# Cloughey Lifeboat Station

Cloughey Lifeboat Station was located on Manse Road, in Cloghy (Cloughey), a small village at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, in County Down, situated midway between Ballywalter, and the entrance to Strangford Lough, on the east coast of Northern Ireland.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Cloughey in 1885 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
In 1965, Cloughey Lifeboat Station ceased operations, and Cloughie-Portavogie Lifeboat Station was established. In service for a further 13 years, the Cloughie-Portavogie lifeboat was temporarily placed in storage in 1978 due to harbour works, but never returned to service, and the station closed in 1981.

## History

Following a request by local residents for a lifeboat at Cloughey, and with the consideration of there being plenty of good boatmen to form a crew, at a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 3 May 1883, it was resolved to establish a lifeboat station at "Cloghy Bay", Ireland. It was also decided to appropriate to the station, part of the legacy of the late Mrs Bradshaw of Reading, Berkshire.
In 1881, the Institution was the recipient of the bequest of £1500-0s-0d from the late Mrs. S. H. Bradshaw. The funds were for the provision of three lifeboats:
* Faith (ON 94), Cloughey
* Hope (ON 82), Castletown (1885–1896)
* Charity (ON 96), Drogheda (Mornington) (Drogheda No.2, 1885–1901)
In the RNLI journal 'The Lifeboat' of November 1885, it was reported that Faith (ON 94), a 34-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (10) oars, which had just won the prize for the best lifeboat at the International Fisheries Exhibition, had been conveyed to Cloughey, along with its transporting carriage, where a boathouse had been constructed by local builder Mr N. Parkinson, at a cost of £451-2s-6d.
When the Cloughey lifeboat attended the barque Beaconsfield, bound for Glasgow with a cargo of teak, when she stranded on the ridge at North Bock on 9 April 1898, only two of the 16 crew would leave the vessel. The rest insisted they take their kit, which was impossible. The following day, in worsening conditions, the lifeboat went out again, and brought ashore seven crew, the remaining seven coming ashore in the ship's boat, with the assistance of lifeboat crew.
With a short spell away from the station for modifications, after concerns were raised about the self-righting capabilities following the Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster, the Faith served at Cloughey until 1906, launching 32 times, and saving 54 lives. She was replaced by the John (ON 553), a 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class (P&S) lifeboat, funded from the legacy of the late Mr John Alexander Hay of Cheltenham, the monies also funding the Marianne (ON 556), which was placed at Newcastle.
The John was launched to the aid of the barque Croisset of Rouen on 14 November 1908. She was on passage to Glasgow with a cargo of nickel, when she ran aground on South Rock in hurricane force conditions. The lifeboat made several trips to the vessel, rescuing all 26 people on board. A "Gold Medal, second class" was awarded to both the Coxswain and the Chief Officer of H.M. Coastguard by the French Government, with the remaining crew and coastguards being awarded their "Silver Medal, first class", the report of a Paris newspaper being replicated in the Irish News.
On 11 January 1924, with the Coxswain John Young away, and his brother and Second Coxswain Robert C. Young seriously ill, the third brother Andrew would leave Robert's bedside when the call came at 23:30, and head out with the lifeboat as Acting Coxswain, into a strong south-east gale. After standing by in poor conditions until daybreak, 5 men were rescued from the rigging of the sunken brigantine Helgoland. Andrew would discover on his return, that his brother Robert had died two hours after the lifeboat was launched. Witnessing the rescue, the Inspector of Coastguards reported "it was the finest piece of seamanship I have ever seen". Andrew Young was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.
In the 46 years since 1885, 189 lives had been saved by the pulling and sailing lifeboats at Cloughey. In 1931, a motor-powered lifeboat arrived on station. At a ceremony on 19 September 1931, a service of dedication was given by the Rev. J. C. Paton, MC DD. Funded from the 1898 legacy of the late Rev W. S. F. Maynard, of Gressingham, Lancashire, the lifeboat was named William Maynard (ON 746), after his father. The legacy had funded a previous lifeboat, William Maynard (ON 493), stationed at Skerries between 1903 and 1930. Andrew Young would be the first coxswain of the new boat.
The William Maynard had been scheduled for replacement in 1937. However, the Herbert John (ON 796) was destroyed in a fire at the Groves and Guttridge boatbuilders, whilst awaiting to be shipped to Cloughey. It would be a further two years before Herbert John (ON 825) was ready.
Before the Herbert John (ON 825) arrived on service, in difficult conditions, and 15 feet (4.6 m) seas, the William Maynard was launched at 22:00 on 17 June 1939, to the Aruntzazu-Mendi of Bilbao, which had wrecked earlier in the day. Arriving at the vessel, the lifeboat had to veer down stern first, before a line could be made to pull the lifeboat close. 11 salvage men on board were rescued. Coxswain Robert Young was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal, with mechanic George Young receiving a bronze medal.
The Herbert John (ON 825) arrived at Cloughey later in 1939. The 35-foot 6in Liverpool-class lifeboat, costing £4,054, was funded from the legacies of Mrs S M Poland of Brockham Green, Betchworth, and Miss B. A. Athill of St Johns Wood. Herbert John served through the Second World War Cloughey from 1939 to 1952, launched 46 times on service, and saved 67 lives.
On 15 January 1962, the Moelfre lifeboat Watkin Williams (ON 922) was launched at 20:35, to the aid of the Dutch coaster Frida Blokzijl of Vlaardingen, drifting with steering gear failure. Temporary repairs were effected, and the boat was escorted to Moelfre Bay. The Cloughey lifeboat Constance Calverley (ON 902) would be launched nearly 2 months later on 7 Match 1962, to the Frida Blokzijl, which had again suffered steering gear failure, this time near Strangford Lough, in a south-east gale, and was using her engines just to stay off the shore. Seven attempts were made by the lifeboat to get along side, but only 4 crew were rescued, when the Master insisted on staying on board. Three hours later, after the weather deteriorated, the lifeboat returned and took off the Master. Coxswain Walter Semple was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal, with other awards and certificates to the crew.
Cloughey-Portavogie Lifeboat Station was established in 1965, with the arrival of a larger 41-foot Watson, the Glencoe, Glasgow (ON 857), to be moored afloat at Portavogie harbour, but still operated by the existing Cloughey crew. The Cloughey Lifeboat Station was closed. In the 80 years of operations since 1885, the Cloughey lifeboats were launched 152 times saving the lives of 311 people.
After being in service for a further 13 years, the Glencoe, Glasgow was initially placed into storage in 1978, whilst harbour development works took place at Portavogie, but was sold from service in 1979. With works continuing into the 1980s, with All-weather lifeboats located at Newcastle and Donaghadee, and a newly opened Inshore lifeboat station covering Strangford Lough at Portaferry, the decision was made to permanently close Cloughey-Portavogie Lifeboat Station on 30 September 1981.
The lifeboat house at Cloughey is now a private residence. The last lifeboat on station, the Glencoe, Glasgow (ON 857), was last reported at Burghead Harbour in 2019. The Henry John (ON 825) was fully restored, and was last reported at Weymouth Marina in May 2024.

