Dorothy and Phillip Constant
Class overview
Name42ft Watson-class
Builders
Operators Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded by41ft Watson
Succeeded byvarious
Cost£26,000-£36,000
Built1954-1962
In service1954-1987
Completed10
Retired10
General characteristics
Class and type42ft Watson
Displacement17 tons
Length42 ft (13 m)
Beam12 ft (3.7 m)
Draught3 ft 7 in (1.09 m)
Propulsion2 × 48bhp Gardner 4LW 4-cyl. diesel
Speed8 knots
Range235 nm
Crew7

The 42ft Watson-class was a class of non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built between 1954 and 1962 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1954 and 1987.

History

The 42ft Watson was the final example of the medium-sized Watson type lifeboat built primarily for slipway launching at those stations where physical boathouse constraints and/or slipway strength precluded the use of the longer and heavier types. They were historically significant in being the first RNLI boats to be fitted with commercially available engines rather than the RNLI designed types previously used. The prototype, William Taylor of Oldham (ON 907) went on station at Coverack in Cornwall in July 1954 and served there until May 1972 as the final all-weather lifeboat at the station. In 1957 a version was developed suitable for beach launching. This had a widened (beam 12ft 3in) and strengthened hull to take the rigours of launching over skids.

Description

The wooden hulled 42ft Watson featured a long tapering aluminium superstructure running forward from the aft cockpit. The forward part of this, ahead of the engine room, was a survivor cabin. A major departure from previous RNLI practice was the use of commercially available engines, in the form of two Gardner 4LW 4-cylinder marine diesels producing 48bhp each. The exhaust from the engines was taken up the forward mast, as with the later 46ft 9in Watson-class boats. With the exception of the last boat, ON 967, which came four years after the previous example, all of the boats originally had open cockpits. In 1965, the first boat, ON 907, was given an enclosed wheelhouse and ON 937 followed in 1967. The others, with the exception of the Aldeburgh boat, had the wheelhouse enclosed in 1971. Aldeburgh's ON 946 was the only boat fitted with a mizzen mast, at the request of the crew, for a steadying sail in rough weather and was the only boat to retain an open cockpit to the end. The last boat built had an enclosed wheelhouse from the start. During the course of their service, the boats were fitted with radar and the original aerial rigging was replaced by a long pole aerial.

Fleet

ON[lower-alpha 1] Name Built Builder In Service Stations Comments[1]
907 William Taylor of Oldham 1954 William Osborne 1954–1972 Coverack Sold August 1986. Renamed Gypsy Moth. By February 1995 was a fishing boat at Petite Martinique, Grenada.
1972–1973 Relief fleet
1973–1986 Arklow
909 James and Barbara Aitken 1955 William Osborne 1955–1968 Troon Withdrawn after it was damaged on service, 15 October 1976. Sold 1977. Reported in December 2021 as being stored on the River Yonne at Migennes in France.
1968–1976 Girvan
922 Watkin Williams 1956 William Osborne 1956–1977 Moelfre Sold May 1983. As at December 2022 it was stored at Museum Wales' National Collections Centre in Nantgarw.
1978–1981 Oban
1981–1983 Relief fleet
933 J.W. Archer 1956 William Osborne 1956–1987 Wicklow This was the last 42ft Watson on station. Sold March 1989. By December 2022 it was working as a pleasure boat at Port Penrhyn, Bangor, Wales.
934 The Duke of Montrose 1956 Groves & Guttridge 1956–1982 Arbroath Sold 1984 to ADES Uruguay, in service at Montevideo as ADES II.
1982–1984 Relief fleet
937 Mabel E. Holland 1957 William Osborne 1957–1978 Dungeness Beach version.

Sold 1983. Reported in August 2019 as stored on a trailer on farm near Blaenffos, Pembrokeshire.

1979–1983 Relief fleet
941 William and Mary Durham 1957 William Osborne 1957–1976 Berwick Sold October 1983. Renamed RonMeadhonach. By December 2018 it was stored at Portree on the Isle of Skye.
1977–1983 Girvan
946 Alfred and Patience Gottwald 1958 J. Samuel White 1959–1979 Aldeburgh Beach version.

Sold 1980 then renamed Alfie. In August 2021 it was reported to be a houseboat at South Dock Marina in Rotherhithe.

1979–1980 Relief fleet
948 Charles Dibdin
(Civil Service No.32)		 1958 William Osborne 1959–1975 Walmer Beach version.

Sold 1988. Renamed Charlie D. Last seen at Brighton Marina but sold in 2014.

1975–1977 Relief fleet
1977–1979 Eastbourne
1979–1982 Aldeburgh
1982–1988 Relief fleet
967 Dorothy and Philip Constant 1962 Groves & Guttridge 1963–1981 Shoreham Harbour Sold April 1988. Reported in May 2022 to be a workboat at the R.W. Davis boatyard at Saul Junction on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal.
1981–1982 Oban
1982–1987 Relief fleet
  1. ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

Other Fleets


Uruguay

ADES Uruguay is an Honorary Lifesaving Institution founded in 1955. All our volunteers are honorary, people who train weekly to go to sea with the sole purpose of helping whoever requests help. The rescues have no cost to the beneficiaries. At the national level ADES Uruguay is part of the National Emergency Committee and at the international level it is part of the IMRF (International Maritime Rescue Federation)[9]

ON[lower-alpha 1] Name In Service Stations Comments[1]
934 ADES II 1984–2004 Montevideo Sold 2004. Renamed Sudelmar.
December 2022, Tourist trip boat, Carmelo, Uruguay
  1. ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

References

  1. 1 2 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2023). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2023. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society.
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