Hayling Island Lifeboat Station

Hayling Island Lifeboat Station is located on the eastern side of Hayling Island, Hampshire, opposite the village of West Wittering, at the entrance to Chichester Harbour, where it joins the major shipping route of the Solent. This major shipping route is busy at all times of the year and there are estimated to be 10,000 boats in the Chichester area alone.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Hayling Island by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1865. The station was closed in 1924, but re-opened in 1975 as an Inshore lifeboat station.

The Hayling Island station currently operates a B-class Inshore lifeboat, Derrick Battle (B-829), on station since 2009, and a smaller D-class Inshore lifeboat, Jacob (D-779), on station since 2015.

1865–1924: original station
In a full gale on 17 October 1862, the sloop Cygnet of Portsmouth ran aground on Woolsiner Sandbank. 3 fishermen in their smack Ferret attempted a rescue, but couldn't get close. Dropping anchor, and launching their small 13 ft rowing boat, they managed to rescue the three crewmen aboard the Cygnet. For their efforts, William Goldring, James Spraggs and David Farmer were each awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.

On 14 January 1865, Major Francis W. Festing of the Royal Marine Artillery, led a team of 10 fisherman men aboard a Fort Cumberland Cutter, and rescued 3 survivors from the schooner Ocean, on passage from Charlestown, Cornwall to Sunderland. Major Festing was also awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.

As a result of these rescues, Mr. Charles Hardy, vicar of Hayling, wrote to both the Hampshire Telegraph, where his letter was published, and to the RNLI, requesting a lifeboat station be established at Hayling Island, which was agreed. Mr William Leaf, of Leaf and Co. London, a wealthy Silk trader and philanthropist, donated £500 towards the setting up of the station. A 32-foot self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, was ordered from Forrestt of Limehouse, along with a new carriage, constructed by J. Robinson of Kentish Town and costing £86-8s-8d.



A tender of £259-10s-0d from Mr. H. R. Trigg was accepted, for the construction of a boathouse at the western end of Hayling south-shore. The lifeboat was ready in September 1865, and after trials on the Regent's Canal, the boat was transported to Havant free of charge by the London and South Western Railway. The station was officially opened on 13 September 1865, with the boat being named Olive Leaf, and then blessed by Ashurst Gilbert, the Bishop of Chichester. William Golding, the same recipient of the RNLI silver medal in 1862, was appointed Coxswain.

On 1 February 1869, the Olive Leaf was launched to the aid of the barque Lady Westmorland, on passage from South Shields to Cartagena, Spain, when she was driven ashore at Hayling Island. The lifeboat arrived as the crew were about to abandon ship, but with the assistance of the lifeboat men, the vessel was refloated, and taken to harbour at St Helens, Isle of Wight, thus saving all 18 men and the boat.

In 1888, Hayling received the RNLB Charlie and Adrian (ON 146}, a self-righting lifeboat, which remained on station until 1914. In her 26 years of service, she would be launched 20 times, and save 9 lives.



In 1914 a new lifeboat, the Rubie-class Proctor (ON 640), was allocated to Hayling Island. As she was larger than the previous two lifeboats, a new boathouse was required. The new boathouse was built two miles to the east of the original, at a cost of £900. Doors were built at boat ends, to enable a launch to the beach, or for the lifeboat to be transported by carriage to a more suitable location for launch if required. The 1865 boathouse is still standing, but now incorporated into a structure used as a public house and restaurant.

The All-weather lifeboat service at Hayling Island operated for a total of 59 years. The lifeboats were launched 34 times, and saved 56 lives. In 1922, more modern and faster motor lifeboats were placed at Selsey, to the south-east, and at Bembridge, to the south west on the Isle of Wight. The RNLI decided to close the Hayling Island Lifeboat Station on 15 May 1924. The 1914 boathouse still stands on the seafront and today is used by the Army cadets.

1966–1980: private lifeboat station and re-opening
By the 1950s, increased use of pleasure craft along the Hayling coastline had led to a corresponding increase in marine incidents which required lifeboat services. In 1966, Mr. Frank Martin and his two sons started a "Rescue Patrol", using an inflatable boat. The fledgling service was run from a caravan located next to the coastguard station. A Land Rover was used to launch the lifeboat, which was powered with a single 40 hp Evinrude outboard motor. Their tiny organisation became part of the Shore Boat Rescue Scheme, an RNLI-recognised scheme.

Martin established the Hayling Island Sea Rescue and Research Organisation (HISRrO) in 1971, which launched for rescue services and undertook patrols along the area's coast and inland estuaries. It also researched rescue procedures and methods for divers.