## Station honours

The following are awards made at Cloughey.
* Gold Medal, second class awarded by the Government of France
       Robert C. Young, Coxswain – 1908
       Edwin Cupman, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard – 1908
* RNLI Silver Medal
       Robert Young, Coxswain – 1939
* Silver Medal, first class awarded by the Government of France
       John Young, Assistant Coxswain – 1908
       Andrew Young, crew member – 1908
       David Young, crew member – 1908
       Mr Beggs, crew member – 1908
       Mr Drysdale, crew member – 1908
       James Donnan, crew member – 1908
       William Donnan, crew member – 1908
       Mr Palmer, crew member – 1908
       Mr McNamara, crew member – 1908
       Mr Rose, H.M. Coastguard – 1908
       Mr Solway, H.M. Coastguard – 1908
       Mr Taylor, H.M. Coastguard – 1908
* RNLI Bronze Medal
       Andrew Young, Acting Coxswain – 1924
       George Young, Mechanic – 1939
       Walter Semple, Coxswain – 1962
* The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
       George M. Young, Coxswain – 1950
       George M. Young, Mechanic – 1962
* Medal Service Certificate
       Walter Beggs, crew member – 1962
       George Calvert, crew member – 1962
       John Donnan, crew member – 1962
       James Master, crew member – 1962
       Archie Watts, crew member – 1962

## Cloughey lifeboats

| ON | Name | Built | On Station | Class | Comments |
| 94 | Faith | 1885 | 1885–1906 | 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 553 | John | 1906 | 1906–1931 | 35-foot 6in Liverpool (P&S) | |
| 746 | William Maynard | 1931 | 1931–1939 | 35ft 6in Self-righting motor | |
| 796 | Herbert John | 1937 | – | 35-foot 6in Liverpool | Destroyed by fire during construction at Groves & Guttridge, Cowes. |
| 825 | Herbert John | 1939 | 1939–1952 | 35-foot 6in Liverpool | |
| 902 | Constance Calverley | 1952 | 1952–1965 | 35-foot 6in Liverpool | |
    Station Closed, 1965

## Cloughey-Portavogie lifeboat

| ON | Name | Built | On Station | Class | Comments |
| 857 | Glencoe, Glasgow | 1949 | 1965–1978 | 41-foot Watson | |
    Station Closed, 1981
* 1 2 ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.