Stromness Lifeboat Station is located in the harbour town of Stromness, the second largest town of Mainland, Orkney, in the Isles of Orkney, Scotland.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Stromness by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1867.

The station currently operates a All-weather lifeboat, 17-16 Violet, Dorothy and Kathleen (ON 1236), on station since 1998.

History On 1 January 1866, the Albion was wrecked on Graemsay, one of the Orkney Islands. Fortunately 90 people survived, but 11 people died, including one man from Graemsay attempting a rescue. Following this event, a request was made to the RNLI to open a lifeboat station in the area, and after a visit by their Inspector of Lifeboats, this was agreed at a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on Thursday 1 August 1867. At the time, Stromness would be the most northerly of all the RNLI stations.

A boathouse was constructed at The Ness by Robertson & Smith, costing £144-19s-6d. An order for a self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (10) oars, and costing £280, was placed with Forrestt of Limehouse, London, with a launch-carriage costing a further £98-10s-0d. Transported to Stromness free of charge by the Aberdeen, Leith and Clyde Shipping company, the boat arrived in Stromness in August 1867. The lifeboat was provided out of a gift of £620 from Bradford manufacturer and philanthropist Titus Salt, and was duly named Saltaire after his model village near Shipley in Yorkshire.

An RNLI inspection in 1890 proved that The Ness was a difficult location to launch the boat. At a practice launch into a gale, it took over an hour to get the boat afloat. Whilst conditions were still not perfect at Stromness, it was recommended that the boat be relocated to Stromness harbour and remain afloat. A new 12-oared self-righting lifeboat was ordered from McAlister of Dumbarton, funded by the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds (Ashton Order) Friendly Society, and named Good Shepherd at a ceremony in Greenock on 16 May 1891. The boat arrived in Stromness on 15 June 1891.

Work began in 1900 on the construction of a new boathouse with roller slipway at Stromness harbour. Costing £1250, the boathouse was completed in 1902.

The Stromness lifeboat Good Shepherd was launched on 11 December 1907, when the steam trawler Shakespeare of Kingston-upon-Hull ran aground at Point of Spoil near Breckness. Six of the ten crew were rescued. Coxswain Superintendent Robert Greig was later awarded the RNLI Silver Medal.

RNLI trials of motor-powered lifeboats began in the early 1900s, using modified pulling and sailing lifeboats. In 1907, the RNLI placed an order with the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, to construct four new purpose-built motor-powered lifeboats. The first of these was the self-righting John A. Hay (ON 591), with a 30-hp petrol engine, delivering , costing £2,995, and funded from the legacy of Mr John Alexander Hay of Cheltenham. Setting out from London Docks on 15 April 1909, along with a similar boat for , she covered the in 15 days, arriving in Stromness on 30 April 1909.

On 15 June 1916, during the First World War, HMS Hampshire struck a mine off Marwick Head, just north of Stromness, and sank with the loss of 737 lives, including that of Field Marshal Earl Kitchener. There were only 12 survivors. There is speculation whether it would have made any difference given the conditions, but the lifeboat was never called.

When the Fishing trawler Fresia of Grimsby foundered off Costa Head on 1 January 1922, whilst bound for home with a large catch, the open Stromness lifeboat John A, Hay (ON 561) was launched on a nine hour journey of , in bitterly cold conditions. Nine of the crew of the Fresia perished, but two were rescued from a makeshift raft. Coxswain William Johnston was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal.

Melville, Dundas and Whitsun, of Glasgow started construction of a replacement boathouse and roller-slipway in 1925, on the site of the previous boathouse. Costing £10,660, it was completed in 1926. However, when a new lifeboat was due for Stromness two years later, it was proposed that they receive a lifeboat, which would need to be kept afloat due to its size. Mr George Thompson, Honorary Secretary at Stromness lifeboat station, travelled to London to meet RNLI 'Naval Architect' James Rennie Barnett, who then designed the Barnett-class lifeboat, now known as a Stromness-class lifeboat. Despite being specifically designed for a slipway launch from a boathouse, the new Stromness lifeboat, J. J. K. S. W. (ON 702), would be the only one ever housed and launched by slipway.

Setting out from the S. E. Saunders boatyard in Cowes at 17:00 on 15 February 1928, J. J. K. S. W. (ON 702) first travelled to Saint Peter Port Lifeboat Station in Guernsey, to demonstrate the new class of motor lifeboat to their crew, who were still operating the 35-foot Liverpool-class 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat Arthur Lionel (ON 626). After departing Guernsey, the boat headed to , and then up the west coast, calling at many ports and stations, including , , , , and Ardrishaig, before traversing the Crinan Canal, and onwards via , , , and . She arrived at Stromness on 3 March 1928 to a great celebration from a large crowd, with vessels dressed and flying flags, and maroons were fired. The journey of had taken 18 days.

