Harwich Lifeboat Station

Harwich Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in the town of Harwich in the English county of Essex. The station is positioned on the southern side at the mouth of the River Orwell estuary. The station serves a particularly busy section of coastline with Harwich being a very busy ferry terminal. Across the estuary is the Port of Felixstowe which is the United Kingdom's busiest container port.

1821: first station
The first lifeboat at Harwich was called Braybrooke, and it was first stationed there in 1821. It was named in honour of Richard Griffin, 2nd Baron Braybrooke, Lord Lieutenant of Essex. The lifeboat was financed by the Essex Lifeboat Association, but no funds were available for a boathouse, so the Braybrooke was moored in the harbour. On the Suffolk side of the estuary at Landguard Fort there was a second lifeboat, the Orwell, which was eventually sold and converted to a yacht. The Harwich lifeboat had ceased operations by 1825, and the Braybrooke 's fate is unknown.

1875–1917: second station and closure
After the passenger steamship SS Deutschland was wrecked on Kentish Knock on 6 December 1875, it was decided that another lifeboat was needed at Harwich. A new boathouse was built at Timberfields in 1876 and a lifeboat called Springwell arrived in January 1876. The New lifeboat was 35 feet long by 9 feet wide and was self-righting. The Springwell remained at Harwich from 1876 until 1881 and was credited with saving the lives of 61 people, 23 of which had been saved during the launch to the barque Pasithea of Liverpool on 16 February 1883.

In 1889 the RNLI obtained its first steam-powered lifeboat, the Duke of Northumberland, which was sent to Harwich in 1890. The station with Springwell became known as Harwich No. 1 station, whilst the mooring near Halfpenny Pier where the Duke of Northumberland was kept afloat became the No. 2 station. In 1892, the Duke of Northumberland was sent to New Brighton on Merseyside. It was replaced in 1894 by another steam lifeboat, the City of Glasgow.

In 1902 the No. 1 station lifeboat Springwell, the second boat to bear that name, was scrapped. In 1904 station No. 1 was given another Watson-class lifeboat, Ann Fawcett. In the years leading up to World War I, Harwich was used for the testing of new motor lifeboats which were sent to other stations. In 1912 the Ann Fawcett was withdrawn from service once again leaving the City of Glasgow the only lifeboat on station.

By the breakout of the First World War in 1914, the City of Glasgow, the second to bear this name, was the only lifeboat at Harwich. In 1917 the Admiralty commandeered the lifeboat for patrol duties. Harwich Lifeboat Station was closed, leaving the area to be covered by Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station to the north and Walton and Frinton Lifeboat Station to the south.

1960s–1980: reopening and European Gateway incident
Harwich Lifeboat Station did not reopen until 1965, when increased traffic to the Harwich ferry as well as the Port of Felixstowe across the estuary necessitated more lifeboats in the area. A 16 ft inshore inflatable lifeboat boat was stationed for the summers of 1965 and 1966. In September 1967, a 44 ft Waveney-class lifeboat, Margaret Graham, was sent to Harwich. After a successful two-year trial period, the Margaret Graham was made a permanent fixture at Harwich, where she remained until being replaced by the John Fison in 1980.

The most notable incident attended by a Harwich station lifeboat was the European Gateway incident of 19 December 1982. The roll-on roll-off car ferry European Gateway was leaving Felixstowe for Zeebrugge when it collided with the train ferry Speedlink Vanguard approaching Harwich Harbour. The bow of the Speedlink Vanguard struck the European Gateway amidship, and she quickly capsized to the point where only half the starboard side of the vessel was above the water. Numerous lifeboats and tugs responded to the scene and began rescuing passengers from the European Gateway within minutes. The Speedlink Vanguard launched her own lifeboat to assist. Within an hour all passengers but six had been rescued. By the time the John Fison arrived, all that remained was to search for the bodies. The John Fison recovered two bodies, three others were located by other boats, and one remained unaccounted for.

