Littlehampton Lifeboat Station
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station is located in West Sussex
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station
Location of Littlehampton Lifeboat station within West Sussex
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
Architectural styleSteelframe Boathouse
with brick and block construction
LocationFisherman's Quay, Littlehampton, West Sussex , BN17 5BL
CountryEngland
Coordinates50°48′28.9″N 0°32′40.1″W / 50.808028°N 0.544472°W / 50.808028; -0.544472
Opened1884
re-established in 1967
OwnerRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
Technical details
MaterialConcrete, brick, block and steel

Littlehampton Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station in the town of Littlehampton, in West Sussex, on the south coast of England.[1] The station is on the harbour side on the eastern bank of the River Arun, a quarter mile from the harbour entrance and the pier. The current lifeboat house on Fisherman's Quay was built in 2002. The lifeboat station currently operates with two inshore lifeboats: a B-class (Atlantic 85) lifeboat, Renee Sherman (B-891) and a D-class (IB1) lifeboat, Ray of Hope (D-769).[2][3]

History

The RNLI opened the first lifeboat station in the town in 1884.[4][5] It was built on the east bank of the River Arun, near what is now the Harbour Park amusement park. The pulling and sailing lifeboat (a lifeboat using oars and sail, with no engine) was manned by local sailors and fishermen. In 1903 the boathouse was moved closer to the lighthouse. The lifeboats were launched 26 times before this original station closed in 1921 due to lack of qualified staff, and the placement of a new motor lifeboat further west at Selsey.[4][5]

Reopening and Blue Peter appeals

Increased leisure boating in the area led to a corresponding rise in marine rescues, including swimmers and small craft washed out to sea, necessitating a faster local response. The station re-opened in 1967 as an inshore lifeboat station operating a D-class lifeboat housed in a garage on the east bank of the river Arun. The cost was defrayed by a fundraising appeal on the BBC programme Blue Peter.[6][7][8] The lifeboat was called Blue Peter 1 (D-115).[7] The original Blue Peter 1 lifeboat was replaced five times, funded each time by appeals on Blue Peter; each replacement lifeboat retained the name Blue Peter 1 until 2016.[9]

1979–present

In 1979, a new boathouse was built for the station near Fishermen's Quay, enabling quick launch down a short ramp into the Arun.[4]

In 2002, the station underwent a large re-development to fit in with the recent waterside changes in the area. The new station has been designed specifically as a two-boat station at a cost of £550,000.[9] At this time, the station was provided with a B-class (Atlantic 75) lifeboat, Blue Peter 1 (B-779), at a cost of £100,000.[9]

A new D-class inshore lifeboat, D-631 Spirit of Juniper, was donated by the Campaign for Real Gin in 2004 at a cost of £25,000, and served until 2014.[9] She was replaced by D-769 Ray of Hope, a later version of the D-Class IB1, funded by a private donor at a cost of £42,000.[10]

The final Blue Peter 1 was replaced in 2016 by a B-class (Atlantic 85) boat, Rennee Sherman (B-891).[3]

The Littlehampton Lifeboat Station was the busiest in the West Sussex area, with 61 call outs in 2020 and 913 between 2008 and 2020.[11]

Fleet

All-Weather Lifeboats

ON[lower-alpha 1] Name In service[12] Class Comments
172 James, Mercer and Elizabeth 1888–1904 34ft Self-Righting (P&S)
531 Brothers Freeman 1904–1921 35ft Self-Righting (P&S) Station Closed in 1921

Inshore Lifeboats

Op. No.[lower-alpha 2] Name In service [12] Class Comments
D-115 Blue Peter I 1967–1972 D-class Station re-opened in 1967
B-504 Blue Peter I 1972–1973 Atlantic 21-class
B-517 Blue Peter I 1973–1974 Atlantic 21-class
B-523 Blue Peter I 1974–1985 Atlantic 21-class
B-564 Blue Peter I 1985–2001 Atlantic 21-class
B-779 Blue Peter I [13] 2002–2016 Atlantic 75-class
D-431 Veronica 2003–2004 D-class (EA16)
D-458 Maureen Samuels 2004 D-class (EA16)
D-631 Spirit of Juniper [14] 2004–2014 D-class (IB1)
D-769 Ray of Hope[15] 2014– D-class (IB1)
B-891 Renée Sherman[16] 2016– Atlantic 85-class
  1. ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ↑ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

Neighbouring Station Locations

References

  1. ↑ "The RNLI Littlehampton Lifeboat Station website". Home page of station website – RNLI. ©2014 RNLI. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "The lifeboats". RNLI Littlehampton. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 "The latest news on our new Atlantic 85 lifeboat". littlehamptonlifeboat.org.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 For Those In Peril – The Lifeboat Service of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Station by Station. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Silver Link Publishing Ltd, First Issue 1999. Work:Part 2, South Coast of England – Eastbourne to Weston-super-Mare, Page 74, Littlehampton. ISBN 1 85794 129 2
  5. 1 2 "A Brief History of Littlehampton". Reference to the early work of the RNLI at Littlehampton. Arun District Council. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Strong to Save – Dramatic first-hand accounts of the RNLI lifeboat rescues around the British Iles. Author: Kipling, Ray and Susannah. Publisher:Patrick Stephens Ltd, re-printed addition – 1998. Work: Blue Peter to the Rescue – references to the Blue Peter appeals and involvement with the RNLI, Page 104. ISBN 1 85260 495 6
  7. 1 2 "Shorething! - Blue Peter lifeboats and rescue". Description of the relationship of Blue Peter 1 to Littlehampton. RNLI. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Never Turn Back – The RNLI since the Second World War. Author:Kipling, Ray and Susannah. Publisher:Sutton Publishing, 2006. Work: Chapter 7, page 154, From Whitehall to White City – Blue Peter book appeal, ISBN 0 7509 4307 6
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Station History – Littlehampton Lifeboat Station". Littlehampton History – reference to new station and Lifeboat. Copyright © 2014 RNLI Littlehampton. All Rights Reserved. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Ash, Tim (13 October 2014). "Official naming ceremony for new lifeboat at Littlehampton RNLI lifeboat station". RNLI. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Littlehampton lifeboat busiest in West Sussex". Sussex World. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  12. 1 2 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2023). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2023. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society.
  13. ↑ "Littlehampton's Blue Peter lifeboat to be retired". BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  14. ↑ "Naming Ceremony and Service of Dedication of Spirit of Juniper". The Campaign for Real Gin. Retrieved 21 May 2005.
  15. ↑ "Littlehampton lifeboat crew welcomes its new craft". Sussex World. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "New Littlehampton RNLI lifeboat to be named in honour of French-born donor". RNLI. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
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