# Dunbar Lifeboat Station

Dunbar Lifeboat Station is located at Dunbar Harbour in Dunbar, a town and former royal burgh overlooking the mouth of the Firth of Forth, in the county of East Lothian, on the south-east coast of Scotland.
A lifeboat station was first established here in 1808, but closed in 1821. The station was re-established in 1864 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The station currently operates a D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, David Lauder (D-844), on station since 2019, and the Trent-class All-weather lifeboat 14-35 John Neville Taylor (ON 1266), on station since 2008. Due to access issues at Dunbar harbour at low tide, the All-weather lifeboat is kept on a mooring approximately 4.2 nautical miles (7.8 km) to the east of Dunbar, in the bay next to Torness nuclear power station.

## History

Dunbar Harbour has been a fishing and trading port since at least 1574, and for a considerable period was classified as a port of refuge; it is located on the North Sea coast of south-east Scotland, venue for many thousands of shipwrecks over the centuries. In Britain, the history of lifeboats dates (two outliers excepted) to Henry Greathead's 1790 boat at South Shields on the River Tyne in England; in 1824 the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was founded to take a nationwide interest in the provision of lifeboats, but it was relatively ineffective in its earliest years. Lifeboat provision prior to about 1850 was a matter for local communities, with little institutional support.
Dunbar ranks amongst the earlier harbours to be equipped with a lifeboat, equipping itself with a boat of Henry Greathead's design and manufacture, together with a boat-carriage, boathouse and a Manby apparatus, in 1808. The initiative to establish a station at Dunbar came from George Miller, a native of the town, son of a merchant and established as a bookbinder and bookseller, but having had a long fascination with seafaring. By his own account, he had as a child conceived of mortar-launched lines as a means of reaching shoreline wrecks, many years in advance of George William Manby's successful implementation of the idea, and remained fascinated by shipwreck and rescue. Miller became acquainted with South Shields' lifeboat initiative, when he spent some days from 6 April 1789 undertaking work experience with a bookseller in the town. 1789 was a year in which the town was the 'epicentre of lifeboat innovation', arising out of the highly visible and protracted wrecking of a vessel, the Adventure, on the Herd Sands to the north-east of the South Shields on 14 March. The Newcastle-upon-Tyne Trinity House to hold a competition for the design of a lifeboat, which led to the adoption of Greathead's design.
Miller, with others, campaigned from as early as 1793 for the establishment at Dunbar of a lifesaving operation, suggesting both a mortar and line, and a lifeboat, but their aspirations came to nothing. It took until 1807, prompted by the death of a sailor on 6 September in a shoreline wreck at Thorntonlock, to the east of Dunbar, before Miller's ideas got traction. He floated a proposal for a lifeboat in the Edinburgh Evening Courant and quickly a committee of local worthies was formed, and as quickly, a subscription raised above £366, which by 1808 yielded lifeboat, station, carriage and minimal float for expenses. David Anderson's 2002 paper on The Dunbar Lifeboat notes five occasions on which it responded to mariners in distress, but notes that there are no good records of its employment.
Lack of competent management of the affairs of the lifeboat station brought the Dunbar service to an end sometime after 1818, when damage occasioned to the Greathead boat went unrepaired, and it was found to be unavailable to assist with an 1821 wrecking. From about 1830, Dunbar was served by a Rocket Brigade using Mandy apparatus. It was not until 1864 that the town petitioned to the reinvigorated RNLI for a replacement boat; by 1865 the Wallace had been supplied, and a new boathouse erected by the Victoria Harbour. The current boathouse dates from 1901, and was extended and refurbished in 1996.
* ↑ Thorntonlock: 55°57′45″N 2°23′50″W﻿ / ﻿55.96237°N 2.39728°W﻿ / 55.96237; -2.39728. The exact position of the wreck is not recorded

## Sir Ronald Pechell Bt

14-09 Sir Ronald Pechell Bt (ON 1207) was a Trent class all weather lifeboat that operated at Dunbar from 1995 to 2008. During the Easter weekend of 2008 the lifeboat was damaged beyond economic repair, after her moorings snapped during severe storms and she was driven ashore. The Sir Ronald Pechell Bt, valued at £208K in 2008, cost £1.05M to build in 1995 and in her 13 years of service at Dunbar had launched 206 times and rescued 171 people. The lifeboat, 14-35 John Neville Taylor (ON 1266) from the charity's relief fleet, has been allocated to the station as a permanent replacement.

