Volume XLIV Number 457 Autumn 1976 THE BEST WEATHER CLOTHING IN THE WORLD •AIRFLOW COAT JACKET LIGHTWEIGHT JACKETS ARE WATERPROOF FREE FROM CONDENSATION 0 ROYAL NATIONAL COLD WEATHER PI LE JACKET I LIFE BOAT INSTITUTION About HOOgms (39oz) g Keller of 28 February 1974 BLACK u from Assistant Superintendent (Stores) The pile fabric is protected against • Your company's abrasion by an outer of uncoated nylon protective clothing has Four pockets 0 now been on extensive Shoulder straps Two way zip § evaluation for over two years This is NOT an 'Airflow' garment and I am pleased to advise that, the crews of our but a foamliner can be inserted to U offshore boats have found increase insulation and warmth a the clothing warm, comfortable and a fc considerable improvement The issue of your clothing in is being extended to all of our offshore life boats as replacements are required u UJ i a V Ralph Lee. Technical Editor I 'Camping & Caravanning' UJ ii 0 the finest outdoor garments a I have ever seen . not just good material and well made. It is the amount of thought that has 0 gone into the design that delights Hi me . I give this o firm top marks U IU aHI it Derek Agnew, Editor of 'En Route T Magazine of the Caravan Club 0 in 1 a ^ .1 have been giving an UJ extensive wear trial to in outdoor clothing made by I D o Functional of Manchester . a All I can say is that one Bill Boddy in 'Motor Sport' Kevin MacDonnell in motoring magazine's description Photography of May 1975 of Functional as the Rolls-Royce •. ... A really top-class of outdoor clothing is thoroughly conscientiously made * ... My attempts to find the accurate. If there was a better product . the Rolls Royce of ideal photographer's garment have epithet I would use it bad-weather, keep-warm spread over many years . I I have sat fishing without clothing . clearly the best noticed recently that most outdoor moving in torrential rain for six possible for outdoor T.V. Crews had ... a standardised hours; I have been all day in the work and play . garment . and I was off on the UJ middle of windswept lakes and trail of FUNCTIONAL Clothing I have never experienced the £ slightest discomfort. There are designed made and sold only by ... on a very warm day . pockets galore, really strong zips in spite of the two waterproof wherever they are needed and layers there was no condensation . a rain and wind could be non hanging, around an airfield on a UJ existent for all the effect they bitterly cold day I stayed warm. have on you FUNCTIONAL: It's an all-weather job' \ For the caravanner who Ul wants only the best I thoroughly j^ The astonishing thing is the recommend this range. You price. It's incredibly well made cannot buy it retail, but only 20 C HEPSTOW STREET out of top grade materials a direct from the manufacturer . ^ MANCHESTER Ml 5JF This is the best clothing d bargain . encountered for u 061-236 2606/7 9 Alfred Place Store Street Tottenham Court Road London \\C1E 7KB 01-580 4906 Counter Sales now at London and Manchester offices Write to Manchester office for catalogue - twenty pence CLOTHING FOR ACTION FIT FOR FUNCTION WARM IN WINTER COOL ir SUMMER THE LIFEBOAT Autumn 1976 /^^ u. j. Notes of the Quarter, by the editor 183 Lifeboat Services ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 185 Naming Ceremony: Fleetwood ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 191 Volume XLIV TI n Al. nl _Respect s DRead . y ,fo r _Sea , .b y ,Joa nn Davie . s ... 192 rSUmDci 457 Righting Trials of the first 37'Oakley lifeboat to be fitted with radar ... 196 Gifts in Kind 196 Chairman: Model Lifeboats ... 197 MAJOR-GENERAL R. H. FARRANT, CB Trinity House 198 Director and Secretary: CAPTAIN NIGEL DixoN, RN Maritime Buoyage System A 200 Obituary ... 201 Shoreline ... 202 Building a Rother Class Lifeboat: Part I ... ... ... 203 Editor: PATRICK HOWARTH Around the Coast 204 Assistant Editor: Some Ways of Raising Money 205 JOANDAVIES Letters 208 R/T Distress Procedure Changes ... 209 Headquarters: Royal National Life-boat Institution, Two LP Records for the RNLI 209 West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 , ,, 1HZ (Telephone Poole 71133). RBook RpvipwReviewss 21n0 Offshore Lifeboat Services, March, April and May 1976 ... 213 London Office: Royal National Life-boat Institution, 21 Inshore Lifeboat Services, March, April and May 1976 214 Ebury Street, London SW1W OLD (Telephone 01-730 0031). Index to Advertisers 216 Editorial: All material submitted for Advertisements: All advertising en- COVER PICTURE consideration with a view to publication quiries should be addressed to Dyson in the journal should be addressed to the Advertising Services, PO Box 9, Godal- Coxswain Arthur Liddon of Dover joined the editor, THE LIFEBOAT, Royal National ming, Surrey (Telephone Godalming lifeboat crew in 1950. He became assistant Life-boat Institution, West Quay Road, mechanic in July 1952, second coxswain in (04868) 23675). April 1966 and coxswain/mechanic in 1967. Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ (Telephone He was awarded the silver medal for gallantry Poole 71133). Photographs intended for for a service on the evening of last December return should be accompanied by a 1, when he took the 44' Waveney lifeboat stamped and addressed envelope. Subscription: A year's subscription of Faithful Forester to the aid of the coaster four issues costs £1.40, including Primrose in storm force winds gusting to Next Issues: The winter issue of THE postage, but those who are entitled to hurricane force. This photograph was taken LIFEBOAT will appear in January and receive THE LIFEBOAT free of charge will by Peter Phillips. news items should be sent by the end of continue to do so. Overseas subscrip- October. News items for the spring issue tions depend on the cost of postage to should be sent in by the end of January. the country concerned. 181 Backbone of the FishingTrade. This was one that didn't get away. One of a thousand million. A thousand million of the reasons why every day and night men put out to sea in all weathers to earn their living. A thousand million reasons why lifeboatmen are needed as much as they are. We at Birds Eye would like to voice our appreciation of the lifeboatmen. We are proud of our long association with them. 182 ness to serve include officials of the them as much as half a pint of beer each. United States Embassy, leading service The number of RNLI services to chiefs (Admiral David H. Bagley, pleasure craft last year was high, amoun- Commander - in - Chief U.S. Naval ting to 63% of the 1688 launches by Forces, Europe, is among them), repre- inshore lifeboats and 46% of launches sentatives of oil interests, banking, the by offshore lifeboats. By far the com- press and commerce generally. Frank monest reason for calling upon the Goodhue, Vice-President of the National services of lifeboats was machinery City Bank, and Bruce Mitchell, Vice- failure. Out of 251 services to pleasure President and Manager of the Bank of craft by offshore lifeboats when vessels America in London, have agreed to act were saved, 127 were to the aid of boats as honorary treasurers and an account whose engines had failed. has been opened at the Bank of America at 27-29 Walbrook, London, EC4. Fire at Southern! British citizens who have agreed to The disastrous fire which wrecked serve on the appeal committee include Southend Pier on the evening of July 29 two former Prime Ministers, Edward and which destroyed the Coastguard Heath and Sir Harold Wilson, the First station caused the RNLI less immediate Sea Lord and the Chief of the Air Staff damage than had been feared. The two as well as former ambassadors, leading inshore lifeboats, an Atlantic 21 and a NOTES OF industrialists and well known RNLI 16' D class boat, which are kept on figures such as the Duke of Atholl, the pier were launched while the fire THE QUARTER Raymond Baxter and Vice-Admiral Sir was raging. They helped the fire brigade Peter Compston. throughout the night and on the Details of the progress of the appeal following day, as did the Sheerness will be announced in future numbers of lifeboat which regularly transported by the Editor THE LIFEBOAT. men and equipment. At 1.30 am the inshore lifeboats answered an emergency call which proved to be a false alarm. Rarity of salvage The lifeboat house was not seriously TO MARK THE FRIENDSHIP and mutual The old belief that RNLI crews damaged but it happened that plans had goodwill shown during the bicentennial regularly claim salvage is effectively been made to install a permanent celebrations of the American Declara- dispelled by a detailed summary of lifeboat exhibition in the boathouse on tion of Independence a number of services by RNLI lifeboats to pleasure the day following the fire. Characteris- leading Americans in Britain have craft last year. Offshore and inshore tically the Southend branch decided to decided to appeal to their fellow citizens lifeboats were launched to the help of press ahead with the setting up of the to provide a new Waveney lifeboat for pleasure craft 1,604 times in all. The exhibition with as little delay as possible. the RNLI. Their choice of a lifeboat is value of the boats they saved is estimated gratifying evidence of the esteem in to have exceeded £2 million yet only five Mumbles Memorial which the RNLI is so widely held. salvage claims in all were put forward A memorial window is to be placed in Perhaps the best known of the Ameri- by crews.