Dungeness Lifeboat Station is located on Dungeness Road, about south-east of the town of Lydd, on the cuspate foreland of Dungeness, on the Kent coast.
A lifeboat was first stationed at Dungeness in 1826, supplied by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS), and managed by the Dover and District Lifeboat Association.
The station is currently one of 237 Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat stations, and operates the All-weather lifeboat, 13-02 The Morrell (ON 1309), launched using the Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS).
History In August 1824, just three months after the formation of the RNIPLS, Major-General Bowles of the Coast Blockade for the Suppression of Smuggling, which was run by the Admiralty from a chain of Martello towers on the Kent and Sussex coast, requested the placement of a lifeboat at Dungeness. This was agreed, and a 20-foot 6-oared non-self-righting lifeboat was ordered from William Plenty of Newbury, Berkshire, arriving on 30 August 1826. Stationed at Martello tower No.27, (), the station was named Dungeness No.27 Tower.
The first service of the lifeboat was in a severe gale on 27 August 1832. Launched the aid of the Richmond which had run aground, the lifeboat then spotted the brig Osiris, on passage from Ostend to Liverpool, which was also in trouble nearby. When she too ran aground, the crew of 10 managed to get aboard the Richmond, and were rescued from there by the lifeboat. The master of the Richmond declined assistance. Lt. Frederick John Francis Henslow, RN, of H.M. Coastguard was awarded the RNIPLS Silver Medal.
In 1836, the lifeboat was badly damaged on service, and had to be withdrawn. A replacement Palmer-type lifeboat, built by Harton, arrived at the station on 12 December 1836. The station name was then changed to Dymchurch Lifeboat Station. This lifeboat station would close just 2 years later in 1838, the new boat having never been launched on service. Martello tower no.27 was demolished in 1841.
In the following few years without an official lifeboat, rescues were still carried out by the men from H.M. Coastguard, and no fewer than six Silver Medals were awarded.
During a violent storm of 27 December 1852, a day which claimed at least 85 vessels, see Shipwrecks 27 December 1852, coastguard men rescued 39 people from the barque Louisa and Emelia of Hamburg, but 45 people were lost.
As a result of this disaster, the RNIPLS decided to reopen a station at Dungeness. A site for a boathouse was provided by H.M. Board of Ordnance at the Dungeness No.1 Battery, which was constructed at a cost of £97-6s-0d. A 27-foot self-righting 'Pulling and Sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with sails and (8) oars, costing £137, was built by Forrestt of Limehouse, along with a carriage from Ransome and Simms, costing a further £170. Both arrived on station on 25 March 1854, the station being named Dungeness Lifeboat Station.
The service of this boat was very short. Launched just once, and ultimately not required that day, the 2-ton boat was found to be too heavy and difficult to launch, in that location. A replacement boat was ordered, a slightly longer, but much lighter, 28-foot 6-oared lifeboat, weighing just 1 ton 5 cwts, arriving in January 1857. On 5 October 1854, the RNIPLS formally changed name to become the RNLI.
Of course, the replacement lifeboat was found to be too light for the sea conditions, On her first call on 19 October 1858, the lifeboat launched to the schooner Jane May, but found the casualty vessel abandoned. Returning to shore, the lifeboat was capsized, but fortunately no-one was lost.
This lightweight boat would be replaced in 1861. Providence was a 30-foot (6-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, built by Forrestt of Limehouse. To resolve the launching issue with a heavier boat, the station was relocated to Littlestone-on-Sea. The boathouse at No.1 Battery was dismantled and rebuilt at Littlestone, but the station retained the name Dungeness Lifeboat Station.
The first call for the Providence was to the barque Cruz V of Portugal, on passage from Hamburg to Porto, when she was driven ashore at Dungeness point. Battling through rough seas, the lifeboat rescued all 14 men from the vessel.
