# Ballantrae Lifeboat Station

Ballantrae Lifeboat Station was located on the south-west coast of Scotland at Ballantrae, a village approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Stranraer, in the county of South Ayrshire, historically Ayrshire.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Ballantrae by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1871.
Ballantrae Lifeboat Station closed in 1919.

## History

At the meeting of the RNLI Committee of Management on Thursday 2 December 1869, with reference to the application of local residents, and the subsequent visit and report of the RNLI Inspector of Lifeboats, it was decided to establish a lifeboat station at Ballantrae. It was also decided to appropriate the legacy of the late Mrs Harriot Richardson of Greenwich to the station, and that the lifeboat placed on station was to be named William and Harriot, in accordance with her wishes.
The RNLI journal 'The Lifeboat' of 1 August 1872 reported the arrival of a 33-foot 10-oared self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat on station in January 1871. It had been deemed that there were sufficient fishermen resident locally, to be able to crew the lifeboat, which had been transported along with its carriage to Girvan by the London and North-Western and Glasgow and South Western railway companies, the latter being free of charge. The lifeboat was met by her crew, who then sailed her down to Ballantrae, the carriage being taken by road.
At a ceremony on 1 February 1871, the lifeboat was paraded through the village to the newly built boathouse, and duly named William and Harriot (ON 268), before being demonstrated to the assembled crowd.
At 20:00 on the 23 January 1877, the Ballantrae lifeboat was launched to the aid of the brig Aurora, of Ardrossan, on passage from Belfast. The lifeboat arrived with the vessel at 21:00, which had now struck a reef, and the crew of seven were rescued.
A larger lifeboat was sent to Ballantrae in 1906. The 35-foot Self-righting Dungeness-class (Rubie) lifeboat was also named William and Harriot (ON 548).
During the salvage operation of the S.S. Deloraine on 29 January 1909, which had run aground at Ballantrae in a blizzard in December, a storm blew up. The salvage boat was unable to get in close in the conditions, so the Ballantrae lifeboat was called. With skilful navigation by the lifeboat coxswain in dangerous rock strewn shores, eight men were rescued from the vessel.
Ballantrae Lifeboat Station was closed in 1919. The lifeboat house still stands, used as a store. The last lifeboat on station, William and Harriot (ON 548) was transferred to the relief fleet, before being sold from service in 1930. She was last reported as a yacht at Greenock in the 1960s.
Besides the complete boathouse pictured at the top of the page, there are also the remains of a derelict boathouse at Ballantrae. It is unclear from available maps, and no records have been found, as to exactly which one was the RNLI boathouse, or if they were both RNLI boathouses. It is possible that a second one was constructed for the arrival of the larger boat in 1906.

## Ballantrae lifeboats

| ON | Name | Built | In service | Class | Comments |
| 268 | William and Harriot | 1870 | 1871−1906 | 33-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 548 | William and Harriot | 1906 | 1906−1919 | 35-foot Dungeness (P&S) | |
* ↑ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.