Ruby and Arthur Reed (RNLI Official Number 990)The Cromer Lifeboats, by Bob Malster & Peter Stibbons,:Poppyland Publishing, was an lifeboat of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) stationed at Cromer in the English county of NorfolkOS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East. . from 30 April 1967Cromer Lifeboat, A pictorial history, By Nicholas Leach & Paul Russell, Pub; Landmark Collector's Library, and was the No 1 lifeboat between various relief'sCromer Lifeboats 1804-2004, Leach, Nicholas & Russell, Paul, Pub: Tempus Publishing, 2004, until she was replaced after 17 years service by the Ruby and Arthur Reed II on 16 December 1985. During the time that the Ruby and Arthur Reed was on station at Cromer she performed 125 service launches, rescuing 58 lives.
Design and construction Ruby and Arthur Reed was built in 1966 at the yard of William Osborne at Littlehampton, West Sussex. She was an Oakley class self-righting design which combined great stability with the ability to self-right in the event of the lifeboat capsizing.Oakley Class Lifeboats: An Illustrated History of the RNLI's Oakley and Rother Lifeboats: By Nicholas, Nicholas :Published by The History Press Ltd: This was achieved by a system of shifting water ballast. The system worked by the lifeboat taking on one and half tons of sea water at launching in to a tank built into the base of the hull. If the lifeboat then reached a crucial point of capsize the ballast water would transfer through valves to a righting tank built into the port side. If the capsize was to the starboard side of the lifeboat, the water shift started when an angle of 165° was reached. This would push the boat into completing a full 360° roll. If the capsize was to the port side, the water transfer started at 110°. In this case the weight of water combined with the weight of machinery aboard the lifeboat usually managed to stop the roll and allow the lifeboat to bounce back to upright.
Hull construction The hull of the Ruby and Arthur Reed was constructed from African mahogany built with two skins. Each skin was diagonally laid with a layer of calico laid between the skins. The outer skin was thick with the inner skin being thick. The keel was iron and weighed . The hull was divided into eleven watertight compartments. The lifeboat was in length and in beam and displaced , when fully laden with crew and gear. She was fitted with twin 110 hp Gardner 6LX six cylinder diesel engines, which moved her over the water at 9 Knots. Ruby and Arthur Reed aluminium wheelhouse was positioned amidships and was fully enclosed which provided welcome crew protection from the elements. Aft of the lifeboat there was another cabin which served as the chartroom and also housed all the lifeboats electronic equipment.
Equipment The lifeboat was fitted with Decca 060 radar and all she carried Pye Westminster VHF and an Ajax MF Radiotelephone. In addition a radio Direction Finding set was carried, which gave a magnetic bearing to a transmitting station. The electric searchlight was standard along with Pains Wessex speedlines.
Service Ruby and Arthur Reed was on station at Cromer for seventeen years and during that time she was launched 125 times and she saved fifty eight lives. Her first service took place on 4 July 1967 to a motor fishing vessel called Renovate. The fishing boat's engine had failed and she was at anchor two miles east of Haisborough Sands. Two engineers from the Royal Naval minesweeper were put aboard to try to repair her. Coxswain Henry "Shrimp" Davies and his lifeboat stood by through the night until the boat's engines were once again working.
