Volume XLIII SUMMER 1973 Number 444 The Journal of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution 15p Brooke Marine Limited ESTABLISHED 1874 SHIPBUILDERS-ENGINEERS AND CONSULTING NAVAL ARCHITECTS Type 44ft Self Righting Twin Cummins V6N 215N Marine Diesels Length o.a. 44'-0" Total Power 400 SHP Length l.w.l. 40'-0" Boat Speed 14 knots Beam 1CT-10" Endurance 205 miles at 12 knots Draft 3'-11" Radar Kelvin Hughes Type 17 Displacement 17 tons R/T Redifon UHF and VHP, Coastal M/F Fuel capacity 350 Imperial Gallons Echo Sounder Visual & Ferrograph Six type 44ft in service, four type 50ft now buildi Shipyards : Lowestoft - Suffolk - England A DOWSETT COMPANY TELEPHONE LOWESTOFT 5221 TELEGRAMS 'BROOKCRAFT' LOWESTOFT TELEX 97145 THE LIFEBOAT Summer 1973 Contents Notes of the Quarter by the Editor .. .. .. .. .. 2 Profiles 4 Volume XLIII Life-saving on the Shannon by M. Duffy .. .. .. .. 6 Number 444 Letters 8 Royal Blue to the Rescue .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 Plymouth Exhibition .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10 The RNLI looks at the year's work and the future .. .. .. 12 Central Appeals Committee .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 Shoreline Section .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 18 Lifeboat Quiz compiled by Grahame Farr .. .. .. .. 18 Suffolk firm building faster boats for the RNLI 19—21 New Equipment .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 22 Willie Parr 22 Book Reviews .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 24 Some ways of raising money .. .. .. .. .. .. 26 The Finnish Lifeboat Service .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 Lifeboat Quiz Answers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 Lifeboat Services .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 Lifeboat Launches .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 ILB Launches 39 Classifieds 40 Index to Advertisers .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 Chairman: All editorial material submitted for A year's subscription of four issues COMMANDER F R H SWANN, QBE, RNVR consideration with a view to publication costs 82p, including postage, but those in the journal should be addressed to who are entitled to receive THE LIFEBOAT Secretary: the Editor, THE LIFEBOAT, 42 Grosvenor free of charge will continue to do so. CAPTAIN NIGEL DIXON, RN Gardens, London, SW1W OEF (Tele- phone 01-730 0031). The next issue of THE LIFEBOAT will Editor: appear in October and news items should Photographs intended for return should be sent by mid-August. PATRICK HOWARTH be accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. Editorial Assistant: CHRISTOPHER R ELLIOTT All advertising enquiries should be addressed to Dyson Advertising Services, 45 Bridge Street, Godalming, Surrey (Telephone Godalming (04868) 23675). ted in all to a higher figure than those of 1974 to supplement the national projects anyone else. In her lifetime Mrs Reed being staged to celebrate the 150th presented the new Cromer life-boat, anniversary of the foundation of the which is named Ruby and Arthur Reed, RNLI. Good progress is also being made at a cost of £72,000. In her will she with the national projects. On page bequeathed her entire estate to the 18 some details are given of the manner RNLI, the total amount being increased in which the Scout movement will be considerably because of exemptions from supporting the RNLI next year. All estate duty granted by the last Finance yachtsmen will be welcome at a major Act. rally which is being organised by the Royal Yachting Association in con- Portuguese Visitors junction with the offshore branch of A further example of the growing co- Shoreline (the old YLA) to take place at operation between lifeboat services in Plymouth on Saturday, July 20, 1974. different countries was afforded when This will be the opening day of the a lifeboat delegation from Portugal, international life-boat exhibition. headed by Rear-Admiral A. V. Gomes, As a forerunner of the 1974 celebra- visited Cowes, Dover and Littlehampton tions the RNLI will have an exhibit in in April of this year. The delegation the Lord Mayor's Show in London in inspected the 44-foot Waveney class November, 1973. The commemorative lifeboat, stationed at Dover, and other service in St Paul's Cathedral will take NOTES OF lifeboats of the Waveney class being place at 12 noon on March 4, 1974. built and engined at the yards of Details of how supporters of the RNLI THE QUARTER William Osborne, Littlehampton, and should apply for tickets will be an- Groves and Guttridge, East Cowes. nounced later. It is likely that some form Lifeboats of the Waveney class are to of ballot will have to be made to be built under licence in Portugal. branches and guilds, but this will by the Editor New Shore Boat Rescue Scheme depend on the demand for tickets. The former inshore rescue scheme, A series of postal commemorative which has been operating since 1962 and covers