THE JOURNAL OF THE RNLI Volume XLV Number 46O Summer 1977 25p PRODUCTS AND Support those who support us! IF VOU EVER HAVE Howard's THIS soer OF TROU&LE- Metal WE DO — Fabricators Ltd STANLEYSTREET, LOWESTOFT, SUFFOLK NR322DY Telephone: Lowestoft (0502) 63626 Manufacturers of Marine Fabrications and Fittings in Stainless Steel and Aluminium - including SS Silencers and Fuel Tanks as supplied to RNLI Fleets Bridge Pool*. Dorset, England BHI7 TAB Telephone: Poole 3031 RNLI call for HAMBLE PROPELLERS ANDSTERNGEAR HAMBLE FOUNDRY LIMITED Bantex 116 BOTLEY ROAD, SWANWICK, for Aerials SOUTHAMPTON, HANTS, Velcro SOS 7BU the versatile fastener- Bantex Ltd. ABBEY RD., TEL. LOCKS HEATH even at sea. PARK ROYAL, LONDON N.W.10 (04895) 4284 Telephone 01-965 0941 Telex 82310 TELEX: 477551 Please mention 'The Lifeboat' when answering advertisements Glanvill Enthoven INTERNATIONAL INSURANCE BROKERS In our 75th anniversary year, we send greetings to all our clients including the Royal National Life-boat Institution. Glanvill's marine service covers both hull and cargo insurance as well as their attendant liabilities for shipowners and users of shipping throughout the world. For more information please phone 01-283 4622 or write to Glanvill Enthoven & Co. Limited, 144 Leadenhall Street, London EC3P3BJ. THE LIFEBOAT Summer 1977 f^ s\-T\ 4- /a-rrt'C Notes of the Quarter, by Patrick Howarth .. .. .. .. .. 3 Summary of Accounts for 1976 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 VolumTT i e -*r-rXL V-r T Lifeboat Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 -Numbev T i r 46^ 0 Annual Awards 1976 12 Hartlepool, by Joan Davies .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 13 HMA: Robert Haworth, MRCS LRCP DA Eng, of Barmouth 16 Chairman: MAJOR-GENERAL R. H. FARRANT, CB On Exercise, by Andrew Gould, Assistant Public Relations Officer, RNLI.. 18 Director and Secretary: Waterballasting, for inshore lifeboats .. .. .. .. .. .. 20 CAPTAIN NIGEL DIXON, RN Night Passage, by Wallace Lister Barber .. .. .. .. .. 22 Around the Coast 23 Shoreline 24 Managing Editor: Building a Rother Class Lifeboat: Part IV—Skeleton Hull 25 PATRICK HOWARTH Letters 26 Editor: JOAN DAVIES Some Ways of Raising Money 27 Book Reviews 30 Headquarters: Royal National Life-boat Institution, Here and There .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 33 West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ (Telephone Poole 71133). Offshore Lifeboat Services, December 1976, January and February 1977 .. 35 London Office: Inshore Lifeboat Services, December 1976, January and February 1977 .. 35 Royal National Life-boat Institution, 21 Ebury Street, London SW1W OLD , - ,* (Telephone 01-730 0031). TInde x to AdvertiserAJ s 36 Editorial: All material submitted for Advertisements: All advertising en- consideration with a view to publication quiries should be addressed to Dyson COVER PICTURE in the journal should be addressed to the Advertising Services, PO Box 9, Godal- Ships that pass . from an Atlantic 21, editor, THE LIFEBOAT, Royal National ming, Surrey (Telephone Godalming Ambrose Greenway took this picture of an Life-boat Institution, West Quay Road, (04868) 23675). experimental 19' Zodiac Mark V, crossing Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ (Telephone the larger ILITs wash. The Zodiac Mark V Poole 71133). Photographs intended for has a standing steering position, to give the return should be accompanied by a helmsman better height of eye to read the stamped and addressed envelope. Subscription: A year's subscription of sea and see survivors in the water; the console four issues costs £1.40, including has sliding feet to take up the movement of Next Issues: The Autumn issue of THE postage, but those who are entitled to the floor and is strong enough to stand a LIFEBOAT will appear in October and receive THE LIFEBOAT free of charge will sideways thrust of the weight of five or six continue to do so. Overseas subscrip- people holding on to it. The Zodiac Mark V news items should be sent by the end of is also fitted with water ballast tanks, July. News Items for the Winter issue tions depend on the cost of postage to described on page 20. should be sent in by the end of October. the country concerned. 1 Something special ? Wright away sir! ,* !. TANKS For almost half a century Wrights have specialised in the fabrication of tanks from 5 to 50,000 gallons in stainless steel, aluminium, or mild steel, either one-otf or on a production run. We are proud to have made tanks engines for Arun and Atlantic lifeboats. BOATS Wrights are official fabricators of the new Sarum 28 hull for the British Aluminium Company. They also manufacture and market aluminium workboats. Wrights have built special equipment and fittings for Chay Blyth's Great Britain II and Great Britain III. R. Wright & Son (Marine Engineers) Ltd Church Broughton Road, Foston, Derby DE6 5PW Telephone: Burton-on-Trent 812177 Automatic Pilot To hold a set course in most conditions Repeater Compass For easy reading and optimum siting iere complete reliability under arduous conditions is essential to human life.the Electric Capstan RNLI specify MERMAID marine engines. Push-button control of 650 Ibs pull MERMAID quality and reliability is also specified by Boatbuilders worldwide who Anchor Windlass take pride in the craft they produce. 