# Clogherhead Lifeboat Station

Clogherhead Lifeboat Station is situated at Clogherhead, a village 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north east of Drogheda, in County Louth, Ireland.
A lifeboat was first stationed here in 1899 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), when operations were moved from Drogheda (Baltray) to Clogherhead.
Since 2019, the station has operated the All-weather Shannon-class lifeboat, 13-31 Michael O'Brien (ON 1338).

## History

In 1899, with the number of calls on the lifeboat in decline, due to fewer sailing vessels being at the mercy of the weather, it was decided to close one of the two Drogheda lifeboat stations located on the River Boyne estuary. Drogheda (Baltray) Lifeboat Station (Drogheda No.1 Station) was closed, and operations were transferred to a new station at Clogherhead village, on the Clogher Head peninsular.
A galvanised-iron boathouse was constructed on a concrete base on the south side of the headland, and a 35-foot 10-oared Self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, was built by Hollwey, of Windmill Lane, Dublin, costing £582. The boat was funded, as was the previous Baltray lifeboat, from the legacy of Mr. C.R. Whitton of Fowley, Hants, and was similarly named Charles Whitton (ON 428).
The first service for the lifeboat would come on 24 January 1900, when 6 men and the fishing boat Irish Girl were saved. The lifeboat would then not be required again until 1914, when 4 men were rescued from the fishing boat Cecilia of Balbriggan.
On 1 May 1916, Charles Whitton (ON 428) was launched to the steamship Isle of Arran of Glasgow. All 18 crewmen were rescued.
In 1927, the 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat John Dunn (ON 638) was transferred to Clogherhead, following the closure of the Drogheda (Mornington) lifeboat station in 1926. In four years at Clogherhead, the boat was never called.
Clogherhead would see the arrival of their first motor-powered lifeboat in 1931. A 35-foot 6in Self-righting lifeboat, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,791, she was funded from the legacy of Dr. Vernon Blunt of Birmingham, and named Mary Ann Blunt (ON 748). In her 19 years at the station, the lifeboat would be launched 20 times, and save 9 lives.
Mrs Maire C. Hoy was appointed Honorary Secretary (now Lifeboat Operations Manager) for Clogherhead Lifeboat Station in 1961, following the death of her husband, who had held the position since 1953. She would be the first female to hold this role in the RNLI, and carried out her duties for the next 20 years, until her retirement in December 1981.
In 1993, the Mersey-class All-Weather lifeboat (ALB), 12-31 Doris Bleasdale (ON 1190) was assigned to Clogherhead, and the boathouse was rebuilt to accommodate the new boat and tractor.
On 1 June 2019, Clogherhead lifeboat station welcomed the arrival of a new €2.5 million Shannon-class lifeboat 13-31 Michael O'Brien (ON 1338), timed to arrive exactly at 13:31.

## Station honours

The following are awards made to the crew of Clogherhead Lifeboat Station
* RNLI Gold Medal
       Robert Kirkpatrick Thompson, Chief Officer of coastguard – 1839
* RNLI Silver Medal
       Thomas Lamb Wood, Chief Officer of coastguard – 1826
       Robert Kirkpatrick Thompson, Chief Officer of coastguard – 1837
       Addeley Barnard, Chief Officer of coastguard – 1852
       Addeley Barnard, Chief Officer of coastguard – 1852 (Second Service Clasp)
* The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
       Noel Sharkey, Coxswain – 2001
* Vellum Service Certificates
       Padraig Rath, Deputy Second Coxswain/Mechanic – 2001
       Barry Faulkner, Second Coxswain – 2001
       Sean Reilly, Second Mechanic – 2001
       Gerald Sharkey, crew member – 2001
       Ronan Faulkner, crew member – 2001
       Lisa Levins, crew member – 2001
       James Byrne, crew member – 2001

## Clogherhead lifeboats

| ON | Op. No. | Name | On Station | Class | Comments |
| 428 | – | Charles Whitton | 1899–1927 | 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 638 | – | John Dunn | 1927–1931 | 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 748 | – | Mary Ann Blunt | 1931–1950 | 35-foot 6in Self Righting (Motor) | |
| 877 | – | George and Caroline Erman | 1950–1974 | Liverpool | |
| 862 | – | Thomas Corbett | 1974–1981 | Liverpool | |
| 882 | – | B.H.M.H | 1981–1984 | Liverpool | |
| 985 | 37-18 | Valentine Wyndham-Quin | 1984–1988 | 37-foot Oakley | |
| 942 | 37-01 | J.G. Graves of Sheffield | 1988–1991 | 37-foot Oakley | On display at RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection, Chatham Historic Dockyard |
| 978 | 37-11 | The Royal Thames | 1991–1993 | 37-foot Oakley | |
| 1190 | 12-31 | Doris Bleasdale | 1993–2019 | Mersey | |
| 1338 | 13-31 | Michael O'Brien | 2019– | Shannon | [Note 11] [11] |

### Launch and recovery tractors

| Op. No. | Reg. No. | Type | On Station |
| T16 | YW 3377 | Clayton | 1927–1929 |
| T23 | PP 7515 | FWD Ltd | 1929–1951 |
| T28 | EYT 780 | Case L | 1951–1955 |
| T27 | DGP 909 | Case L | 1955–1964 |
| T49 | FGO 975 | Case LA | 1964–1978 |
| T57 | NYE 351 | Fowler Challenger III | 1978–1983 |
| T56 | MYR 426 | Fowler Challenger III | 1983–1988 |
| T105 | E837 XNT | Talus MB-H Crawler | 1988–2001 |
| T104 | 88-LH-3977 | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2001–2010 |
| T97 | 85-D-8571 | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2010–2013 |
| T98 | 86-D-120010 | Talus MB-H Crawler | 2013–2019 |
| SC-T17 | HD68 VBJ | SLARS (SC Innovation) | 2019–2024 |
| SC-T25 | GX71 CUW | SLARS (SC Innovation) | 2024– |
* ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
* 1 2 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.