# Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station

Aldeburgh Lifeboat Station is located in the town of Aldeburgh, in the English county of Suffolk.
A lifeboat station was first established at Aldeburgh by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1851. The RNIPLS became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1854.
The station currently operates the B-class (Atlantic 85) Howard Bell (B-899), on service since 14 October 2024, and the smaller D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat Susan Scott (D-808), on station since 2017. The station covers the coast between Harwich station to the south, and Southwold station to the North.

## History

The Suffolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Seamen placed a 24ft Norfolk and Suffolk class lifeboat Grafton at Sizewell in 1826, but this was crewed by men from Aldeburgh. The boat was moved to a new station at Aldeburgh, shortly after the RNLI took over in 1851.
A new 32-foot unnamed boat was stationed at Aldeburgh in 1853, later to be named Pasco in 1867, after Capt. Montague G. C. Pasco, RN, collected £451 for the RNLI.

### 1899 lifeboat disaster

On 7 December 1899, the lifeboat Aldeburgh (ON 304) was launched to reports of a vessel aground on Shipwash Sands. In violent seas, the boat was capsized, coming to rest on the beach, and trapping 6 of the 18 crew underneath. A huge effort took place to lift the boat, but with no success. Another 3 hours passed until a hole was smashed through the upturned hull, but it was too late. 7 men perished in the disaster.
       John Pearce Butcher, 52
       Charles Alfred Crisp, 51
       Herbert William Downing, 23
       Allen Arthur Easter, 28
       Thomas Morris, 36
       Walter George Ward, 33
       James Miller Ward jr., 21
A memorial to the disaster is sited in the graveyard at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. It bears the following inscription: On December 7th 1899, in response to signals of distress, a crew of 18 brave men manned the lifeboat “Aldeburgh” which was speedily launched in the teeth of an easterly gale and a heavy rolling sea. At duties call to rescue others with their own lives in their hands, these brave men went afloat, when alas! the boat capsizing seven of them met their end and lie buried here. By a large fund promptly raised to provide for those suddenly bereft, as well as by the monument, fellow townsmen and fellow countrymen near and far paid tribute to an example of noble self-forgetfulness.
The All-weather Mersey-class lifeboat 12-34 Freddie Cooper (ON 1193) was placed on station in November 1993. The 12 metres (39 ft) self-righting lifeboat was powered by two 285-hp turbo-charged Caterpillar 3208T diesel engines, capable of 16 knots, with a range of 140 nautical miles. She was purchased using a bequest to the RNLI from the late Mrs Winifred Cooper, in memory of her husband Freddie.
The current lifeboat station was built in 1994, to replace a smaller older one on the same site. For the first time, protective cover was provided, for both the station lifeboat and the Talus MB-H launch tractor. Incorporated into the design is a public viewing platform. The station has showers and toilet facilities for the crew, and a heated store for their foul weather suits. There are also further equipment storage rooms. This new boathouse was built using part of the 'Penza' bequest of Mrs Eugenie Boucher, who left £4 million to the RNLI when she died in 1992, specifically for the construction of new boathouses.
In 2007, Aldeburgh received the new D-class (IB1) lifeboat Christine (D-673). This boat was funded by the bequest of Florence Winifred Kemp, in memory of her daughter.
The RNLI announced in 2016, that Aldeburgh would be getting a new Shannon-class lifeboat to replace the Mersey-class lifeboat, due in 2021. In July 2023, the RNLI announced that the Mersey-class All-weather lifeboat (ALB) at Aldeburgh would be replaced by an B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat.
Christine was replaced with a new D-class (IB1) Inshore boat in 2017, and named Susan Scott (D-808) at a ceremony on Saturday 10 June 2017.
On 14 October 2024, Mersey-class lifeboat 12-34 Freddie Cooper (ON 1193) was withdrawn to the relief fleet. The All-weather lifeboat was replaced by the B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat Howard Bell (B-899).

