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Surf Class lifeboat?

11K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  Bob S 
#1 ·
I wonder if someone could help me, I have been doing some research into the Surf class lifeboat and could you answer some of my questions?
Were they motor boats?
What were there top speed?
When were they in service? (Years)
How many were in service?
Are any preserved?
Were they any use?(In your opinion)

Many thanks :)
 
#2 ·
Hi tompty,Surf class were motor boats only one powered by twin props the others with Hotchkiss cone 2x12hp Weyburn F2 engines,speed was 6-7 knots, 9 built between1935-41.one on display in Poole boathouse (ON-811) another at Conway( 0N-835) plus a couple in France
All info.found in RNLI MOTOR LIFEBOATS by Nicholas Leach a great source of information from steam to the present day
Hope this helps
Cliff
 
#5 · (Edited)
#6 · (Edited)
Were they motor boats? Yes


When were they in service? (Years): First in service 1935, last withdrawn in 1966 but most had a short station life.

How many were in service? There were nine:


ON.779 "Rosabella" Ilfracombe 1935-1945, sent to the Dutch Lifeboat service, the KNZHRM in 1945 and stationed at Terschelling, Holland, 1946-55. She is now an open hull at Aalsmeer, Netherlands. The only 32ft Surf with twin screw props.

ON.780 "Royal Silver Jubilee 1910-1935", Wells 1935-1945, sent to the Dutch Lifeboat service, KNZHRM, 1945, re-named "Rosilee" and stationed at Vlieland, Holland, 1946-59. Hotchkiss cones propulsion (like all other Surfs except 779 and 816)

ON.810 "Augustus & Laura" Newbiggin 1938-1950. She was almost certainly the fishing boat, "Jamie Boy" at Cockenzie until scuttled off there about 2003. She was not, as has been erroneously reported, the fishing boat Betsy Lyn at Ouseburn, Newcastle - Betsy Lyn was a Rubie Self-Righter.

ON.811 "Thomas Kirk Wright" Poole 1939-1962. Sold to become a pleasure boat but the RNLI reacquired her in a swap for Liverpool class ON.918 "The Elliott Gill" in 1974. Now preserved at the lifeboat museum in the old Poole lifeboat house.

ON. 816 "Kate Greatorex", powered by water jets, Minehead 1939-1951. As mentioned above, at Migennes for restoration, after being moved from Sens.

ON. 817 "Lawrence Ardern, Stockport", Barmouth 1939-49, Reserve 1949-1951. Became a trip boat at Saundersfoot in the 1970s, not seen since then.

ON. 835 "The Gordon Warren", Rhyl 1939-1949, Reserve 1949-1951. Now a fishing boat "Welsh Maid" at Conway.

ON. 836 "Norman Nasmyth", at Montrose No. 2 1940 - 1950 and Reserve 1950-1966. Seen as the yacht "Montrose" at Lamlash, Arran, 1986.

ON.837 "John Ryburn", at Newburgh 1941 - 1965. Believed to have been used as a flower planter at Manor House Hotel, Enniskillen, until destroyed in 2009. Bloody shame.



Are any preserved? 811 preserved, 816 (hopefully) to be preserved. There is no Surf class at Chatham museum.

Were they any use?(In your opinion). Matter of opinion; most were quickly replaced as station boats by Liverpools but Newburgh and Poole had longer service lives. Pretty ideal for use in Poole Harbour, I should think.
 
#7 ·
surf lifeboat - images

I posted a link into flickr earlier in this thread .....

These images will soon be turned "Private"
as I've transfered to ipernity
and
the images / album can be found here

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/312383/album/404799

There are some other albums amd images that may be of interest, if you have a few minutes to explore.......
 
#10 ·
Surf Class

Just come across this old post by accident.
I did a lot of research in to this class of lifeboat 20 years or so ago - the old fashioned way. I had an article published in the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Newsletter and Nicholas Leach subsequently made a better version in booklet form. Happy to send a photocopy of the article if you let me have address. It is probably the most fascinating class of lifeboat ever introduced. Lots of people think the Shannon class is the first jet propelled lifeboat the RNLI has ever introduced. Not correct although it is the first modern class of all weather lifeboat to use jets.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Just come across this old post by accident.
I did a lot of research in to this class of lifeboat 20 years or so ago - the old fashioned way. I had an article published in the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Newsletter and Nicholas Leach subsequently made a better version in booklet form. Happy to send a photocopy of the article if you let me have address. It is probably the most fascinating class of lifeboat ever introduced. Lots of people think the Shannon class is the first jet propelled lifeboat the RNLI has ever introduced. Not correct although it is the first modern class of all weather lifeboat to use jets.
the first water hydraulic [jet ] drive boats designed for the RNLI were in fact dated back to the 1880-1890 period when 3 steam lifeboats, Duke of Northumberland, Queen and James Stevens were in effect water jet driven boats using a centrifugal pump driven by a horizontal twin cylinder steam engine to pump the water out into two fore and two aft facing nozzles. However little is known of a further two nozzles amid ships which would have, if implemented, given sideways thrust.

How do I know this. My grand father worked (as a chief Pattern maker) for a company who made the patterns for casting in the 1880's of the pump parts for these lifeboats, and he presented me with some works blue prints in the early 1960's of the lifeboat Duke of Northumberland showing the ga's and the set up of the mechanicals. Sadly I had these stolen many years ago from my place of work whilst on holiday. It is something that has disappeared into the annals of history, and without those very early plans, something lost to all.

But it is something I always remember as more "modern" plans of the boats only show the fore/aft nozzles as shown in the Lifeboat magazine published sometime after the boats went into service.

However, the Hotchkiss cone impellers were not as one would really describe water jet drive.........more horizontal paddle wheels used to pull in and push out water in a single stroke, much like side paddles on the P.S. Waverley.
 
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