Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station (Welsh Gorsaf Bad Achub Porthdinllaen) sits on the spit of land north of the village of Morfa Nefyn, approximately south-west of Caernarfon, on the north-west coast of the Llŷn Peninsula, within the community of Dwyfor in the county of Gwynedd, North Wales.
A lifeboat station was established at Portdinllaen by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1864.
Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station currently operates a All-weather lifeboat, 16-24 John D. Spicer (ON 1304), on station since 2012.
History In the 19th century, North Wales lacked good roads, and so the sea was the easiest way to access many places. Porthdinllaen, on the northern coast of the Llŷn peninsula, with its sheltered north facing bay, became important as a harbour of refuge and a busy port, with over 700 ships passing through the port in 1861.
On the night of 2–3 December 1863, 18 ships that had been sheltering in Porthdinllaen bay were driven ashore and wrecked. Robert Rees of Morfa Nefyn tied a rope around his waist and, with the help of 4 other men, succeeded in saving 28 lives. For his gallantry on that occasion, Rees was awarded the Bronze Medal from the Board of Trade and 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' by the RNLI.
After storms subdued, the Reverend Owen Lloyd Williams, Vicar of Boduan, wrote to the RNLI in London to ask for a lifeboat station to be established at Porthdinllaen. After an inspection of the area in February 1864 by Captain J.R. Ward, and his fully supporting recommendation report, the establishment of a lifeboat station was approved by the RNLI on 3 March 1864.
The proposal was to establish both a stone boat house and stone slipway, and to protect the structure to allow safe launching of the lifeboat from the prevailing westerly winds through creation of a protective seawall. After accepting an estimate of £140 for the works, local contractors were engaged. Instead of building a new lifeboat, the RNLI proposed to move and reallocate the existing lifeboat at Sea Palling in Norfolk, England. Built by Forrestt of Limehouse in 1858 as a 30-foot × 7-foot 6in, self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with (10) oars and sails, the boat was returned to the Forrestt boatyard in 1864, and altered to be a 36-foot × 8-foot, 12-oared lifeboat, at a cost of £198.
Conveyed from London to Caernarfon free of charge by the London & North Western Railway, she was then sailed south to Porthdinllaen, arriving on 26 August 1864. The boat was funded by a donation of £250 by Lady Cotton-Sheppard (née Elizabeth Cotton of Thornton Hall, Oxfordshire), the third that she had underwritten. The boat was duly named Cotton Sheppard in a ceremony on 9 September 1864, conducted by new vicar, the Rev. John Hughes, who also became the station's Honorary Secretary. His brother Hugh Hughes, was appointed as the first coxswain.
Operations Staffed constantly since its opening, Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station is the only lifeboat station where Welsh is the normally spoken language of the crew.
The lifeboat Hetty Rampton (ON 1120), in service since 27 April 1987, was replaced in 2012 by a new lifeboat, John D Spicer (ON 1304). Funded by a bequest within the will and by agreement with the executors of the estate of John Dominic Spicer of Oxfordshire, who died in October 2010, the new boat was temporarily kept on a mooring while work to build a new boathouse was undertaken.Porthdinllaen RNLI - The Boat
Due to the size and scale of the new boat, a new lifeboat house and slipway was constructed with much improved crew and workshop facilities, at a cost of £8 million. This became operational in April 2014. Originally due to start construction in Spring 2011, due to access concerns of the local population and the costs of realignment of a track along the cliff top via the Nefyn and District Golf Club, the RNLI determined that the new boathouse would be constructed with materials delivered by sea. This was the method used in 2006–2008 for construction of the new £5.5million boathouse for the Tenby Lifeboat Station.Porthdinllaen: RNLI open new lifeboat house and slipway.dailypost.co.uk 12 May 2014.
Among the awards received by the crew over the years are one silver and three bronze RNLI medals for gallantry, the last awarded in 1981.
In 2013, S4C broadcast a 6-part series (called Bad Achub Porthdinllaen), showing a year in the life of the Porthdinllaen lifeboat.Series on Porthdinllaen Lifeboat wins award
Visitor access This station is classed as an Explore lifeboat station by the RNLI, for those lifeboat stations which aim to offer the best visitor experience. It is accessible to the public, including to see the lifeboat and visit the RNLI gift shop. When not on call, the station offers free access in the summer months, and pre-booked tours in the winter.
Station honours The following are awards made at Porthdinllaen:
Bronze Medal from the Board of Trade Robert Rees – 1863 RNLI Silver Medal William Dop, Second Coxswain – 1951 RNLI Bronze Medal Griffith John Jones, Coxswain – 1975 Glyn Roberts, crew member – 1977 Michael Massarelli, Acting Coxswain – 1981 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' Robert Rees – 1863 John Scott, Second Coxswain – 1977 Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service Mike Davies, former Coxswain – 2019 British Empire Medal Kenneth Fitzpatrick, Lifeboat Operations Manager – 2024NYH
Porthdinllaen lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Launches/ Comments 1858 1864–1877 36-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) 26 / 43 Modified x (12-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Lady Sheppard of Uttoxeter, built and later modified by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £250 when modified.Previously at . Broken up in 1877. Pre-624 George Moore 1877 1877–1887 37-foot self-righting (P&S) 39 / 70 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded by the employees of Copestake, Hughes, Crampton & Co., built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £430.Damaged and condemned in 1887. 219 George Moore 1888 1888–1902 11 / 22 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded by the employees of Copestake, Hughes, Crampton & Co., built by Hansen of Cowes, costing £410.Sold in 1902. 480 Barbara Fleming 1902 1902–1926 40-foot self-righting (P&S) 32 / 52 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Miss J. I. Fleming of Windermere, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £1,278.Transferred to . Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.
Motor lifeboats ON Op.No. Name Built Class Launches/ Comments 695 – M. O. Y. E. 1925 1926–1949 45-foot Watson 56 / 16(3) / (0) 866 – Charles Henry Ashley 1949 1949–1979 (17) / (6) Transferred to the relief fleet, later at . 950 – Kathleen Mary 1959 1979–1987 47-foot Watson 53 / >28(9) / (1) Previously at . Transferred to . 1120 1987 1987–2012 90 / 35(15) / (2) 1304 16-24 John D. Spicer 2012 2012– More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages. Launches by relief lifeboats on station, in brackets
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
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External links
Porthdinllaen RNLI Lifeboat Station