# Skerries Lifeboat Station

Skerries Lifeboat Station is situated at Harbour Road, on Red Island, a tied island at Skerries, County Dublin, a town approximately 31 kilometres (19 mi) north of Dublin in the administrative region of Fingal, on the east coast of Ireland.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Skerries in 1833 by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS), but the station closed just five years later in 1838. A station was re-established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1855.
The station currently operates a B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat, Louis Simson (B-866), on station since 2013.

## History

A 24-foot lifeboat built by William Plenty of Newbury, Berkshire, costing £130, was initially placed at Arklow on 30 November 1826. This would be the first lifeboat station in Ireland. Just 3½ years later, having never been launched on service, the boat was relocated to Newcastle, County Down, in April 1930, and the Arklow station was closed.
Three years later, in 1833, the boat was transferred to Skerries, and was stationed there for five years until 1838, when it was transferred once again, this time to Rosslare Harbour. The boat was not replaced at Skerries.
On 21 January 1854, Ireland suffered one of its largest maritime disasters of the period, when the RMS Tayleur, lost in fog with a misreading compass, ran aground on Lambay Island, located mid-way between Skerries and Howth, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) off the mainland. The passenger ship, named after Charles Tayleur, founder of the Vulcan Foundry at Bank Quay, Warrington. was on its maiden voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne, Australia. After initially hitting the rocks, the vessel was washed back into deeper water, and sank, with the estimated loss of 362 lives.
In the 1854 October edition of 'The Lifeboat', it was announced that a 29-foot lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, based on Mr Peake's (self-righting) design, was ready to be transported to the station, along with her new carriage, built by Ransome and Sims of Ipswich, aboard the British and Irish Steam Packet Company vessel Foyle. A boathouse was constructed, at a cost of £98, on a site provided by James Hans Hamilton, M.P., and a "local committee of gentlemen" had been created, with Hans Hamilton Woods as chairman, and Henry Alex Hamilton appointed as honorary secretary.
It was also reported that considerable contributions had been forthcoming from the residents of the local area, as detailed on issue 12 page 119 of The Lifeboat. "The recent wrecks of the Tayleur and of the brig Agnes in this locality will probably be remembered by many of our readers as amongst those which have pointed it out as a desirable one for a life-boat station".
The Austrian brig Tregiste was stranded in a gale on 14 November 1858, between Lambay Island and Portrane. Joint Honorary Secretary for the Skerries and Balbriggan Branch of the RNLI, Henry Alexander Hamilton, JP, Chief Boatman with H.M. Coastguard, Balbriggan, took charge of the lifeboat, which was launched at 11:00 on 15 November. Conditions were too rough to make progress, and the lifeboat had to put back to Rogerstown. There the crew waited until 17 November for a break in the weather, reaching the vessel, and rescuing 13 men. For this service, Henry Alexander Hamilton was awarded the RNLI Gold Medal.
On 1 February 1873, the Skerries lifeboat Admiral Mitchell (1859) was launched on a bitterly cold night, to the schooner Sarah of Runcorn. The vessel had wrecked on the rocky shore at Balbriggan. In an effort to get close, oars were broken, and control of the boat was lost. The lifeboat was anchored, but after an hour of riding the surf, the lifeboat capsized, and seven men were thrown into the water. Only the coxswain managed to regain the boat, which was then capsized twice more, fortunately with no more loss of life. A memorial to the six men lost stands in Holmpatrick Cemetery.
On service to the barque S. Vaughan of Windsor, Nova Scotia on the 23 October, the Skerries lifeboat Laura Platt was being towed by a trawler, and capsized after the tow line parted. No lives were lost.
A new boathouse was constructed in 1903, costing £767, to house the William Maynard (ON 493), a 35-foot Liverpool (P&S) lifeboat, funded from the legacy of Rev. W. S. Maynard of Gressingham.
In 1930, a motor lifeboat, Lady Kylsant (ON 721), was placed at Howth, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the south. Skerries Lifeboat Station was then closed. The William Maynard (ON 493) was sold out of service.

## 1981 onwards

In July 1981, it was decided to once again establish a lifeboat station at Skerries, and a D-class (RFD PB16) lifeboat (D-176) was placed on service. The station was formally opened on Sunday May 1 1983 by John Boland, Minister for the Public Service in the Republic of Ireland. In just under two years on service, the inshore boat had performed 11 rescues, and saved 13 lives.
Successful evaluation trials with held with the B-class (Atlantic 21) lifeboat Round Table (B-543) in 1997. The D-class (EA16) Helen Mitchell Scrimgeour (D-393) was withdrawn. Work began in April 1997 to construct a new boathouse for the Atlantic-class lifeboat and Talus MB-764 County launch tractor, which was completed in August 1997. On 22 June 1998, the B-class (Atlantic 75) lifeboat Rockabill (B-747) was placed at Skerries.
The current lifeboat is the B-class (Atlantic 85) Louis Simson (B-866), which arrived on 28 February 2013, and was funded from the bequest of Mrs Charlotte Jordon Simson.

## Station honours

The following are awards made at Skerries.
* RNLI Gold Medal
       Henry Alexander Hamilton, JP, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard, Balbriggan - 1858, Joint Honorary Secretary for the Skerries and Balbriggan Branch of the RNLI.
* RNIPLS Silver Medal
       John Carter, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, Skerries - 1828
* RNLI Silver Medal
       Alexander Bain, seaman - 1859
       John Payne, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard, Skerries - 1877

## Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Skerries lifeboat.
* Lost when the lifeboat Admiral Mitchell capsized, whilst on service to the schooner Sarah of Runcorn, 1 February 1873.
       Albert Anning, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard (32)
       Richard Cochrane (40)
       William Fitzpatrick (20)
       Joseph Halpin (42)
       James Kelly (45)
       Patrick Reid (24)

## Skerries lifeboats
### All-weather lifeboats

| ON | Name | Built | In service | Class |
| pre-123 | Unnamed | 1826 | 1833–1838 | 24-foot Norfolk and Suffolk |
| Station Closed 1833–1855 ||||||
| Pre-287 | Unnamed | 1854 | 1855–1859 | 29-foot 1in Peake Self-righting (P&S) |
| Pre-332 | Admiral Mitchell | 1858 | 1859–1866 | 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) |
| Pre-352 | Admiral Mitchell | 1859 | 1866–1873 | 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) |
| Pre-574 | Laura Platt | 1873 | 1873–1888 | 33-foot Self-righting (P&S) |
| 133 | Sir Edward Blakeney | 1888 | 1888–1903 | 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) |
| 493 | William Maynard | 1902 | 1903–1930 | 35-foot Liverpool (P&S) |
    Station Closed, 1930
    Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

### Inshore lifeboats

| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class |
| D-176 | Unnamed | 1981–1982 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-283 | Unnamed | 1982–1990 | D-class (Zodiac III) |
| D-393 | Unnamed, Helen Mitchell Scrimgeour | 1990–1997 | D-class (EA16) |
| B-543 | Round Table | 1997–1998 | B-class (Atlantic 21) |
| B-747 | Rockabill | 1998–2012 | B-class (Atlantic 75) |
| B-754 | Pride of Sherwood | 2012–2013 | B-class (Atlantic 75) |
| B-866 | Louis Simson | 2013– | B-class (Atlantic 85) |

### Launch and recovery tractors

| Op. No. | Reg. No. | Type | In service | Comments |
| TW03 | N469 XAW | Talus MB-764 County | 1997–2003 | |
| TW07 | 88-D-43711 | Talus MB-764 County | 2003– | |
* ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
* 1 2 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.