During a severe gale of 6 January 1867, the French lugger Courrier, on passage from Dunkerque to Dieppe, ran aground off Dymchurch. In the rough conditions, the 6-oared Dungeness lifeboat Providence had been unable to reach the wreck. Three crew were lost, but through the efforts of the Rev. Charles Cobb, and Coastguard John Batist, who waded out into the sea, one man was rescued. Both men would receive awards for gallantry.
RNLI Inspector of Lifeboats, Capt. John Ward, visited the station on 11 January 1867 to investigate the incident. Having been too heavy to launch, too light for the conditions, and then relocated, he concluded that the Dungeness lifeboat still wasn't good enough, and a more powerful lifeboat was required; in other words, one with more oars, and more manpower.
Funds for a new boat and boathouse had been provided from a gift of £700 from Mrs, Jane Hatton, in memory of her late husband, Dr. John Hatton.
In July 1871, a new 32-foot 10-oared lifeboat, was transported to Littlestone-on-Sea, where a new boathouse, costing £266-1s-0d, had been constructed at the end of Marine Parade, next to the coastguard station. After a service of dedication by Rev. R. Smith, vicar of New Romney, the boat was named Dr. Hatton.
On 22 January 1873, while at anchor in thick fog off Dungeness, the full-rigged ship Northfleet was rammed by the Murillo. 293 lives were lost.
After a careful review by the RNLI, it was decided to once again place a lifeboat at Dungeness. A new station, Lydd (Dungeness) Lifeboat Station, was created near Lydd-on-Sea, with a boathouse constructed by W. Robins, costing £277-1s-0d, on land provided by Sir Henry Tufton, Bt. A 33-foot 10-oared lifeboat arrived on 9 September, and the station was formally opened on 14 September 1874, with the boat being named David Hulett after a gift to the Institution. The station at Littlestone-on Sea would be retained. and renamed 'New Romney Lifeboat Station'.
On service to the brigantine Aeolus of Sweden on 11 November 1891, the Lydd (Dungeness) lifeboat R. A. O. B. (ON 130) capsized, throwing out five lifeboat men. Three men were quickly recovered, but Henry Reeves and Daniel Nichol were lost. The crew of the Aeolus were rescued by the lifeboat. James Lucas, Coxswain of the R. A. O. B., was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal. Both crews were awarded silver medals by The King of Sweden.
On 25 November 1891, following the capsize of both the Lydd (Dungeness) and the lifeboats, which had cost the life of a lifeboatman, it was decided to place a second larger No. 2 lifeboat at the Lydd (Dungeness) station. On 13 October 1892, the station name was changed back to Dungeness Lifeboat Station. A 44-foot 12-oared lifeboat constructed by Woolfe, Thomas Wilcox (ON 312), arrived at Lydd (Dungeness) No.2 station on 29 December 1892, and was moored afloat.
In 1894, it was decided to bring the 44-foot Thomas Wilcox ashore. To assist launching in different locations, the boat was mounted on a rail carriage, and could be transport along of special railway track, that was constructed from a point near the old lighthouse, past the Britannia Inn. The total cost was £1,494-3s-4d. The system was short lived. Thomas Wilcox was launched for the first time five years later, on 30 December 1899. By 1905, the system had been abandoned, and hard-standing was created for the lifeboat, which remained outside. In 1912, the hard-standing, now with a turntable, was relocated nearer to the water, following a build up of shingle.
A motor-powered lifeboat would be placed at the No.2 station in 1931. Charles Cooper Henderson (ON 761) was a 41-foot Beach Type, constructed by Groves and Guttridge, capable of 7.66 knots. It was decided to build a boathouse for this larger boat, costing £1,934-13s-10d, and Charles Cooper Henderson was removed from the station during construction in April 1938, returning to Dungeness on 12 January 1939. On 31 March 1939, the No.1 Station boat Mary Theresa Boileau (ON 635) was withdrawn, and the No.1 station was closed. The No.2 station then became the primary station.