1,600 Ibs pull from 12-220 volt D.C. supply Make sure your next vessel is powered byMERMAID- Dinghy Hoists For dinghies, etc., Contact us NOW! up to 1,500 Ibs lift TELEPHONE OV398 68O2 Indicators or write to- For Rudder Angle, Battery State MERMAID MARINE ENGINES LIMITED THAMES MARINA PORTSMOUTH ROAD. NECO MARINE LTD. THAMES DITTON Walton Rd., Eastern Ret., Cosham, Portsmouth, SURREY. ENGLAND. Hants. PO61SZ Tel: Cosham (07018) 70988 The lifeboat was taken alongside the Lerwick, and other gifts from oil motor vessel nine times. On the sixth interests are expected. run in the motor vessel rolled heavily, crushing nine guardrail stanchions and Tax exemption for Americans sending the lifeboat crew leaping for In earlier numbers we reported the safety. efforts being made by an American/ British committee to raise funds for a Surplus achieved new lifeboat through the help of The award of the gold medal to Keith Americans living in this country and in Bower was one of the highlights of the the United States. An organisation annual presentation which followed the known as the Association for Rescue annual meeting of the governors of the at Sea has been registered in New York RNLI at the Royal Festival Hall in and it has now been learnt that the London on May 17. Addressing the United States Internal Revenue Service governors Major-General Ralph has granted it tax exempt status. This Farrant, Chairman of the RNLI, was means that those who pay United States able to report that through the extra- income tax and who contribute to ordinary efforts of the RNLI's sup- AFRAS are entitled to make appropriate porters, and in spite of the effects of deductions in their tax returns. inflation, it had been possible to transfer Variety Club support NOTES OF more than £350,000 at the end of last The Variety Club of Great Britain has year to the RNLI's somewhat slender agreed to meet the costs of the pay- THE QUARTER reserves. The encouraging reasons why ments made by the RNLI to dependent such a surplus was achieved were, he children of lifeboatmen who have lost pointed out, the efforts of the RNLI's their lives on service or exercise. The branches and guilds, a gratifying increase annual cost of these payments is at in legacies, the success of a number of present about £4,000. At a dinner held by Patrick Howarth special and local appeals and the at the Carlton Tower Hotel in London growing number of Shoreline members. on March 8 a cheque for £8,500 was General Farrant did, however, make it presented to the RNLI's President, the FOR THE FIRST TIME for ten years and only clear to the governors that an additional Duke of Kent, to cover more than two the sixth time since the end of World cause of the surplus was the temporary years' costs. War II 32 years ago the RNLI's gold slowing down of the boat building Arrangements have also been made medal for gallantry has been awarded. programme which had been decided for parties of children to be sent by the The service which earned Keith Bower upon as a matter of policy. Such a Variety Club in Sunshine coaches to of Torbay this exceptionally rare award reduction could, he emphasised, be lifeboat stations at Hastings, Southend- is described in full on page 6. Keith acceptable only if it was temporary. on-Sea and Sheerness in the coming Bower was himself of the opinion that A brief summary of the accounts for summer. it would probably be impossible and 1976 appears on page 4 and a full report certainly highly dangerous for the ten of the annual general meeting and Freedom from surcharge people who were eventually rescued presentation of awards will be published Charities and churches were exempted from the motor vessel Lyrma to be taken in the autumn edition of THE LIFEBOAT. in the last budget from the surcharge off by lifeboat. He reached this conclusion after an Support from North Sea operators outward journey in which waves 40 feet The huge enterprise of extracting oil high were experienced. Accurate navi- from the North Sea, while it has added gation was possible only through Decca to the tasks of the lifeboat crews, has fixes, for the parallel rules were caught also had beneficial results for the service in mid-air and the dividers disappeared. as a whole. It was reported earlier that Several of the experienced crew were British Petroleum had made a gift of seasick though they continued to carry £100,000 towards the Aberdeen lifeboat out their duties.