Gallery
Service and rescues DateCasualtyLives saved19674 JulyMotor fishing vessel Renovate, stood by20 JanuaryMotor vessel Alme of Meppel, took out doctor3 SeptemberHaisborough Lightvessel, landed a sick man10 OctoberCrab boat Lewis James of Cromer, gave help19 DecemberTrawler Rotha of Lowestoft. Landed a sick man119684 FebruaryDinghy, saved dinghy32 MarchMotor launch Pinnace, of Poole saved launch231 MarchSteamship Alice Bowater of London, landed a sick man111 MayFishing boat Provider of Cromer, saved boat213 MayTug Workman of Hull stood by tug with warhead on board30 JuneCabin cruiser She's a Lady. Assisted to save cruiser311 JulyMotor vessel Ramso of Copenhagen, escorted23 AugustTrawler Filby Queen of Lowestoft, landed a sick man30 AugustYacht Stilalisanin landed 1 and saved yacht18 SeptemberTrawler Rock Fish of Lowestoft, took out doctor15 NovemberGas Rig Hewitt Alpha, gave help19693 JanuaryMotor vessel Friederike of Brake, landed a sick man14 JanuaryTrawler Suffolk Kinsman of Lowestoft. Landed a sick man22 JanuaryMotor fishing boat Thistle, saved boat310 MayMotor fishing vessel Kindly Light, gave help21 MayPipe laying vessel WD Tideway, landed a sick man197026 JuneMotor fishing vessel Normanby of Bridlington, gave help12 NovemberFishing boat My Beauty of Cromer, give escort197115 MayCabin cruiser Nadine Leah, gave help13 JuneYacht Gentle Nimbus, gave help19725 MayTwo fishing boats, stood by20 MayTrawler Boston Viscount of Lowestoft, landed injured man21 AugustFishing boat Cossack, saved boat412 SeptemberCabin cruiser New Prince of Wales, saved cruiser325 OctoberFishing boat Provider of Cromer. Saved boat4197322 MarchMotor vessel Silver Sands, landing a sick man11973 to August 1974 of station for refit197431 AugustLightvessel LV.22, landed sick man10 SeptemberMotor vessel Langstone Tern, escorted boat1 NovemberMotor vessel Dutch Sailor, landed an injured man197521 FebruaryCargo vessel Fortuna II, landed an injured man22 MayRoyal Naval ship HMS Shevington, sick man gave help8 SeptemberYacht Irishman, saved boat1026 OctoberCruiser Andruss, saved boat212 DecemberFreighter Alexandria, stood by vessel14 DecemberFreighter Alexandria, stood by vessel19766 FebruaryTrawler Suffolk Conquest, took out Doctor to injured man23 JuneCargo vessel Garden Saturn, stood by vessel7 AugustFishing vessel Albert, saved vessel218 AugustHaisborough Lightvessel, landed an injured man15 SeptemberYacht Mr Micawber, saved boat218 OctoberFishing boat Sea Green, gave help197719 FebruaryCargo vessel Atlantic Duke, stood by vessel22 FebruaryCatamaran Katabatic, gave help24 FebruaryChemical carrier Thorodland of Panama, stood by vessel18 MarchCargo vessel Femmy Lian, of Cyprus, gave help18 AprilCargo vessel Star River of France, gave help27 JulyCargo vessel Heye-P of Germany, injured man gave help9 SeptemberYacht Autumn Liz, gave help14 NovemberCargo vessel Nimrod, of Jersey,124 DecemberCargo vessel Rafaela of Panama, stood by vessel197816 AugustFishing boat, gave help4 SeptemberFishing boat Charles Perkins, gave help1978 to May 1979 of station for refit197922 MayFishing boat Concorde II, missing crewman, landed body6 JuneYacht Victoria George gave help6 JuneTug Englishman, stood by vessel20 JuneOil rig standby vessel Boston Hornet, took out Doctor, landed a sick man19805 JanuaryFishing vessel Ellen, of Great Yarmouth, gave help17 JanuaryCargo vessel Lendoudis Evangelos of Greece, gave help8 AprilFishing boat, escorted home3 MayMotor fishing vessel Bess of Denmark, saved boat423 JuneMotor vessel Jenny Glen of Kings Lynn, saved boat2198130 JanuaryCargo vessel Ems of West Germany after collision, recovered life raft30 JanuaryCargo vessel Undine of Belgium after collision, recovered life raft2 JuneFishing boat Provider of Great Yarmouth, gave help2 AugustCabin cruiser Lancer, gave help2 AugustCabin cruiser Falcon, gave help13 AugustHelicopter, gave help30 NovemberOil rig supply vessel The Cuttlefish2198217 SeptemberSkin Diver, gave help21 SeptemberFishing boat Provider of Cromer, escorted21 SeptemberFishing boat Elizabeth Kathleen of Wells-next-the-Sea, escorted12 DecemberMotor boat Trade Winds, saved boat2198312 JulyFishing boat Ventura of West Runton, landed injured man198415 FebruaryCargo vessel Camilla Weston, of London, landed 59 MayCargo vessel Marie Anne of Germany, landed sick man12 JulyAircraft, recovered the wreckage13 JulyFishing boat G.N.D., of Great Yarmouth, saved boat215 AugustCargo vessel Emily P.G., of Shorham landed injured man4 SeptemberFishing boat Provider of Great Yarmouth, escorted September 1984Retired from Cromer
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