Wick Lifeboat Station

Wick Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour town and royal burgh of Wick, Highland, in the NE corner of Scotland, in the historic county of Caithness.

A lifeboat was first stationed here by the British Fisheries Society in 1848. It was taken over by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1895.

Since 1997, the station has operated a Trent-class All-weather lifeboat, 14-20 Roy Barker II (ON 1224).

History
Disaster struck Wick and Caithness on what is still called "Black Saturday", the 19 August 1848. Fishing boats, which had started out in calm weather on Fri 18 August, found themselves in huge seas and a full gale on the Saturday. Ultimately, 18 vessels were wrecked, and 37 Wick fisherman lost their lives.

A lifeboat was then ordered to be placed at Wick by the British Fisheries Society (BFS), and handed to the care of the Wick and Pulteneytown Harbour Trust. She was a 28-foot 12-oar boat, thought to be built to the design of Henry Greathead, but actually built by Edward Oliver, of South Shields. Costing £169, she arrived in Wick on a steamer, on 11 November 1848.

A replacement boat would be supplied again by the BFS in 1857, and then, 12 years later, when the second boat was found to be completely useless due to dry rot, another was provided in 1870. In 1872, the BFS also funded the construction of a boathouse. In 1894, after 24 years further service, the Wick and Pulteneytown Harbour Trust realised that their boat needed replacing, but the benefactor of their boats had disappeared, the BFS having been wound up in 1893. In 1894, it was agreed that the station would be taken over by the RNLI. Hector Sutherland, Town Clerk at Wick, and Honorary Secretary of Ackergill lifeboat station, was also appointed Honorary Secretary for Wick lifeboat station, both stations being run by the same branch committee.

The RNLI immediately ordered a new boat, a 34-foot 10-oar Self-righting "Pulling and Sailing" (P&S) lifeboat (using oars and sails), constructed by Woolfe, costing £345, which arrived in Wick on 3 December 1895. On 10 December 1895, the boat was named John Avins at a ceremony at the Rifle Drill Hall, Pulteneytown, the boat funded by the legacy of Mr J. Avins of Birmingham. In a storm of April 1905, the boat was launched to the aid of four fishing boats in difficulties in Wick Bay. Having just cleared the harbour entrance, the John Avins was hit with a succession of large waves, and smashed against the North Quay wall. Four crew that were washed overboard were recovered to the lifeboat, but the boat was then swept up the Quay and dashed on the rocks. Fortunately all crew were brought ashore, but the boat was badly damaged and subsequently withdrawn from service. A relief lifeboat, the Oldham (ON 335), was placed at Wick, remaining there for the next 8 years, but was never launched on service.

In 1913, the RNLI decided to close the station temporarily, whilst a new boathouse and roller-slipway was constructed at Salmon Rock to house a new motor lifeboat. Costing £4000, the boathouse was completed in 1916, but owing to the First World War, it would be 1921 before the lifeboat was ready, and Wick would receive their first motor-powered lifeboat, the 45ft Watson-class Frederick and Emma (ON 659).

In 1994, the Tyne-class lifeboat 47-016 Norman Salveson (ON 1121) was placed on a mooring in the Inner harbour. With the lifeboat now moored afloat, a new station building was required near to the lifeboat, providing up to date crew facilities. Work was started in January 1997 and completed in the August of the same year. On 13 February 1997, Fraserburgh received their current lifeboat, the 14-20 Roy Barker II (ON 1224). Mr Frederick Roy Barker (1909–1992), known as Roy, left his entire estate to the RNLI, known as the Roy Barker Memorial Fund, with the request that all income be used to fund lifeboats. Wick received one of three Trent-class lifeboats from the fund. A pontoon berth was constructed in 2007 at a cost of £270,000.

Station honours
The following are awards made at Wick


 * RNLI Silver Medal
 * Andrew Lake, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard - 1828


 * Mr Robert MacAlister - 1839


 * Mr James Wishart - 1846


 * William Williamson, Branch Pilot - 1848


 * Commander John Tudor, RN - 1857


 * Captain John Tudor, RN - 1860 (Second-Service Clasp)


 * Board of Trade Silver Medal
 * Captain John Tudor, RN - 1860


 * Silver Medal for Heroism awarded by the King of Norway
 * Neil Stewart Jnr, Coxswain - 1956


 * RNLI Bronze Medal
 * Neil Stewart Jnr, Coxswain - 1942


 * Donald McKay, Coxswain Mechanic - 1984


 * Board of Trade Bronze Medal
 * Wick Lifeboat Crew - 1860


 * The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
 * Walter McLeod McPhee, Coxswain - 1991


 * Walter McLeod McPhee, Coxswain - 1992
 * Ian Alexander Cormack, Acting Second Coxswain - 1992


 * Vellum Service Certificate
 * John Martin, Motor Mechanic - 1992
 * Alexander Durand, Assistant Mechanic - 1992
 * Hugh Gunn, Assistant Winchman - 1992


 * British Empire Medal
 * Neil Stewart Jnr, Coxswain - 1970