# Barmouth Lifeboat Station

Barmouth Lifeboat Station is located in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach river in Gwynedd, Wales. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) currently operate a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337), on station since 2019, and a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, Craig Steadman (D-814), on station since 2017.

## History

Following a request by the Rev. Frederick Ricketts, a lifeboat was provided to the town by the RNIPLS in 1828. The first lifeboat was a 26-foot six-oar Palmer type, which arrived aboard the sloop Dove on 25 October 1828. The unnamed boat served until 1853.
Local funding provided the first boathouse. It was initially said that a new boathouse would be constructed, but it is possible that an older 1800s building was converted. There are reports of a stone building measuring 30' x 9', with a doorway 6' 6" x 6', and costing £95. It is thought that this building is now the Harbour Master's office.
On 28 December 1851, with the existing lifeboat deteriorating, Capt. Kenyon of Barmouth wrote to the RNIPLS, requesting that the lifeboat be replaced. In October 1853, a new 27-foot Peake 8-oared, self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, costing £135, was built by Forrestt of Limehouse, and was delivered to Caernarfon free of charge by the London and North Western and the Chester and Holyhead Railway companies. The lifeboat was then sailed down to Barmouth by the crew.
In 1859, both the Barmouth and Criccieth lifeboats were taken away, and were extended by 6-feet, the Barmouth lifeboat now being 33-foot long, rowing 12-oars.
In order to accommodate the boat, a new boathouse was constructed 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) south east of the town, where the lifeboat could launch directly into the Afon Mawddach. However, in 1864, the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway began work on the Pwllheli to Aberystwyth Railway, which required the construction of the Barmouth Bridge across the Afon Mawddach. As a result, the line was bridged right over the top of the slipway, creating a unique situation where the boathouse was located to the north of the railway line, and the lifeboat launching underneath the railway line, to the river on the south side.
The third lifeboat at Barmouth was the Ellen, a double banked 10-oar vessel, placed on station in 1867. She was provided by an 'anonymous' gift, from a lady known only as E.P.S. In 1885, the Jones-Gibb (ON 64), with 12 oars double-banked, was placed at Barmouth, remaining in service until 1905. She was followed by a second Jones-Gibb (ON 538) in service until 1939.
On 20 March 1982, Barmouth received a new All-weather lifeboat, a Rother-class lifeboat, built by William Osborne of Littlehampton, costing £240,000, and the first lifeboat to be fitted with Radar. A naming ceremony was planned for later in the year, to coincide with a Royal Visit to Barmouth, and on a cold wet 25 November 1982, Diana, Princess of Wales, named the boat Princess of Wales (ON 1063).
A new lifeboat station was constructed on the promenade, to the west of the town in 2004. Costing £1.23 million, it provided up-to-date facilities for the crew, and is able to house both the All-weather lifeboat, the D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, and both launch tractors. A new Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat arrived in March 2019, and was named 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337) later that year.
Barmouth is an RNLI "Explore" category station whereby, subject to operational requirements and availability of staff, visitors can look around the station. An RNLI Visitor Centre, and gift shop, are also housed within the building.

## Station honours

During the lifetime of the station thirteen awards for bravery have been presented.
The following are awards made at Barmouth
* RNIPLS Silver Medal
    For rescuing seven men from the vessel Neptune on 2 February 1825
       Edmond Lewis - 1825
* RNLI Silver Medal
    For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971
       John Henry Stockford - 1971
       Colin Pugh - 1971
       Dr Robert Airdrie Haworth - 1971
* The Ralph Glister Award 1971 (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by the crew of an inshore lifeboat)
    For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971
       John Henry Stockford - 1971
       Colin Pugh - 1971
       Dr Robert Haworth - 1971
* RNLI Bronze Medal
    For rescuing two men from the fishing vessel Boy Nick on 22 November 1978.
       Evan Jones, Coxswain - 1979
* Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum
    For the rescue of two men from the vessel Isabel on 18 September 1858
       Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858
    For saving the boat and crew of the American ship Troy on 19 November 1859
       Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858
    For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957
       George Berridge - 1957
       William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1957
    For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982
       Edward Leonard Vaughan, Acting Coxswain - 1982
* Vellum Service Certificate
    For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982
       Kenneth Ingram, Mechanic - 1982
       Harry Allday, Acting Second Coxswain - 1982
       Robert Buckley, crew member - 1982
       John Stockford, crew member - 1982
       Llewelyn Griffin, crew member - 1982
* Maud Smith Award 1957
    (for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew).
    For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957
       William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1958
* Testimonial on Parchment, awarded by the Royal Humane Society
    For entering the sea to rescue a man who had jumped from Barmouth Viaduct on 19 October 1980
       John Henry Stockford - 1980
* British Empire Medal
       George Kenneth Jeffs, Coxswain Assistant Mechanic - 1989NYH

## Barmouth lifeboats
### All-weather lifeboats

| ON | Op.No. | Name | In service | Class |
| – | – | Unnamed | 1828–1853 | 26-foot Palmer |
| Pre-269 | – | Unnamed | 1853–1867 | 27-foot Peake |
| Pre-505 | – | Ellen | 1867–1885 | 34-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 64 | – | Jones-Gibb | 1885–1905 | 37-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 538 | – | Jones-Gibb | 1905–1939 | 38-foot Watson (P&S) |
| 817 | – | Laurence Ardern, Stockport | 1939–1949 | Surf |
| 864 | – | Chieftain | 1949–1982 | Liverpool |
| 1063 | 37-38 | Princess of Wales | 1982–1992 | Rother |
| 1185 | 12-26 | Moira Barrie | 1992–2019 | Mersey |
| 1337 | 13-30 | Ella Larsen | 2019– | Shannon |
    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-137 | Unnamed | 1967–1978 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-268 | Unnamed | 1979–1988 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-374 | Unnamed | 1988–1997 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-524 | Pilgrim | 1997–2007 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-514 | Lord Kitchener | 2007 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-678 | Rotarian Clive Tanner | 2007–2017 | D-class (IB1) |
| D-814 | Craig Steadman | 2017– | D-class (IB1) |

### Launch and recovery tractors

| Op. No. | Reg. No. | Type | In service |
| T97 | C282 LNT | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2004 |
| T121 | DX04 YZG | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2004–2019 |
| SC-T18 | HF68 DDL | SLARS (Clayton) | 2019– |
* ↑ 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.