Rock Lifeboat Station

Rock Lifeboat Station
Rock Lifeboat Station is located in Cornwall
Rock Lifeboat Station
Rock on the north coast of Cornwall
General information
TypeLifeboat station
LocationRock, Cornwall
AddressFerry Point, Rock, Cornwall, PL27 6LD
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates50°32′39″N 4°55′24″W / 50.54428°N 4.92343°W / 50.54428; -4.92343
Opened1997; 27 years ago (1997)
OwnerRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/rock-lifeboat-station

Rock Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations on the River Camel in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It operates a D-class (IB1) lifeboat, which since 2014 has been the Rusper II.

History

A lifeboat for Padstow had been launched from Hawker's Cove, north of the town and on the west side of the estuary, since 1827. Silting of the river gradually made launches more difficult so, in 1967, Padstow Lifeboat Station was moved out of the estuary to Trevose Head.[1]

Without a lifeboat on the estuary, any casualties here tended to be dealt with by local boats rather than the RNLI. The Padstow Harbour Commissioners asked the RNLI in 1993 if they could provide an Inshore Lifeboat. One was deployed for evaluation in 1994 from a temporary boathouse at Rock on the east side of the estuary.[2] This proved successful and work started on building a permanent lifeboat station in 1996. It was completed in June 1997.[3]

During its first 11 years, the lifeboat at Rock was launched 220 times and saved 80 lives.[2]

Awards

Crew member Leigh Anderson was awarded the RNLI's 'Thanks inscribed on vellum' for attending to casualties of a motor boat accident on 5 May 2013. Other lifeboat crew members received a framed letter of thanks from the chairman for their part in the same incident. Two crew members had received a similar framed letter of thanks after a difficult rescue of a girl trapped inside cave on 23 July 2012.[3]

Description

The lifeboat station is a single storey stone building with an asymmetrical, curved, overhanging roof. Inside is a space for the lifeboat and the all-terrain vehicle that is used to launch it.[2]

Lifeboats

At Rock Op. No. Name Model New
1994–1995[4] D-350 (No name) EA16 1987
1995–2005[5] D-489 Dolly Holloway EA16 1995
2005–2014[6] D-634 Rusper IB1 2005
2014–[7] D-772 Rusper II IB1 2014

See also

References

  1. ^ Leach, Nicholas (2006). Cornwall's Lifeboat Heritage (2nd ed.). Twelveheads Press. pp. 46–47.
  2. ^ a b c Leach, Nicholas (2012). Padstow Lifeboat. The History Press. pp. 174–175.
  3. ^ a b "Rock station history". RNLI. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  4. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 78.
  5. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 80.
  6. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 83.
  7. ^ Leonard & Denton 2024, p. 85.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rock Lifeboat Station.