The Lizard lifeboat station
Encyclopedia
The Lizard Lifeboat Station is a lifeboat station operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
(the RNLI). It is located at Kilcobben Cove on The Lizard peninsula
in Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. The Lizard lifeboat station is located close to the most southerly point
of the British isles
and one of the busiest shipping lanes
in the world with up to 400 ships a day moving up the English Channel
. The station is a key to the safe movement of all the shipping along this stretch of coastline.
east of the Lizard in 1867. The first lifeboat station was located at the top of the cliff at Polpeor Cove at the cost of £120. This station had been built as a consequence of the shipwrecked vessel Czar on the 22 January 1859 which had seen the crew rescued by the local fishermen of the Lizard. The location of the first lifeboat station on the cliff above Polpeor Cove was not ideal as it made launches a long and precarious operation in rough sea and weather. On the 2 January 1866 the lifeboat was launched on exercise during a Hurricane. The lifeboat was pushed on to rocks and broke up causing the death of Coxswain
Peter Mitchell, Richard Harris and Nicholas Stevens. As a tribute to this loss the RNLI gave £130 to local lifeboat fund.
. This service ran until 1963 when it was integrated into the Lizard and the Cadgwith station was closed.
later using a circular giant wheel was installed in the ground at the rear of the station to point the lifeboat in the right direction to enter the boat house again.
. Construction of the new station was a work of major civil engineering and was completed by 1961 at a cost of £90,000. The new station was opened on 7 July 1961 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
. His Royal Highness also named the new Barnett class lifeboat The Duke of Cornwall ON952. The lifeboat station was called The Lizard Cadgwith
Lifeboat Station. This name was officially changed in 1987 to its present The Lizard Lifeboat Station. In 1988 a new lifeboat called David Robinson ON 1145 was placed on the station which required adaptation work to be carried out on the station and the slipway.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
(the RNLI). It is located at Kilcobben Cove on The Lizard peninsula
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Lizard lifeboat station is located close to the most southerly point
The Lizard
The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....
of the British isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and one of the busiest shipping lanes
Sea lane
A sea lane or shipping lane is a regularly used route for ocean-going and Great Lakes vessels. In the time of sailing ships they were not only determined by the distribution of land masses but also the prevailing winds, whose discovery was crucial for the success of long voyages...
in the world with up to 400 ships a day moving up the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. The station is a key to the safe movement of all the shipping along this stretch of coastline.
History
The sea that surrounds the Lizard Peninsula has seen many ships and lives lost in its treacherous waters. Since the establishment of the lifeboat service 150 years ago, many lives have also been saved by successive Lizard lifeboats. The RNLI first placed a lifeboat at the Lizard in 1859 and one at CadgwithCadgwith
Cadgwith is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula between The Lizard and Coverack.-History:...
east of the Lizard in 1867. The first lifeboat station was located at the top of the cliff at Polpeor Cove at the cost of £120. This station had been built as a consequence of the shipwrecked vessel Czar on the 22 January 1859 which had seen the crew rescued by the local fishermen of the Lizard. The location of the first lifeboat station on the cliff above Polpeor Cove was not ideal as it made launches a long and precarious operation in rough sea and weather. On the 2 January 1866 the lifeboat was launched on exercise during a Hurricane. The lifeboat was pushed on to rocks and broke up causing the death of Coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
Peter Mitchell, Richard Harris and Nicholas Stevens. As a tribute to this loss the RNLI gave £130 to local lifeboat fund.
Second station
In 1885 a new larger station was built lower down in Polpeor Cove. This station would house a larger lifeboat. The smaller existing lifeboat became the number 2 boat and it was housed in a new station which was located at Church Cove. The Church Cove station was built at a cost of £300.The Church Cove station was used in conjunction with Polpeor for 14 years until it was closed and sold in 1899. In 1867 a sister station to the Lizard was opened at the near-by fishing village of CadgwithCadgwith
Cadgwith is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula between The Lizard and Coverack.-History:...
. This service ran until 1963 when it was integrated into the Lizard and the Cadgwith station was closed.
Third station
In 1914 a lifeboat station with an integral slipway was built at Polpeor Cove. This new station was a little lower down than the second and the lifeboat was able to launch directly into the sea. Re-housing the lifeboat after launch was difficult in bad weather with so many rocks in the cove. A system of recovery was devised to overcome these problems. To pull the lifeboat back to station, ropes were put around a pillar in the sea, then turning it on land,later using a circular giant wheel was installed in the ground at the rear of the station to point the lifeboat in the right direction to enter the boat house again.
Fourth station
The 1914 station was an improvement to previous facilities but the station was still extremely exposed and in certain conditions launching lifeboats was a hazardous exercise. The result of these difficulties were costly repairs to the lifeboats from time to time. The exposed position of the station also required a great deal of expense to maintain its general upkeep. It was also becoming clear that a larger lifeboat would be required for this vitally important area for shipping. Taking all these factors in to consideration, it was decided in 1958 to provide a new larger station and at a location that would be easy to operate from. The RNLI decided that the new station would be built at Kilcobben Cove which lies 1¼ miles east of The Lizard lighthouseLizard Lighthouse
The Lizard Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Lizard Point in Cornwall, United Kingdom, built in 1752. A light was first exhibited from that point in 1619, but demolished in 1630. Trinity House took responsibility for the station in 1771...
. Construction of the new station was a work of major civil engineering and was completed by 1961 at a cost of £90,000. The new station was opened on 7 July 1961 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
. His Royal Highness also named the new Barnett class lifeboat The Duke of Cornwall ON952. The lifeboat station was called The Lizard Cadgwith
Cadgwith
Cadgwith is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula between The Lizard and Coverack.-History:...
Lifeboat Station. This name was officially changed in 1987 to its present The Lizard Lifeboat Station. In 1988 a new lifeboat called David Robinson ON 1145 was placed on the station which required adaptation work to be carried out on the station and the slipway.