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Violet, Dorothy and Kathleen ON-1236 (17-16)
Severn class lifeboat
The Severn class all-weather lifeboat is the largest in the RNU fleet. Severn class lifeboats are allocated to stations where they can lie afloat on a sheltered mooring or pontoon berth and where their size and large survivor carrying capacity would prove useful. Above the wheelhouse the boats carry a small inflatable Y boat, powered by a 15hp outboard motor, which can be launched at sea.
Specification
Length: 17.3m
Speed: 25 knots
Range: 250 nautical miles
Launch method: Moored afloat
Crew: 7
Introduced: 1995
Cost to replace: £2.7M (2010)
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The RNLI — ordinary people doing extraordinary things since 1824
For over 185 years, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNILI) has saved lives at sea around our coast. When Sir William Hillary, a Quaker lifeboatman, founded the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck in 1824, lifeboats were few in number, powered by teams of oarsmen, and volunteer crews could only operate close to the beaches from which they had been launched.
Today, the RNLI operates more than 330 fast, modern craft from more than 230 lifeboat stations. On call day
and night 24 hours a day 365 days a year we provide a swift and efficient rescue service up to 100 miles offshore anywhere round the coast of the UK and RoI. Each year our lifeboat crews rescue more than 8,000 people.
The work of these dedicated crews, the ordinary people doing extraordinary things, remains the vital thread that runs through the history of the RNLI. Nearly 200 years on, we are still proud to rely on the expertise and courage of our volunteer crews and dedication of our fundraisers. We are also proud to be a registered charity, depending on voluntary contributions and legacies from the public.
Every year it costs over £147M to run the RNLI, which comes almost entirely from voluntary donations. For every £1 raised by the RNLI in 2000, 84p was spent on generating voluntary income.
Help us save lives at sea by joining as a member of the RNLI today. Call 0845 121 4999 or visit rnli.org.uk for more information. Thank you.
History of Stromness lifeboat station
1867 The RNUI established a station and a boathouse and slipway were built at the Ness to the south of the town
1873 A Silver Medal was awarded to Robert Leask for saving two people from a capsized boat.
1890 The lifeboat was kept on moorings in the harbour as it was difficult to launch from the Ness.
1902 There
were problems keeping the lifeboat afloat and so a building was converted into a boathouse and a slipway was built.
1908 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Robert Greig for saving three people from the trawler Shakespeare on 11 December 1907.
1909 The station's first motor lifeboat, ON-561 John A Hay, was placed on service.
1922 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain William Johnston for rescuing two men from a small raft after their trawler Freesia had sunk on 1 January. They were the only survivors from á crew of 11.
1926 A new boathouse and slipway were built on the same site.
1929 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain William Johnston for rescuing 12 men from the trawler Carmania II, which was totally wrecked on the Kirks Rocks, Hoy Sound.
1930 The Stromness lifeboat carried out the longest service in history by motor lifeboat, having spent 55 hours from station and travelled a total of 260 miles to go to the aid of the stricken trawler Ben Doran, lost with all hands on Shetland's Vee Skerries.
1953 Coxswain Wm Sinclair was awarded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum for his part in a prolonged and demanding service to the grounded trawler Leicester City in thick fog. Three Crew Members were saved and ten others landed.
1967 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.
1984 An Arun class lifeboat was sent to the station and kept on moorings near Inner Holm Island off Stromness Harbour.
1989 The boathouse was adapted to provide a crew room, galley and a souvenir sales outlet.
1992 A collective Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Coxswain James Flett, Second Coxswain John Banks, Mechanic Ronald Taylor, Assistant Mechanic James Adam and Crew Members Douglas Adam, William Wilson and Robert Craigie for rescuing nine crew and saving the replica 12th century Hebridian birlinn Aileach.
1995 An alongside berth was provided at the South Pier.
1998 The Severn class lifeboat, ON-1236 Violet, Dorothy and Kathleen, was placed on service on 22 October.
2002 Coxswain John Banks was awarded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum for saving five Crew Members from the fishing vessel Faith Ann, 50 miles west of Orkney in force 9 winds and heavy seas. A tow was established but parted several times because of the conditions. The Faith Ann was successfully handed over to the Thurso lifeboat, which towed her into Thurso, escorted by the Stromness lifeboat. Vellum Service Certificates were awarded to Fred Breck, Stewart Taylor, Calum MacIver, Colin Mowat, Neil McGibbon, Alan MacLeod,
Davle Wishart and Davie Sutherland.
Station honours
A day does not go by without a volunteer crew somewhere showing their selfiessness, skill and courage to help save lives at sea. Occasionally however, a rescue deserves special recognition and the RNU rewards acts of skill and bravery from a Framed Letter of Thanks from the Chairman to a Gold Medal for Gallantry. Awardees of a Cold Medal are invited to attend the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.
At Stromness lifeboat station the following awards have been made
Framed Letter of Thanks — 1
Thanks of the Inscribed on Vellum — 2
Bronze Medal — 2
Silver Medal— 2
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The charity that saves lives at sea
The RNLI provides a 24-hour search and rescue service to 100 nautical miles out from the coast of the UK and Republic of Ireland. Our lifeboats aim to reach at least 90% of all casualties within 10 nautical miles of the coast within 30 minutes of launch in all weathers. We are a charity, independent of government. We work alongside the Coast Guard which coordinates maritime search and rescue and requests us to launch. We also launch independently in emergency.
Stations and Lifeboats
237 operational lifeboat stations around the UK and the Republic of Ireland
4 inland lifeboat stations at Enniskillen, Loch Ness, Lough Derg and Lough Ree
3 London lifeboat stations on the River Thames at Tower (Waterloo Bridge), Chiswick and Teddington
349 operational lifeboats cover 19,000 miles of coastline
Volunteers
95% of RNLI people are volunteers — without them we could not save lives at sea
4,700 crew members
150 volunteer lifeguards
Around 20,000 community fundraisers
... plus thousands of other dedicated volunteers who raise awareness, give safety advice and help in our museums, shops and offices
Lifeboats in Action 2014
8,462 launches, of which 38% were in darkness
8,727 people rescued, averaging 24 people a day
368 lives saved
Money
It costs us over £149 M each year to run our lifesaving service
We are independent of the Government and rely on the generosity of the public to continue saving lives at sea
62% of our total income is from legacies
32% of our total income is from fundraising activities
(The remaining 6% is from sources of generated income, including investments and merchandise)
Lifeboat costs
· D class inshore lifeboat £48,000
· B class Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat £214,000
· Shannon class all-weather lifeboat — £2.1M
· Shannon launch and recovery system — £1.5M
Kit costs
· All-weather lifeboat crew member full kit — £1,419
· Safety helmet — £198
· Inshore lifejacket — £330
· Pager — £150
Support Us
Become a volunteer — your time is invaluable to us. Visit RNLI.org/volunteer.
Become a regular donor, support our appeals, leave a gift in your Will, or start a Forever by the Sea fund. Find out more at RNLI.org.
Young people can get involved online at RNLI.org/shorething and join the Storm Force crew at RNLI.org/stormforce.
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