## Station honours

The following are awards made at Aldeburgh
* RNLI Silver Medal
       Joseph Foster, H.M. Coastguard - 1824
       Henry Hutchinson, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard - 1825
       Mr William Smith, fisherman - 1828
       Mr Simon Fisher, Master of the Smack Alert - 1840
       James Cable, Coxswain - 1891
       William Mann, Second Coxswain - 1891
       James Cable, Coxswain - 1893 (Second-Service Clasp)
       Charles Edward Ward, Bowman - 1894
       Charles Edward Ward, Bowman - 1900 (Second-Service Clasp)
       James Cable, Coxswain - 1900 (Third-Service Clasp)
* RNLI Bronze Medal
       George Chatten, Coxswain - 1938
       Reuben Wood, Coxswain - 1972
       John Marjoram, Helmsman - 1977
       Ian Firman, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1996
       Ian Firman, Coxswain/Mechanic - 2000 (Second-Service Clasp)
* The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
       Nigel Saint, Motor Mechanic - 1972
* A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
       Reuban Wood, Coxswain - 1977
       Lee Firman. Coxswain - 2004
       David Cook, crewman - 2004
* Binocular glass
       W J Osborne, Honorary Secretary for 25 years - 1886
* Letter of appreciation and a monetary reward from the Committee of Management
       John Sharman(16) - 1955
* Medals awarded by the Norwegian Government
       Aldeburgh Lifeboat Crew - 1892
* Silver cup from the Imperial Government of Russia
       James Cable, Coxswain - 1895
* Monetary Award from the Imperial Government of Russia
       Aldeburgh Lifeboat Crew - 1895
* Silver Watch from the German Emperor
       Coxswain - 1903
       Second coxswain - 1903
       Bowman - 1903
* Monetary Award from the German Emperor
       Aldeburgh Lifeboat Crew - 1903
* Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
       Lee Firman - 2017NYH
* British Empire Medal
       Nigel Anthony Saint, Motor Mechanic - 1985NYH

## Aldeburgh lifeboats
### No. 1 Station

| ON | Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
| Pre-118 | – | Grafton | 1826–1851 1851–1853 | 24-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | 1826–1851 at Sizewell |
| Pre-261 | – | Unnamed, later Pasco | 1853–1870 | 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) | Renamed Pasco in 1867 |
| Pre-551 | – | George Hounsfield | 1870–1890 | 40-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 304 | – | Aldeburgh | 1890–1899 | 46-foot 3in Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | Capsized 7 December 1899. 8 men died as a result this accident |
| 270 | – | Margaret | 1899–1901 | 44-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | |
| 352 | – | Bolton | 1901–1902 | 43-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | |
| 482 | – | City of Winchester | 1902–1928 | 46-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | |
| 629 | – | Hugh Taylor | 1929–1931 | 34-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | |
| 751 | – | Abdy Beauclerk | 1931–1958 | 41ft Watson | |
| 946 | – | Alfred and Patience Gottwald | 1959–1979 | 42ft Watson | |
| 948 | – | Charles Dibdin (Civil Service No.32) | 1979–1982 | 42ft Watson | Ex Walmer |
| 1068 | 37-40 | James Cable | 1982–1993 | Rother | Last displacement hull boat on station |
| 1193 | 12-34 | Freddie Cooper | 1993–2024 | Mersey | |
    All-weather lifeboat withdrawn, 14 October 2024
    Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

### No. 2 Station

| ON | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
| 545 | Edward Z Dresden | 1905–1929 | 38-foot Liverpool (P&S) | |
| 620 | William Macpherson | 1930 | 43ft Watson | Ex Campbeltown. First motor lifeboat at station |
| 607 | James Leith (Leath) | 1930–1936 | 42-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) | Ex Caister, Pakefield |
| 665 | Baltic | 1936–1940 | 38-foot Liverpool (P&S) | Ex Wells |
| 832 | Lucy Lavers | 1940–1959 | Liverpool | |
    No.2 Station closed, 1959

### Inshore lifeboats

| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
| D-111 | Unnamed | 1977–1980 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-270 | Unnamed | 1980–1988 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-376 | Unnamed | 1988–1997 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-520 | Bob Savage | 1997–2007 | D-class (EA16) | |
| D-673 | Christine | 2007–2017 | D-class (IB1) | |
| D-808 | Susan Scott | 2017– | D-class (IB1) | |
| B-899 | Howard Bell | 2024– | B-class (Atlantic 85) | Officially on service, 14 October 2024 |

### Launch and recovery tractors

| Op. No. | Reg. No. | Type | In service |
| T66 | XYP 400 | Fowler Challenger III | 1975 |
| T67 | YLD 792 | Fowler Challenger III | 1985–1987 |
| T85 | SEL 394R | Talus MBC Case 1150B | 1987–1993 |
| T116 | K920 DUJ | Talus MB-H Crawler | 1993–2005 |
| T115 | K499 AUX | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2005–2021 |
| T102 | E387 VAW | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2021– |
* 1 2 ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
* 1 2 3 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.