold, Second Coxswain - 1877


 * The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
 * Michael O'Brien, Coxswain - 1974


 * A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
 * Edward Dillon, Coxswain - 1997


 * A Case of Rum from the Sugar Manufacturers Association (of Jamaica)
 * for longest winter service 1955-1956 for service of 22/23 December 1955.

Arklow lifeboats

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