The old lifeboat John A. Hay (ON 591) had served Stromness for 19 years, being launched 31 times, and saving 90 lives. She was taken to Belfast, and after a refit, was deployed to , serving for another four years.

The Stromness-class lifeboat J. J. K. S. W. (ON 702) was launched on 14 February 1929, again into bitterly cold weather, to the fishing trawler Carmania II of Grimsby, which had run ashore on Kirk Rock in Hoy Sound after her steering gear jammed. After standing by for three hours, the tide rose sufficiently to get close, and with the use of lines and considerable skill on the part of the Coxswain, all 12 crew were saved. Coxswain Johnston was awarded the second-service clasp to his previously won Bronze medal..

Stromness lifeboat performed an exceptional service in 1930, but without a good outcome. On 28 March 1930, in gale force conditions, the Aberdeen trawler Ben Doran was wrecked on Ve Skerries, near Papa Stour, on the west side of Shetland. At the time, recent plans to establish a lifeboat station at Lerwick had not been completed, and no lifeboats operated from Shetland. After all other rescue attempts failed, the Stromness lifeboat, being the nearest, was launched at 16:30 on 30 March. In very poor conditions, the lifeboat first sailed to Scalloway as a staging point for food and a refuel, arriving at 07:30 on the 31 March, before heading around Shetland with a local Pilot, to Ve Skerries. All that was found was the wreck, and no survivors. The lifeboat headed back to Scalloway, before commencing the 16½ hour journey back to Stromness, arriving at 23:00 on 1 April. J.J.K.S.W. (ON 702) had been away for 55 hours, and travelled .

At 08:50 on 17 June 1992, the relief lifeboat 52-31 Newsbuoy (ON 1103) was tasked to the aid of the replica 12th century longboat, on passage from Stornoway to Faroe. The vessel, the Hebredean Birlinn Aileach had suffered steering failure, north of Cape Wrath. After a journey of over in force 6–7 conditions, the lifeboat arrived with the vessel at 13:51. With the crew of nine aboard the lifeboat, the vessel was taken in tow, arriving back at Stromness at 20:55, a service of over 11 hours. 'A Collective Letter of Thanks, signed by the Chairman of the Institution' was presented to the lifeboat crew.

In 1998, Stromness received their latest lifeboat. A lifeboat is the largest type of the RNLI fleet, fitted with twin 'Caterpillar 3412' 1200-bhp marine diesel engines, providing a top speed of , and costing £1,580,000. Funded from the estate of the late Miss Violet Matton of Seaford, East Sussex, and the wills of her two sisters, Dorothy and Kathleen, she was named 17-16 Violet, Dorothy and Kathleen (ON 1236).

Station honours The following are awards made at Stromness: RNLI Silver Medal Robert Leask Jr., Farmer – 1873 Robert Greig, Coxswain Superintendent – 1908 RNLI Bronze Medal William Johnston, Coxswain – 1922 William Johnston, Coxswain – 1929 (Second-Service clasp) 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' The son of Robert Leask Jr. – 1873 William Sinclair, Coxswain – 1953 John Banks, Coxswain – 2002 'A Collective Letter of Thanks, signed by the Chairman of the Institution' James Flett, Coxswain – 1992 John Banks, Second Coxswain – 1992 Ronald Taylor, Mechanic – 1992 James Adam, Assistant Mechanic – 1992 Douglas Adam, crew member – 1992 William Wilson, crew member – 1992 Robert Craigie, crew member – 1992 Letter of appreciation from the Danish Government Stromness Lifeboat Crew – 1939 Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) George Linklater Thomson, Honorary Secretary – 1941KBH

Stromness lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments 286 Saltaire 1867 1867−1891 33-foot Peake self-righting (P&S) x (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Sir Titus Salt, 1st Baronet of Leeds, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £280.Transferred to the Relief fleet (Reserve No. 6), sold in 1895. 299 1891 1891−1909 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded by the Loyal Order of Ancient Shepherds, built by McAlister of Dumbarton, costing £519.Sold in 1909. Became a Mail boat/ Ferry. Wrecked at Fair Isle, February 1937.

Motor lifeboats ON Op.No. Name Built Class Comments 561 – John A. Hay 1908 1909−1928 42-foot self-righting (motor) x self-righting (motor) lifeboat, legacy of Mr J. A. Hay of Cheltenham, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £2,995.First purpose-built motor-powered lifeboat. Transferred to . 702 – J. J. K. S. W. 1928 1928−1955 51-foot Barnett (Stromness-class) 924 – Archibald and Alexander M. Patterson 1955 1955−1984 Transferred to . 1099 52-29 The Joseph Rothwell Sykes and Hilda M. 1984 1984−1998 Transferred to the Relief fleet. Later at . 1236 17-16 1998 1998− More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

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

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External links Stromness RNLI Lifeboat Station