## Skateraw lifeboat station

It was found that difficulties were encountered transporting the Dunbar lifeboat overland, should the need arise. In 1907, to resolve this problem, it was decided that a satellite lifeboat station be established at Skateraw, 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south-east of Dunbar. When required, the lifeboat would also be operated by the Dunbar crew. The station remained in service until 1943. For further information, please see
* Skateraw Lifeboat Station

## Station honours

The following are awards made to the crew of Dunbar Lifeboat Station:
* RNIPLS Silver Medal
    Randal Stap, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard – 1827
       for the rescue of the master of the sloop Brothers, 4 March 1827
    Lt. Charles Shaw, RN, H.M. Coastguard, Redheugh – 1830
       for the rescue of 4 from the sloop Peggy, 28 August 1830
    James Brown, Commissioned Boatman, H.M. Coastguard – 1852
       for rescuing the master and one of the crew of the schooner Susan, 9 January 1852.
    Robert Turnbull, fisherman – 1852
       for rescuing the skipper and his nephew of the fishing yawl William and James, 28 February 1852.
* RNLI Silver Medal
    Walter Fairbairn, Coxswain Superintendent – 1905
       for the rescue of six from the SS King Ja Ja of Swansea, 13 October 1905.
* RNLI Bronze Medal
    David Brunton, crew member – 1970
       for the rescue an injured man in the water, 23 December 1970.
    Gary Fairbairn, Coxswain – 2010
       for the rescue of two people from their yacht Ouhm, 15 May 2009
* Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
    Jonathan J A Alston – 1970
       for the rescue an injured man in the water, 23 December 1970.
    Robert Wight, Coxswain – 1991
       for his seamanship and leadership searching for divers on 6 October 1990
* Framed Letters of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
    five crew members – 1970
       1970 - for the rescue an injured man in the water on 23 December 1970.
* Lady Swaythling Trophy for outstanding seamanship 2010 awarded by the Shipwrecked Mariners and Fishermen’s Royal Benevolent Society
    Gary Fairbairn, Coxswain – 2010
       for the rescue of two people from their yacht Ouhm, 15 May 2009
* Royal Human Society’s Testimonial on Parchment
    R G Brunton, Second Coxswain – 1953
       for the rescue of a boy who had fallen over the cliffs.
* Letter of Appreciation from the German Government
    Dunbar Lifeboat – 1932
       for the assistance given by the lifeboat to the S.S. Berkenan of Bremerhaven
* British Empire Medal
    Kenneth John Headley, Fundraiser, RNLI – 2015
       for services to Maritime Safety

## Dunbar lifeboats
### All-weather lifeboats

| ON | Op. No. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
| – | – | Dunbar Lifeboat | 1808–1821 | Greathead | Original lifeboat |
| 220 | – | Wallace | 1865–1893 | 33-foot 1in Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 345 | – | Sarah Pickard | 1893–1901 | 34-foot Self-Righting (P&S) | |
| 443 | – | William Arthur Millward | 1901–1931 | 35-foot Liverpool (P&S) | |
| 749 | – | George and Sarah Strachan | 1931–1959 | 45ft 6in Watson | First motor lifeboat at station |
| 947 | – | Margaret | 1959–1986 | 47ft Watson | |
| 971 | – | Joseph Soar (Civil Service No.34) | 1986–1988 | 47ft Watson | |
| 1020 | 48-015 | Hugh William, Viscount Gough | 1988–1993 | Solent | |
| 1034 | 44-013 | Thomas James King | 1993–1995 | Waveney | |
| 1207 | 14-09 | Sir Ronald Pechell Bt | 1995–2008 | Trent | Storm-damaged beyond economic repair |
| 1204 | 14-06 | Windsor Runner (Civil Service No.42) | 2008 | Trent | |
| 1266 | 14-35 | John Neville Taylor | 2008– | Trent | |

### Inshore lifeboats

| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class |
| D-169 | Unnamed | 1968–1983 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-292 | Castle House | 1983–1989 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-397 | Banks' Staff III | 1989–1999 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-544 | The Hastings | 1999–2009 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-708 | Jimmy Miff | 2009–2019 | D-class (IB1) |
| D-844 | David Lauder | 2019– | D-class (IB1) |
* ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
* ↑ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.