Douglas Currie, Pentland, Nellie and Charlie, The Always Ready at Gloucester Docks Fireworks

 

Spotted : 06/11/2011
Location: East wall Gloucester Docks
Home Port if Known: Local Boat
Spotters comments:

To coincide with the annual fireworks display in Gloucester Docks, 4 historic ex RNLI Lifeboats visited the Docks on 5 and 6 November. The boats travelled in convoy along the Severn Estuary from Portishead on Friday 4 November, arriving at Sharpness lock they moored at Sharpness overnight because the canal bridges close at 16.00 and then cruised along the Gloucester and Sharpness canal, arriving at Gloucester on 5 November.

The boats show the earliest and last "double ended" RNLI classic Lifeboats shape. The boats and their years of service are:



1933 to 1950 - The Nellie and Charlie, stationed at Anstruther in Fife is a 35 foot long Liverpool Class single engined "double diagonal" mahogany over oak lifeboat with a single Ford diesel engine and ketch rigged sails. These boats were not self righting Lifeboats but were chosen because of their excellent sea keeping abilities, they were able to right themselves from 93° of roll. These were early motorized lifeboats, developed from the pulling or rowing boats, Nellie and Charlie and The Always Ready are the first and third production boats of this type built. 



1933 to 1954 - The Always Ready stationed at Runswick bay N. Yorkshire is also a Liverpool Class Mahogany over oak lifeboat with a single Lister diesel engine and ketch rigged, she spent a long working period after RNLI service as a pilot boat locally on the River Severn. The long and hard careers that these boats had after leaving RNLI service shows just how tough and well built these boats are. 

Both of the Liverpool Class boats had a very busy working life with civilian lives saved and military rescues in the North Sea during the second world war.

The 2 Liverpool Class boats were built in the same Isle of Wight boatyard of J Samuel White in 1933, were stationed on the North East coast and only met up again on the Gloucester and Sharpness canal 77 years after they had been built, they are amongst the few early motorized lifeboats that still exist. Both boats are kept on the Gloucester and Sharpness canal and attend many historic boats events, both are registered as National Historic Ships. 



1957 to 1970 - The Pentland stationed at Thurso, Mumbles and Workington. She is a 47 foot long Watson Class lifeboat also made of mahogany over oak, but of much more massive construction. She is powered by 2 x 5 cylinder Gardner engines. The Watsons were the mainstay of the all weather lifeboat service and Pentland represents the development of passive self righting systems which can be clearly seen on the boat. Pentland is also registered as a National Historic Ship.



1973 to 1992 - The Douglas Currie, stationed at Kirkwall, Macduff, Frazerburgh, Portpatrick and Workington she is a 48 foot long Solent Class lifeboat made of steel and is also a self righting design boat. She is powered by 2 x 6 cylinder Gardner diesel engines. The Solent Class were the last of the "double ended" lifeboat development before the move towards the faster planing lifeboats which were introduced in the 80s. 

Both Pentland and Douglas Currie are now kept at Portishead and are used regularly.


All four boats are now privately owned but are regularly involved with RNLI fund raising events. RNLI volunteers were also at Gloucester collecting for RNLI funds.

The four Lifeboats then moored at RW Davis boatyard at Saul on the Gloucester and Sharpness canal for the following 2 weeks providing a great sight for the many visitors to the Cotswold canal centre.