With the ever moving shingle on the coast at Dungeness, in 1977, the station was moved once again. A new boathouse was constructed just to the south of Lydd-on-Sea, at a cost of £45,000. For the first time, the lifeboat was kept on a special launching carriage, pulled by a Talus MBC Case 1150B Amphibious Tractor (T85). A new lifeboat, 37-35 Alice Upjohn (ON 1048), arrived on station on 23 September 1977, but whilst training on launch procedures took place, the 42-foot Watson-class lifeboat Mabel E. Holland (ON 937) remained on service, finally departing on 27 January 1979.
Between 1992 and 2014, the station operated the lifeboat 12-27 Pride and Spirit (ON 1186). In 2014, the station was one of the first to receive the new lifeboats. 13-02 The Morrell (ON 1309), which cost in the region of £2.2M, is launched with a special tractor and trailer system known as the Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS).
Station honours The following are awards made at Dungeness.
Albert Medal First Class (Gold) Rev. Charles Cobb, MA, Rector of Dymchurch – 1867
Albert Medal Second Class (Silver) John Batist, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard Dymchurch – 1867
RNIPLS Gold Medal Lt. John Somerville, RN, H.M. Coastguard Littlestone-on-Sea – 1835
RNLI Gold Medal Rev. Charles Cobb, MA, Rector of Dymchurch – 1867
RNIPLS Silver Medal Lt. Frederick John Francis Henslow, RN, H.M. Coastguard – 1832
Lt. William Pedder, RN, H.M. Coastguard Dungeness – 1835
Lt. Matthew Combe, RN, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard No. 2 Battery Dungeness – 1845
John Wilcox, Chief Officer, H.M. Coastguard Lydd – 1851 Thomas Rivers, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard Lydd – 1851
Arthur Brookes, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard Dungeness – 1853 John Sims, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard Dungeness – 1853
RNLI Silver Medal Peter Smith, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard Lydd – 1859
John Batist, Boatman, H.M. Coastguard Dymchurch – 1867
Richard Billett, Chief Boatman, H.M. Coastguard, Coxswain – 1876
James Lucas, Coxswain – 1891
Tom Richard Tart, Coxswain – 1974
Gary Clark, crew member – 2012
Silver Medal, awarded by The King of Sweden Each of the crew of the Lydd (Dungeness) Lifeboat R. A. O. B. (ON 130) – 1891
The Maud Smith Award 1974 Tom Richard Tart, Coxswain – 1974
RNLI Bronze Medal Douglas Oiller, Coxswain – 1929
George Tart, Coxswain – 1956
Peter Edward Thomas, Assistant Mechanic – 1974
The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum Joseph Oiller, Second Coxswain – 1929 Tom Tart, Bowman – 1929 Percy Oiller – 1929 John Bignall – 1929 George Tart – 1929 George Haines – 1929 John Oiller – 1929 John W. Oiller – 1929 William Tart – 1929 Edwin Fair – 1929
Douglas Oiller, Coxswain – 1932 The Women of Dungeness – 1932
Alexander Oiller – 1956 W. Thomas – 1956
George Tart, Coxswain – 1962
Albert Haines, Second Coxswain – 1974 Alec Clements, Motor Mechanic – 1974 William Richardson – 1974 Colin Haines – 1974 Arthur Oiller – 1974
Mark Richardson, Deputy Second Coxswain – 2012 Trevor Bunney, Mechanic/Deputy Second Coxswain – 2012
A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution William Richardson, Coxswain – 1991 Kenneth Coleman, Tractor Driver – 1991
A Collective Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution William Richardson, Coxswain and the crew of the Dungeness Lifeboat – 1991
British Empire Medal Judith Ann Richardson, Lifeboat Press Officer – 2023KBH
Roll of honour In memory of those lost whilst serving at Dungeness.
Lost when the coastguard boat capsized, on service to the Alice Maud, 29 April 1852 T. Fletcher P. Light T. Noble Unknown