RNLB Calouste Gulbenkian. 37- 003

RNLB Calouste Gulbenkian. 37- 003

This 37 foot Oakley class lifeboat, built in 1961 served at Weston Super Mare until 1969 when the station was redesignated an Atlantic21. The boat then became a relief lifeboat serving as far away as Wells in Norfolk. In 1991 she was sold to the Milford Haven Docks Board and ended up languishing outside their harbour museum on her carriage.

She was heavily vandalised and eventually, became a sad sight, so for health and safety reasons, the Docks board decided to dispose of her last year. I bought her in a moment of weakness in January 2004, complete with carriage and then had the impossible task of finding a cheap way of getting her back here to Donaghadee for restoration. We ended up hiring a 40 foot lorry and made ferry reservations to Pembroke dock from Rosslaire in Southern Ireland. Eventually after being caught in the Irish Ferries 5 day strike, which meant driving from Heysham, an extra 400 miles each way, and up the Welsh hills in a blizzard, we go her back safety, unfortunately without the carriage which needed another trip.

The carriage tracks were seized so a good friend here, who has a civil engineering business took it to his yard when it arrived and set two 10 ton builders skips full of rubble on top and towed it round the yard until it submitted. We later towed the boat through the town on it, raising a few eyebrows. The old girl is now safely tucked up in my workshop and progress inbeing made. The hull is in remarkable condition considering it hasn't been cared for or seen paint for 14 years. All the stopping has fallen out, but that is normal and saved picking it out anyway. She needs engines and a lot of the internal instrumentation and bits that have been vandalised, but we're getting there.

Much as it would be desirable to re-instate original engines, finding a pair of Perkins P4 diesels won't be easy so we have decided to go with Fords, as most of these boats were re-engined with them anyway. My son Drew has claimed her and we are working away at getting her tidy, hopefully for next year. The plan is to restore her to full sea-going trim by removing the self-righting ballast system which, being alloy will not lend its self to continuously being afloat. This was the main cause of the RNLI destroying these boats when there service life was finished. We would be very glad to hear from anybody who has access to any Oakley bits, however trivial.

Quinton Nelson
Tel 02891 883403 or quinton@nelsonsboats.co.uk

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