Arbroath Lifeboat Station

Arbroath Lifeboat Station is located at the harbour town and former Royal Burgh of Arbroath, on the North Sea coast, 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Dundee, in Angus, Scotland. A lifeboat was first stationed at Arbroath by the Arbroath Lifeboat Committee (ALC) in 1803, with management of the station being transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1865. The station currently operates the B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat June Marshall (B-954), on station since October 2025, and a smaller D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, Mintybell (D-892), on station since 2024. History Arbroath set up a Lifeboat Committee in 1803. With money from Lloyd's of London, and public donations, £120 was raised, and a lifeboat was ordered from Henry Greathead of South Shields, arriving on 10 Aug 1803. By the early 1850s, the Greathead lifeboat was no longer seaworthy. The RNLI offered to take control of Arbroath Lifeboat Station, but £188-9s-0d had already been raised for a new lifeboat and boathouse, and a new 27-foot 10-oared self-righting lifeboat had been ordered from Thomas Wake of Sunderland. It was to be ready in Sunderland by 1 June 1854, at an agreed price of £115. The new lifeboat arrived in Arbroath in July 1854, towed from Newcastle upon Tyne by Steam Tug. Arbroath Town Council donated £100, and offered the free use of the old boathouse, which was altered to accommodate the new boat. Things didn't always go well in the following 10 years, with difficulties getting crew, reluctance to practice, and on one occasion, a missing boat-house key-holder delaying the launch. Following a visit and report by Capt. D Robertson, Assistant Inspector of Lifeboats in 1865, the RNLI offered once again to take over the station, which this time was accepted. This brought more formal arrangements, the appointment of Coxswain and Second Coxswain, Honorary Secretary, President and Patron. The Arbroath Town Council funded construction of a new lifeboat house on East Grimsby. A new 32-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (10) oars, was constructed by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, and cost £242. This lifeboat, and another one for Peterhead, People's Journal No.1, had been funded by an appeal by the Dundee periodical The People's Journal, with the new lifeboat and carriage first dispatched to Dundee, where it went on public display. The lifeboat was transported free of charge by the Caledonian, Scottish Central, and Scottish North Eastern Railway Companies. After arriving in Arbroath on 2 January 1886, the lifeboat was named People's Journal No.2. 1932 saw the arrival of the first Arbroath motor-lifeboat. John and William Mudie (ON 752) was built by Thorneycroft, and had a single 35hp engine giving a speed of 7 knots and a range of 116 miles (187 km). She could carry seven crew, and 30 survivors. In 1940, the lifeboat was sent to the aid of the vessel Foremost, which was under attack from German aircraft. The lifeboat was brought alongside whilst the vessel was still under machine-gun attack, but seven survivors were taken off. Coxswain William Swankie was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal, and then later the British Empire Medal. Arbroath lifeboat disaster Around 17:00 on 26 October 1953, the cargo ship Islandmagee departed the River Tay, despite warnings of gale-force winds on the BBC shipping forecast, due at Leith at 05:00 the following day. The vessel passed North Carr Lightship at 21:15. Some time later, in very poor conditions, both Anstruther and Arbroath lifeboats were launched to reports of distress flares seen from Fife Ness, but nothing was found. The Islandmagee was never seen again, although bodies of crewmen and a ships lifeboat were recovered from the shore in the following days. It would be 33 years later, before the wreck was located by divers in 1986. Calling off the search at 04:30, both lifeboats headed home, but due to the conditions, Arbroath Coxswain David Bruce decided to lie off the harbour, and await daybreak before heading in. Hit by a large cross wave, the lifeboat, a non-self-righting Liverpool-class, was capsized, and six of the crew including the Coxswain, were lost. The Robert Lindsay (ON 874) was taken away for repairs, but would never return to Arbroath. The boat would later serve at Girvan and Criccieth. 1960s onwards An increase in water-based leisure activity in the 1960s would see the widespread introduction of a small inflatable inshore lifeboat at many lifeboat stations, and Arbroath received a D-class (RFD PB16) (D-16) in 1968. A Mersey-class lifeboat 12-35 Inchcape (ON 1194) was placed at Arbroath in 1993, one of only a handful of slipway-launched Mersey lifeboats. Double the speed of the previous Rother-class lifeboat 37-36 Shoreline (ON 1054), she would serve for 31 years, launch 460 times, and save 12 lives. On 11 May 2023, it was announced that the All-weather lifeboat would be withdrawn from Arbroath, and replaced with a fast Inshore B-class (Atlantic 85) lifeboat. 12-35 Inchcape departed Arbroath for the last time on 17 March 2024. Arbroath took delivery of their new D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat mintybell (D-892) on 30 July 2024, replacing Robert Fergusson (D-759) which had been on station since 2013. Station honours The following are awards made at Arbroath. British Empire Medal William Swankie, Coxswain – 1942 RNIPLS Gold Medal Lt. Christopher Jobson RN, H.M. Coastguard – 1827 Lt. Christopher Jobson RN, H.M. Coastguard – 1827 (Second-Service Gold Lifeboat) Silver Watch, awarded by the German Emperor William. H. Smith, Coxswain – 1905 David Swankie, Second Coxswain – 1905 Peter Swankie, Bowman – 1905 RNLI Bronze Medal William Swankie, Coxswain – 1940 Monetary Award, awarded by the German Emperor Arbroath Lifeboat Crew – 1905 A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution Allan Russell, Mechanic – 2001 Thomas Yule, Second Coxswain – 2001 Peter Willis, crew member – 2001 British Empire Medal Maureen Morrison, President, Arbroath Fundraising Guild – 2023KBH Roll of honour In memory of those lost whilst serving Arbroath lifeboat. Fatally injured under the lifeboat carriage during launch, 24 September 1911, Peter Swankie, Bowman (64) Lost when the lifeboat Robert Lindsay (ON 874) capsized whilst returning across the harbour bar, after launching to reported flares, likely from the vessel Islandmagee, 27 October 1953 David Bruce, Coxswain, (48) Harry Swankie, Mechanic, (63) William Swankie (Jnr), Asst. Mechanic, (30) Tom Adams, Bowman, (33) Charles Cargill, (28) David Cargill, (29) Arbroath lifeboats Arbroath Lifeboat Committee lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list. Motor lifeboats All-weather lifeboat withdrawn in 2024 Inshore lifeboats D-class B-class See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats Notes References External links Arbroath RNLI Lifeboat Station