1997–2003: new station
In 1997, Harwich acquired 17-03 Albert Brown, a Severn-class fast lifeboat built by Green Marine in 1995. She is 17 meters long, 5.5 meters wide with a depth of 1.38 meters, with a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles. The Albert Brown was financed with bequest from Victoria Brown to commemorate her husband Albert Brown, and christened by Terry Waite CBE on 25 May 1997.

In 2002, Harwich acquired the Sure and Steadfast (B-789), an B-class second generation rigid inflatable boat (RIB). She was named on 18 May 2003 after the motto of the Boys' Brigade in recognition of the fund raising efforts for the RNLI by that organization.

In 2003, funds were secured for a new boathouse and facilities, at a cost of £1.25 million.

On 21 May 2018, the new Atlantic 85-class lifeboat Tierney Harvey & Sonny Reid (B-907) arrived in the town to a warm welcome from crowds and supporters. She was funded by The John & Elizabeth Memorial Trust, which was set up in 1998.

As of 2024, 17-03 Albert Brown and Tierney Harvey & Sonny Reid (B-907) are on service at Harwich.

Harwich Lifeboat Museum
The 1876 boathouse at Timberfields was opened by the Harwich Society as a lifeboat museum in 1994. The centrepiece is Oakley-class motor lifeboat Valentine Wyndham Quinn which had been stationed at Clacton-on-Sea from 1968 until 1984. After further service in Ireland it was displayed at Cromer for a while. Being rather larger than the 'pulling and sailing' lifeboat that the building had been designed for, the lifeboat had to be partly dismantled to fit through the doors.

Station Honours
The following are awards made at Harwich


 * RNLI Silver Medal
 * Samuel Wordley - 1829
 * William Mudd - 1829


 * William Jennings, Master of the smack Spy - 1832


 * William Newson, Master of the smack Alfred - 1855


 * William Lewis, Master of the smack Tryall - 1856


 * Thomas King, Master of the smack Paragon - 1862


 * Thomas Adams, Master Mariner - 1862
 * Henry Bacon, - 1862
 * Benjamin Lambeth - 1862
 * John Lambert - 1862
 * Robert Scarlett - 1862
 * George Wyatt - 1862
 * all of the smack Volunteer


 * John Carrington, Master of the Steam Tug Liverpool - 1876


 * William Britton, Second Coxswain - 1881
 * Captain St Vincent Nepean RN, the Institution's District Inspector - 1881


 * William Tyrrell, Coxswain - 1893


 * RNLI Bronze Medal
 * Petty Officer Kenneth Verdun Lee, Coxswain - 1983
 * Seaman Barry James Warner - 1983
 * of the Trinity House pilot vessel Valour
 * Second Officer Michael Anthony Wright - 1983
 * Seaman Thomas Edward Wakelin - 1983
 * of the Trinity House pilot vessel Patrol


 * A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
 * R Ramplin, Helmsman - 1981
 * P Dawson, crew member - 1981
 * P Brand, crew member - 1981


 * Captain J Lukes - 1983
 * A Taylor - 1983
 * D Webb - 1983
 * of the tugs Sauria, Alfred and Ganges
 * Mr George Lawn, lorry driver - 1983


 * P Burwood, Coxswain Mechanic - 1985
 * L Smith, Second Coxswain - 1985
 * K Brand, crew member - 1985
 * D Gilders, crew member - 1985
 * E Clifton, crew member - 1985


 * D Gilders, Second Coxswain Assistant Mechanic - 1987
 * K Brand, Emergency Mechanic - 1987
 * P Dawson, crew member - 1987
 * P Smith, crew member - 1987
 * R Barton, crew member - 1987
 * Captain R Shaw, Honorary Secretary, crew member - 1987
 * Mr H Bell, Branch Chairman, crew member - 1987


 * Paul Smith, Second Coxswain - 2001


 * A Letter of Thanks signed by the Deputy Director
 * Masters of the tug Gray Delta - 1983
 * Masters of the tug Gary Gray - 1983
 * Captain H H McGibney of the European Gateway - 1983


 * 11 Medals awarded by The Hospitaliers Sauveteurs Bretons
 * Coxswain and Crew of the steam lifeboat - 1908


 * Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
 * Captain Roderick Willis Shaw, Honorary Lifeboat Operations Manager - 2013