Eyemouth Lifeboat Station is located at Gunsgreen Quay in Eyemouth, a harbour town in the Scottish Borders, approximately north of Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the south-east coast of Scotland.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Eyemouth in 1876 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The station currently operates a All-weather lifeboat 13-29 Helen Hastings (ON 1336), on station since 2018, and a Inshore lifeboat Sheila (D-877), since 2023.

History In December 1875, the town was visited by Capt. Gray-Jones, RNLI Assistant Inspector of Lifeboats, to assess the viability of a lifeboat placed here. With over 350 fishermen, there was an obvious case for a lifeboat, and a shortage of crew unlikely. A station was agreed.

An order was placed with Woolfe of Shadwell for a self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and eight oars, at a cost of £275. A launch carriage from Napton & Co. cost an extra £117-5s-0d. A boathouse was constructed by Mr. J. Berry along the East Pier, along with a launchway, costing £517-10s-0d. Having been transported by rail from London to Burnmouth, the lifeboat and carriage were hauled by six horses through the town on 10 October 1876, to a ceremony at the beach, where the boat was named James & Rachel Grindlay by Mrs Grindlay, the boat being funded from the legacy of Mr. T Grindley of Edinburgh.

A new boathouse was constructed in 1908, next to the old boathouse, but set 90° to face the river. Along with a new launchway, the total cost was £998-4s-11d. It was able to accommodate a slightly larger boat, the Anne Francis (ON 592).

The Anne Francis was launched on 6 March 1917 to the aid of the schooner Livlig of Norway, wrecked off St Abb's Head, One crewman had been lost, with the seven remaining crew clinging to the rigging. With considerable skill in violent seas, Coxswain William Miller got the lifeboat alongside, and the seven men were rescued. Considering the conditions, the lifeboat then made the long journey around to Granton, Edinburgh to find safe harbour. Coxswain Miller was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.

Eyemouth would get a motor-powered lifeboat in 1937. A lifeboat, costing £3,835, with a top speed of . At a ceremony on 21 Aug 1937, the boat was named Frank and William Oates (ON 795), the donor being their third brother Charles George Oates of Leeds. Frank Oates (1840–1875) was a British naturalist, and along with his brother William, had explored Africa. All three brothers were uncles to Capt. Lawrence Oates of the Scott Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition of 1910.

Harbour works in 1963 would require the demolition of the lifeboat launchway. The station was closed temporarily, and the Clara and Emily Barwell (ON 893) was withdrawn. Replaced in 1964 by a larger lifeboat, Swn-Y-Mor (Civil Service No.6), the Eyemouth lifeboats have since been moored afloat.

A new single-story station building was constructed on Gunsgreen Quay in 1992, followed by the arrival in 1996 of a new lifeboat 14-11 Barclaycard Crusader (ON 1209), a 25-knot boat, costing £1,060,000. A new £107,000 pontoon berth was constructed in 2008, and a Inshore lifeboat was also placed on station in 2015.

In 2018, the lifeboat was withdrawn to the relief fleet, and Eyemouth would receive a £2.2 million lifeboat, 13-29 Helen Hastings (ON 1336).

Station honours The following are awards made at Eyemouth.

RNLI Silver Medal For the rescue of two skin-divers north west of Ebb Carr Rocks on 6 October 1990 James A. Dougal, Acting Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic – 1991 RNLI Bronze Medal For the rescue of 7 men of the Norwegian steamer Livlig on 6 March 1917 William Miller, Coxswain – 1917 The Maud Smith Award 1990 For the rescue of two skin-divers north west of Ebb Carr Rocks on 6 October 1990 James A. Dougal, Acting Coxswain/Assistant Mechanic – 1991 The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum For the rescue of two skin-divers north west of Ebb Carr Rocks on 6 October 1990 John Buchan, crewman – 1991 David Collin, crewman – 1991 George Walker, crewman – 1991 Joseph Walker, crewman – 1991 Robert Walker, crewman – 1991 Alister Crombie, crewman – 1991 For the rescue of three crew of the launch Norman Forster on 17 October 1992 John Johnston, Coxswain – 1993 'A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution' For the rescue of three lives of the trawler Hatcliffe on 25 March 1983 A. Dougal, Coxswain – 1983 J. Aitchison, Second Coxswain – 1983 J. Tarvit, Second Coxswain/Mechanic – 1983 J. Dougal, Acting Assistant Mechanic – 1983 A. Redden, crew member – 1983 J. Buchan, crew member – 1983 J. Purves, crew member – 1983 I. Dougal, crew member – 1983 Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) John Duncan Johnston, former Coxswain – 2007NYH

Eyemouth lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments 1876 1876–1888 30-foot Montrose self-righting (P&S) x (8-oared) Montrose-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr T. Grindlay of Edinburgh, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £275.Capsized 1880. Sold in 1896. 157James & Rachel Grindlay 1887 1888–1901 34-foot self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr T. Grindlay of Edinburgh, built by Watkins of Blackwall, London, costing £362.Broken up at the station in March 1901. 345 Sarah Pickard 1892 1901–1909 34-foot self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr A Pickard of Ossett, Leeds, built by Chambers and Colby of Lowestoft, costing £455.Previously at . Sold in 1909. 592 Anne Frances 1909 1909–1937 x (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, an anonymous gift via Miss Elizabeth Enderby, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £828.Sold in 1937. Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

All-weather lifeboats ON Op.No. Name Built Class Comments 795 – Frank & William Oates 1937 1937–1951 Transferred to . 893 – 1951 1951–1963 784 – Swn-Y-Mor(Civil Service No.6) 1936 1964–1967 46-foot Watson Previously at . 820 – Louise Stephens 1939 1967–1974 Previously at . 1026 Eric Seal(Civil Service No.36) 1974 1974–1996 1209 14-11 Barclaycard Crusader 1995 1996–2019 1336 13-29 Helen Hastings 2018 2018– More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

Inshore lifeboats Op.No. Name Class Comments MyWay 2015–2023 D-877 Sheila 2023–

Launch and recovery tractors Op.No. Reg. No. Type Comments T52 1949–1958 T46 KGP 1 Case LA 1958–1963

See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

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References

Sources

External links Eyemouth RNLI station page Local History Site with pictures of old Lifeboats and Lifeboat men Facebook page with updates from the current crew and staff