# Selsey Lifeboat Station

Selsey Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in Selsey, West Sussex on the south coast of England.
The station operates a Shannon-class lifeboat 13-20 Denise and Eric (ON 1327), launched via the Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS) from the main boathouse onshore at Kingsway, Selsey. The station also operates a D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat, RNLB Flt Lt John Buckley RAF (D-827).
In 2017, Selsey received a new 25 knot (29 mph) Shannon Class Lifeboat after almost 34 years of service by Tyne-class lifeboats RNLB City of London (ON 1074) and RNLB Voluntary Worker (ON 1146) the longest of any RNLI station.

## History
### 1861–World War II

The lifeboat service in Selsey was established in 1861 with RNLB The Friend, which was launched from the beach by means of skids. For the station's first 25 years the lifeboat's Coxswain was James Lawrence.
In 1925 work began on the construction of a new boathouse built on a piled platform with a gangway from the shore, which had a trolley track. In 1927 the boathouse was re-built again to house the station's new motor lifeboat.
During the Second World War, the station's crew and lifeboats were involved in many rescues. Watson-class lifeboat RNLB Canadian Pacific (ON 803) launched approximately 50 times, often to rescue pilots from fallen aeroplanes. On 11 July 1940, the lifeboat rescued John Peel, the commanding officer of RAF 145 Squadron, minutes after he abandoned his damaged Hurricane (P3400) off Selsey Bill.

### 1952–1987: improvements and inshore service

Between 1952 and 1953, the boathouse's substructure was strengthened and the slipway was lengthened. The boathouse was rebuilt in 1958 with reinforced concrete as the old structure had become unsafe due to years of coastal erosion. The deep water roller slipway was re-configured to have a gradient of 1:5, and the station was given a newly fabricated steel approach gangway from the shore.
In March 1968, an inshore lifeboat rescue division was established at Selsey. The new inshore lifeboat was launched on a newly constructed gangway to the eastern side of the main slipway. The first inshore lifeboat was a D-class lifeboat. RNLB Canadian Pacific (ON 803) was withdrawn from Selsey in 1969 to serve in the RNLI relief fleet. Then in 1977 she was sold out of the service.
A new boathouse was constructed for the inshore lifeboat in 1987.

### 2011–present: 150th anniversary and onwards

In 2011, the RNLI celebrated Selsey's 150th anniversary as a continuously active lifeboat station.
In the summer of 2017, a new Selsey boathouse was built on shore at the Kingsway, which allowed all elements of the RNLI at Selsey to come together on a single site for the first time. The old Slipway station was demolished and removed between June and July 2017. In July 2017, the station received a new Shannon-class lifeboat, Denise and Eric, and the Tyne-class lifeboat Voluntary Worker was retired and sold out of service.

## Selsey Lifeboats
### All-weather lifeboats

| ON | Op.No.. | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
| – | – | Friend | 1861–1865 | 29-foot 1in Self-righting (P&S) | |
| – | – | Friend Four Sisters | 1865–1885 | 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 37 | – | John and Henry Skynner | 1885–1896 | 34-foot 5in Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 360 | – | Lucy Newbon | 1894–1919 | 40-foot Self-righting (P&S) | Selsey (Bognor) |
| 394 | – | Reserve No.3 | 1919–1922 | 40-foot Self-righting (P&S) | Formerly Civil Service No.4 at Walmer |
| 673 | – | Jane Holland | 1922–1929 | 40-foot Self-righting (motor) | |
| 714 | – | Canadian Pacific | 1929–1937 | 45ft 6in Watson | Formerly H.F.Bailey II, Cromer No.1. Destroyed by fire at Groves & Guttridge boatyard 18 June 1937 |
| 671 | – | The Brothers | 1937–1938 | 45ft Watson | Relief fleet boat. Ex Penlee, Falmouth |
| 803 | – | Canadian Pacific | 1938–1969 | 46ft Watson | Replacement for ON 714 |
| 1015 | 48-12 | Charles Henry | 1969–1983 | 48-foot 6in Oakley Mk.II | |
| 1074 | 47-001 | City of London | 1983–2006 | Tyne | |
| 1146 | 47-031 | Voluntary Worker | 2006–2017 | Tyne | Ex Lytham St. Annes |
| 1327 | 13-20 | Denise and Eric | 2017– | Shannon | Carriage launched from onshore new boathouse |