In 1975, the HISRrO and the RNLI agreed to operate a joint service, and the partnership began operating from a new boathouse on the east side of Hayling Island, at Sandy Point, on a site leased from the Coldeast and Tatchbury Mount Hospital Group. The RNLI placed an B-class Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) on station. The first call came even before the lifeboat was officially on service. On a training exercise, red flares were seen, fired from the Cabin cruiser Andrew John, having suffered engine failure. The boat was towed to Langstone Harbour.

The two organisations worked alongside each other until 1978, when they agreed to discontinue their joint association. Sole administration for the station and service was taken over by the RNLI. HISRrO continued to operate independently after the split until closing in August 1992.

1980–present: hovercraft and new station


In 1980, launch facilities at the boathouse were improved with the installation of a launch ramp. In November 1980 the station also received a new Atlantic 21 inshore lifeboat, the first to be designed and built for the Hayling Island station.

In June 2004 the RNLI sent a hovercraft, Hurley Spirit (H-005), for trials at Hayling island.



Work began on an extensive refurbishment of the station in late 2006 to provide facilities for the B-class lifeboat, with its Talus Atlantic 85 DO-DO launch carriage, and a Talus MB-764 amphibious tractor. They operated out of shipping containers temporarily placed on the station's car park during the rebuild. The new station, which incorporated the old structure, was completed in November 2007 and included a new boat hall with an upper storey. The new station was paid for from legacies of £500,000 from the Lusty family and £300,000 provided by Gwendoline Prince and the Hudson family. The two current lifeboats are an Atlantic 85-class lifeboat and a D-class lifeboat. The Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat is called Derrick Battle (B-829) and arrived on station on 26 February 2009. It is fitted with radar interlaced into the GPS system and VHF direction finding gear. The lifeboat is equipped with two 115 hp Yamaha outboard engines and has the capability of thirty five knots. The second lifeboat is a smaller D-class inflatable lifeboat and is called Jacob (D-779). It arrived on station in 2015 and is an IB1 type boat powered by a 50hp outboard engine giving her a top speed of twenty five knots.

Station honours
The following are awards made at Hayling Island


 * RNLI Silver Medal
 * William Goldring - 1862
 * James Spraggs - 1862
 * David Farmer - 1862
 * (all of the fishing smack Ferret)


 * Major Francis W Festing, Royal Marine Artillery - 1865


 * Roderick James, crew member - 1982


 * Roderick James, Helmsman - 1993 (Second Service Award)
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1993


 * RNLI Bronze Medal
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1981


 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1982 (Second Service Award)


 * Graham Raines, crew member - 1989


 * The Ralph Glister Award 1980 (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by a rescue boat crew)
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1981
 * Trevor Pearce, - 1981
 * Graham Wickham - 1981


 * The Ralph Glister Award 1981 (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by a rescue boat crew)
 * Roderick James, crew member - 1982
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1982


 * The Ralph Glister Award 1988 (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by a rescue boat crew)
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1989
 * Graham Raines, crew member - 1989
 * Roderick James, crew member - 1989


 * The Ralph Glister Award 1992 (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by a rescue boat crew)
 * Roderick James, Helmsman - 1993
 * Warren Hayles, crew member - 1993
 * Christ Reed, crew member - 1993


 * The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award 1988 (for the outstanding inshore lifeboat rescue of the year)
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1989
 * Graham Raines, crew member - 1989
 * Roderick James, crew member - 1989


 * The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award 1992 (for the outstanding inshore lifeboat rescue of the year)
 * Roderick James, Helmsman - 1993
 * Warren Hayles, crew member - 1993
 * Christ Reed, crew member - 1993


 * The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
 * Trevor Pearce, - 1981
 * Graham Wickham - 1981


 * Graham Raines, crew member - 1982
 * Trevor Pearce, shore helper - 1982
 * Nigel Roper, shore helper - 1982


 * David B Sigournay, crew member - 1987


 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1989
 * Roderick James, crew member - 1989


 * Christopher Reed, crew member - 1993
 * Warren Hayles, crew member - 1993
 * Evan Lampard, crew member - 1993
 * Damien Taylor, crew member - 1993


 * A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
 * Patrick Lamperd, Helmsman - 1978
 * Dr Richard Newman, Honorary Medical Adviser - 1978
 * Frank Dunster, crew member - 1978
 * Brian Quinton, crew member - 1978


 * Roderick James, Helmsman - 1988
 * Frank Dunster, Helmsman - 1988


 * Richard Mumford, crew member - 1993


 * Graham Raines, Helmsman - 2001
 * Evan Lamperd, crew member - 2001


 * Peter Hanscombe, Helmsman - 2010


 * Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
 * Graham Raines, Helmsman - 2004


 * Chichester Harbour Conservancy grant the Freedom of the Harbour
 * Hayling Island Lifeboat Station - 2006

All-weather lifeboats

 * Station closed, 1924
 * Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.