# Swanage Lifeboat Station

Swanage Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located on Peveril Point in the town of Swanage in Dorset, England. It operates two lifeboats, the Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat 13-13 George Thomas Lacy (ON 1320) and the D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB) Roy Norgrove (D-884).
The station underwent extensive re-development in 2015/16 with a new purpose built boat house to accommodate its new Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat (AWB), and was opened in 2017.

## History

On 4 March 1875, prompted by the wreck of the brigantine Wild Wave of Exeter on 23 January, the RNLI Committee of Management agreed to form a lifeboat station at Swanage. The lifeboat's first service was on 13 March 1876, when it saved a ketch, the William Pitt of Poole, when it drifted ashore near Bournemouth. In 1890, the slipway was lengthened. In 1902, gas was laid onto the lifeboat house, and the station's first motor lifeboat was sent in 1928.

### 1992 renovation

Work was carried out on the boathouse in 1992 to make room for the station's new Mersey-class lifeboat. This included an extension to the side of the boathouse and an increase in the roof's height. Work was also undertaken on the slipway.
The new lifeboat (ON 1182) was named the Robert Charles Brown on 3 September 1992 in honour of Robert Charles Brown BEM, who was a lifeboatman at the station for over fifty years.

### Inshore lifeboats

On 3 April 1993 a D-class Inshore lifeboat (ILB) was sent to the station for evaluation, and a new slipway was built the following year to accommodate it. In 1995, the ILB was permanently stationed and was named Phyl Clare 2 (D-475), and was placed on service on 8 April.
A shoreworks project including extra parking which cost £13,333 was completed in July 2002.
On 27 August 2003, a new ILB, the Jack Cleare (D-613) was placed on service, with Phyl Clare 2 (D-475) being withdrawn.
On 12 July 2012, the D-class (IB1) Phyl & Jack (D-752) was placed on service, with the Jack Cleare (D-613) being withdrawn. This lifeboat was funded in part by a gift and bequest from Mrs Phyl Cleare.
In December 2023, Swanage Lifeboat station welcomed Roy Norgrove (D-884) as their new Inshore Lifeboat, replacing Phyl & Jack which had been on service for 12 years.

### 2016 rebuild

In November 2014, the RNLI's contractors (BAM Nuttall) arrived on site to start modifications of the boathouse. The Mersey-class Robert Charles Brown had its final slipway launch on 1 February 2015.
On 8 April 2016, the Shannon-class lifeboat arrived, and was officially placed on service on 20 April. The Mersey-class Robert Charles Brown (ON 1182) left Swanage for the last time on 22 April, after more than 23 years of service. On 8 November, trials for the new Shannon class slipway began, and the boat moved into its boathouse on 14 December. On 13 February 2017, the Phyl & Jack (D-752) was moved into its new boathouse.
On 29 April 2017, the Shannon-class lifeboat 13-13 was officially named the George Thomas Lacy (ON 1320), and the new lifeboat station was officially opened. The new lifeboat station was opened to the public on 1 May. The new station cost a total of £8 million, more than £465,000 of which was raised locally.