### Inshore Lifeboats

| Op.No. | Name | In service | Class |
| D-164 | Unnamed | 1968–1970 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-138 | Unnamed | 1970–1980 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-277 | Sea Lion | 1981–1989 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-382 | unnamed | 1989–1998 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-533 | Peter Cornish | 1998–2008 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-691 | Betty and Thomas Moore | 2008–2018 | D-class (IB1) |
| D-827 | Flt Lt John Buckley RAF | 2018– | D-class (IB1) |

### Shannon launch and recovery system (SLARS)

| Op. No. | Reg. No. | Name | Type | In service | Comments |
| SC-T12 | HJ16 JRU | Miss Eileen Beryl Phillips | SLARS (Clayton) | 2017– | |
* ↑ 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.

## Station Honours

The following are among the RNLI medals and other awards presented to crew members from Selsey Lifeboat Station:
| Award Date | Name | Award | Note & Reference |
| May 1886 | Coxswain James 'Pilot' Lawrence | RNLI Silver Medal | 25 Years Service |
| June 1930 | The Lifeboat crew members | Thanks on Vellum | |
| June 1930 | Coxswain Frederick Barnes | Bronze Medal | Rescue of the Lucy B of Rye |
| April 1950 | Crewman William Arnell | Thanks on Vellum & Maud Smith Award for Bravest Act | |
| November 1951 | Coxswain Leslie Pennycord | RNLI Bronze Medal | Rescue of the MV Swift of Costa Rica. |
| July 1956 | The Lifeboat crew members | Thanks on Vellum | Triple Rescue of the Maalust, Bloodhound and Coima |
| July 1956 | Coxswain Douglas Grant | RNLI Silver Medal | Triple Rescue of the Maalust, Bloodhound and Coima |
| January 1961 | Selsey Lifeboat Station | Centenary Vellum – RNLI | |
| December 1977 | The Lifeboat crew members | Vellum service certificate | |
| December 1977 | Acting Coxswain Mike Grant | Thanks on Vellum | |
| December 1978 | The Lifeboat crew members | Vellum service certificate | |
| December 1978 | Coxswain Mike Grant | Thanks on Vellum | |
| January 1979 | The Lifeboat crew members | Medal service certificate | Rescue of the SS Cape Coast of Panama |
| January 1979 | Coxswain Mike Grant | RNLI Silver Medal | Rescue of the SS Cape Coast of Panama |
| September 1983 | The Lifeboat crew members | Medal service certificate | The rescue of Enchantress of Hamble |
| September 1983 | Coxswain Mike Grant | RNLI Silver Medal (Second) | The rescue of Enchantress of Hamble |
| October 1983 | Dave Munday | Ralph Glister Award for Meritorious Service | |
| October 1983 | Tony Delahunty | Ralph Glister Award for Meritorious Service | |
| October 1983 | Nigel Osborn | Ralph Glister Award for Meritorious Service | |
| October 1983 | The ILB crew members | Framed letter of thanks | |
| October 1983 | Helmsman Dave Munday | RNLI Bronze Medal | The rescue of the Joan Maureen |
| March 1984 | Mechanic Ron Wells | 25 years Service Award and the British Empire Medal | |
| May 1984 | D Cockayn – hon. Sec. | 20 years Service Gold Badge | |
| January 1988 | Molly Woods | 30 years Service Gold Badge | |
| January 1995 | Ron Carbines | Dedicated Service Gold Badge | |
| January 1998 | Dr Andrew Warwick – Medical Officer | Dedicated Service Gold Badge | |
| January 1999 | Jean Warwick | Dedicated Service Gold Badge | |
| January 1999 | Clive Cockayne | Dedicated Service Gold Badge | |
| January 2011 | Selsey Lifeboat Station | 150 years Vellum | 150 years as a continuously active lifeboat station |
| January 2012 | Clive Cockayne | Bar to Dedicated Service Gold Badge | |

## Neighbouring station locations

vteNeighbouring Stations to Selsey :
Hampshire/West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex
Hayling Island Lifeboat Station
Selsey Lifeboat Station
Littlehampton Lifeboat Station
Bembridge Lifeboat Station
English Channel
English Channel :