will be issued during 1974 com- 'A YEAR of intense activity and gratifying which was administered jointly by the memorating various aspects of the success for the lifeboat service" is the RNLI and HM Coastguard, has now Institution's history and traditions, with phrase used in the RNLI's report to been amalgamated with the old shore an album on sale to contain them. describe the happenings in 1972. The boat scheme under the name 'Shore Readers interested in receiving details facts certainly justify this. The total Boat Rescue Scheme*. The object is to when they are published should write to number of lives saved, which is the rationalise existing arrangements for the Pilgrim Philatelies, 17 Best Lane, true criterion of success, was 1,447, a help of private boat owners in the work Canterbury, Kent. record figure in time of peace. For the of saving life at sea. The changes follow The main programme for 1974 was first time ever the Institution's income discussions held by the Government announced in the January 1973 number exceeded £3 million, expenditure being committee to coordinate marine search of THE LIFEBOAT. The RNLI hopes to slightly under that figure. and rescue arrangements. The RNLI will build up an imposing record of all the By contrast with the increase in lives continue to make payments to private celebrations and events in 1974 and saved, the number of service calls boat owners whose boats have put out at asks for the co-operation of readers of answered by RNLI lifeboats dropped the request of RNLI representatives, or THE LIFEBOAT. Records in the form of somewhat for the first time for many when a private individual launches from film, tape, still photographs or printed years. This reduction was largely the shore on his own initiative in order to matter may be sent to Mr S. E. accounted for by a decrease in the save life at sea. Under the new scheme Bartholomew, Deputy Public Relations number of launches to pleasure craft. HM Coastguard will be responsible for Officer, RNLI, 42 Grosvenor Gardens, Launches to the help of commercial making payments to any shore boat London, SW1WOEF. fishing vessels increased from 274 to called out by Coastguard action. 311. It is also pointed out in the report that for the second consecutive year no 1974 Celebrations New Format member of a lifeboat crew lost his life Branches and guilds of the RNLI are For over 120 years THE LIFEBOAT has on exercise or on service. planning a wide range of activities in served as the principal means of keeping In presenting the report to the meeting supporters of the RNLI informed of of the governors of the Institution the COVER PICTURE what was happening in the service. The Chairman of the Committee of Manage- This unusual photograph of the Swedish first number of the Journal dated March ment, Commander F. R. H. Swann, schooner Minn, her rudder damaged and 1852, said its aim was to 'materially QBE, RNVR, emphasised the encouraging drifting rapidly towards Dodman Point, advance the great cause we advocate, progress made with the huge boat- was taken from the Falmouth, Cornwall, namely, the improvement of lifeboats, building programme in which the lifeboat The Princess Royal (Civil Service their management, and all other means RNLI is now engaged. At the end of No. 7) on August 8, 1972, by Miss Birgitta for the preservation of life from ship- Rydbeck, a professional photographer, who 1972 21 new lifeboats were under was a member of the Mina's crew, after she wreck.' construction or on order. It is primarily had been taken aboard the lifeboat. In In January 1971 the Journal format to ensure that this boat-building pro- saving the schooner and her crew of 10 in changed for the first time since 1852. The gramme succeeds that the Institution's a south westerly gale and a very rough sea, 'new look' appearance at once received many new plans for raising additional the lifeboat, whose coxswain, Mr Walter wide approval and helped THE LIFEBOAT money are being developed. Brown, received the RNLI's bronze medal to secure more advertising. With the at the annual meeting in May for this July 1973 edition the Journal goes A4 A Great Benefactress service, ranged some 10 feet while along- size, which we believe will improve Mrs R. M. Reed, who died at East- side the casualty. The Princess Royal (Civil the advertising potential and provide Service No. 7), which is a 46-foot Watson bourne in March, was one of the most type, was on temporary duty at Falmouth even better presentation of editorial. It generous supporters the RNLI has known at the time. When this picture was taken the is fitting, too, that as the RNLI ap- in its long history. Indeed, if no allow- member of the crew in the foreground was proaches its 150th anniversary the ance is made for changes in the value of adjusting his lifejacket, not visible in this Journal should be presented in a form money, Mrs Reed's benefactions amoun- instance, further manhandling the tow line. likely to attract greater public attention.