## Rescues and awards

Over the years, Swanage Lifeboat Station crew have been involved in many rescues. Ten RNLI medals for gallantry, five silver and five bronze have been awarded, the last in 1996.
* RNIPLS Silver Medal
       Lt. William Parsons. RN, Officer of the Coastguard - 1839
       Lt. George Davies, RN - 1839
       Edward Leggett, Gunner, RN - 1839
       Charles Stubbs, Seaman, RN - 1839
       (all of the Revenue Cutter Tartar)
* RNLI Silver Medal
       John Lose, Chief Officer of Coastguard - 1875
* RNLI Bronze Medal
       Robert Charles Brown, Assistant Motor Mechanic - 1934
       Ronald Hardy, Coxswain - 1970
       Ronald Hardy, Coxswain - 1977 (Second Service award)
       Victor Albert Marsh, Second Coxswain/Mechanic - 1977
       Christopher Haw, Coxswain - 1996
* The Maud Smith Award 1996 for the most outstanding act of lifesaving during 1996
       Christopher Haw, Coxswain - 1996 (Swanage)
* The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
       Robert C Brown, Coxswain - 1936
       The crew of the lifeboat - 1965
       D. Dyke, Second Coxswain - 1970
       P. Dorey, crew member - 1970
       Alec Edmonds, crew member - 1971
       Ronald Hardy, Coxswain - 1976
       Philip Dorey, Emergency Mechanic - 1976
       Dr. William Tudor-Thomas, Honorary Medical Adviser - 1979
       John Corben, crew member - 1979
       Christopher Haw, crew member - 1979
       Philip Dorey, Acting Coxswain - 1981
       Victor Marsh, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1988
       Martin Steeden, Emergency Mechanic - 1988
       Christopher Haw, Coxswain - 1990
       Christopher Haw, Coxswain - 1993
* Thanks of the Committee of Management inscribed on a Vellum certificate
       Dr. D. I. Aitken - 1966
* A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
       Victor Marsh, Coxswain/Mechanic - 1978
       George Bishop, Second Assistant Mechanic - 1978
       Thomas Haw, crew member - 1978
       Christopher Haw, Coxswain - 1994
       Terry Pond, crew member -1994
* A Collective Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
       Malcolm Turnbull, crew member - 1992
       Anthony Byron, crew member - 1992
       Christopher Coe, crew member - 1992
* Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
       Captain Neil Michael Hardy, Lifeboat Operations Manager - 2015QBH
       David Graham Corben, Chair, Lifeboat Management Group - 2024KBH
* British Empire Medal
       Robert Charles Brown, Former Coxswain - 1977QBH
       Victor Albert Charles Marsh, Coxswain Mechanic - 1989NYH
FOREIGN AWARDS (All for services to the motor launch Chasseur 5 of the French Naval Forces, December 1943)
* Letter of Thanks from the Commander in Chief French Naval Forces in UK
       Swanage Lifeboat Station - 1944
* French Government Medals
       Swanage Lifeboat Crew - 1946
* French Lifeboat Society Medals
       Coxswain, Mechanic and Bowman - 1946

## Swanage lifeboats

* Robert Charles Brown (1992–2016)
* George Thomas Lacey (From 2016)
| At Swanage | ON | Op. No. | Name | Class | Comments |
| 1875–1890 | 193 | — | Charlotte Mary | Self-Righter | 35 ft (11 m) boat. |
| 1890–1893 | 296 | — | William Erle | Self-Righter | 37 ft (11 m) boat. Later stationed at Burry Port. |
| 1893–1914 | 358 | — | William Erle | Self-Righter | 37 ft (11 m) boat. |
| 1914–1918 | 392 | — | Zaida | Self-Righter | 37 ft (11 m) boat. Previously stationed at Carrickfergus. |
| 1918–1928 | 664 | — | Herbert Sturmy | Self-Righter | 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) boat. Later stationed at Falmouth and then Cadgwith. |
| 1928–1949 | 706 | — | Thomas Markby | Self-Righter | 40 ft (12 m) motor lifeboat. Later stationed at Whitehills. Sold in 1957 and converted to a yacht, reported to be in Grenada in 2017. |
| 1949–1975 | 858 | — | R.L.P. | Watson | |
| 1975–1992 | 1023 | 37-31 | J. Reginald Corah | Rother | Sold and reported to be a pleasure boat in Denmark. |
| 1992–2016 | 1182 | 12-23 | Robert Charles Brown | Mersey | Sold in 2019 and now in Stellendam, Netherlands, named Atlantic. |
| 2016– | 1320 | 13-13 | George Thomas Lacey | Shannon | |

### Inshore lifeboats

| At Swanage | Op. No. | Name | Class | Model | Comments |
| 1993–1994 | D-406 | Phyl Clare | D | EA16 | First deployed in the relief fleet in 1990, transferred to Newquay in 1994. |
| 1994–1995 | D-417 | Douglas Hurndall | D | EA16 | First deployed in the relief fleet in 1991. |
| 1995–2003 | D-475 | Phyl Clare 2 | D | EA16 | |
| 2003–2012 | D-613 | Jack Cleare | D | IB1 | |
| 2012–2023 | D-752 | Phyl & Jack | D | IB1 | |
| 2023– | D-884 | Roy Norgrove | D | IB1 | |