Palling Lifeboat Station

Palling Lifeboat Station
Palling Lifeboat Station is located in Norfolk
Palling Lifeboat Station
Palling, Norfolk
General information
StatusClosed
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
Town or citySea Palling, Norfolk
CountryEngland
Coordinates52°47′20.5″N 1°36′11.0″E / 52.789028°N 1.603056°E / 52.789028; 1.603056
OpenedNASLSM 1852, RNLI 1858
Closed1930

Palling Lifeboat Station was located at the town of Palling, on the north-east coast of Norfolk.

A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners (NASLSM) in 1852. Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1858.[1]

The station closed in 1930.[1]

History

A lifeboat was sent to be stationed at Palling in 1852 by the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners. She was a 32-foot Palmer type non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Branford, of Gt. Yarmouth, costing £75.[2]

In 1857, the NASLSM made a request, that the RNLI take over responsibility for all their lifeboat stations, including Palling. This was formally agreed in 1858. A new lifeboat was ordered for Palling from Forrestt of Limehouse, London, a 30-foot 10-oared Peake-class self-righting lifeboat, and along with her specially constructed carriage, cost just over £250. Edward Amis was appointed Coxswain. She was housed in the boathouse built by the NASLSM, and would serve Palling for 6 years, being launched on service 6 times, and saving 20 lives.[2]

The next lifeboat to be stationed at Palling was the Parsee. Originally a 30-foot lifeboat stationed at Hastings named Victoria, she was sent to Forrestt in London for conversion to be a 36-foot, 12-oared boat. She was transported to Gt. Yarmouth in February 1864 free of charge by the Great Eastern Railway Company, and then sailed up to Palling by the crew. In her 18 years on service at Palling, she rescued 103 lives in 23 launches.[2]

On her first call on 23 December 1864, the Parsee went to the aid of the schooner Idas of Nantes, on passage from Danzig to Dunkirk, driven ashore at Palling. Six men were rescued.[3]

Parsee was replaced by a new boat in 1882, the Heyland (ON 38), built by Woolfe of Shadwell. The boat was provided from funds raised in the memory of Lt. Heyland, RN, lost rescuing a seaman from H.M.S. Minotaur. But weighing 4 tons, she proved too heavy for the sandy conditions at Palling, and was soon replaced by Good Hope (ON 13) in 1884; again a 37-foot boat built by Woolfe, but weighing only 3 tons.[2]

The No.2 station was closed in 1929. Motor-powered lifeboats had been placed on service at Cromer, 20 miles to the north, and Gorleston, 20 miles to the south, and it soon followed that the decision was made to close the No.1 station. This happened on 29 October 1930, with the removal of the lifeboat Jacob and Rachel Valentine (ON 580).[1]

The parish of "Palling" was renamed "Sea Palling" on 2 October 1948.[4]

Notable rescues

At 4:30am on the 7 Mar 1907, Palling No.1 lifeboat 54th West Norfolk Regiment (ON 471) launched to the aid of the vessel Vixen. In pitch-black gale force conditions, the lifeboat managed to rescue 5 crew, but one man was left clinging to the rigging, cold, and unable to climb down by himself. The Master re-boarded the Vixen along with lifeboat crewman James Pestell. Pestell then climbed the rigging, and with the assistance of the Master, brought the man to the waiting lifeboat. With two of the party now on board, the lifeboat was hit by a large wave, and washed away from the wreck, leaving Pestell alone on the stricken vessel. Finally, the lifeboat returned, and Pestell was taken on board. For this service, James Pestell Jnr. was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.[5]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Palling[5]

Edward Amis, Coxswain - 1870
Walter Pestell, Coxswain - 1893
Thomas Bishop, Acting Coxswain - 1894
Walter Pestell, Coxswain - 1899 (Second Service Clasp)
James Pestell, Jnr, crew member, 1907

Palling lifeboats

All-weather lifeboats

No.1 Station

ON[a] Name In service[1] Class Comments
− Unnamed 1852−1858 32-foot Palmer (NASLSM)
[Note 1]
Pre-322 Unnamed 1858−1864 30ft Peake [Note 2]
Pre-314 Parsee 1864−1882 36-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]
38 Heyland 1882−1884 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 4]
13 Good Hope 1884−1900 37-foot 5in Self-righting (P&S) [Note 5]
471 54th West Norfolk Regiment 1901−1926 37-foot 6in Self-righting (P&S) [Note 6]
580 Jacob and Rachel Valentine 1926−1930 34-foot Self-righting Rubie [Note 7]
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

No.2 Station

ON[a] Name In service[1] Class Comments
14 British Workman 1870−1893 40ft 4in Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 8]
351 Hearts of Oak 1893−1917 40ft Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 9]
656 Hearts of Oak 1917−1929 40ft Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 10]
  1. ^ a b ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 32-foot (10-oared) Palmer-class non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Branford of Great Yarmouth, costing £75.
  2. ^ 30-foot (10-oared) Peake-class Self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, costing £179-8s-2d.
  3. ^ 30-foot (36-foot) Self-righting lifeboat. Previously Victoria at Hastings. Extended to 36-foot, 12-oared for Palling
  4. ^ 37-foot 12-oared Self-righting lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell
  5. ^ 37-foot 5in 12-oared Self-righting lifeboat, built by Woolfe of Shadwell
  6. ^ 37-foot 6in 12-oared Self-righting lifeboat, built by Thames Ironworks of London
  7. ^ 34-foot 12-oared Self-righting lifeboat, built by Thames Ironworks of London, formerly at Haisborough
  8. ^ 40-foot 4in 14-oared non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Beeching of Gt. Yarmouth
  9. ^ 40-foot 14-oared non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Wm. T. Ellis of Lowestoft
  10. ^ 40-foot non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Summers and Payne, of Southampton, and completed be S.E Saunders of East Cowes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  2. ^ a b c d Morris, Jeff (September 2007). Palling Lifeboat 1852-1930. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–58.
  3. ^ "Mercantile Ship News". The Standard. No. 12614. London. 12 January 1865. p. 7.
  4. ^ "North Walsham Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0-907605-89-3.