RNLB Abdy Beauclerk (ON 751)

RNLB Abdy Beauclerk (ON 751) was a 41ft Watson-class lifeboat[1] which was stationed in the town of Aldeburgh in the English county of Suffolk.[2] She was on the No: 1 station at Aldeburgh from 1931[3] until she was sold out of the RNLI fleet in 1959,[1] a total of 28 years service.

RNLB Edmund and Mary Robinson, another 41 ft Watson-class lifeboat.
History
Owner: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Builder: J. Samuel White, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Official Number:ON 751
Donor:
StationNo: 1 Station Aldeburgh
Laid down: 1931
Acquired: 1931
Fate:
  • Used as pilot vessel for
  • Cork Harbour Commissioners and renamed St. Ita
General characteristics
Class and type: Watson beach class
Tonnage: Displacement of 16 tons
Length: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m) overall
Beam: 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m)
Installed power: 2 x 35hp AEC Weyburn petrol
Propulsion: Twin screw set in tunnels
Speed: 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h)
Range: 122 nmi (226 km)
Notes: Also fitted with a mizzen mast and sail.

Description

The Abdy Beauclerk was the first of five Watson Beach or Aldeburgh class lifeboats built.[4] She was built in 1931 by J. Samuel White in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Some stations around the coast such as Aldeburgh required a larger heavier boat than other motor life boats such as the Liverpool class. The flat nature of the foreshore at some stations precluded the use of slipways and with no suitable harbour facilities to hand it was not possible for stations such as Aldeburgh to keep a heavy Watson or Barnett-class lifeboat on station.[4] The beach design was 41 feet long and 12 foot 3 inches wide and weighed just under 16 tons. The wide beam of the lifeboat made up for her shallow draught. She was fitted with twin screws, with the propellers housed in tunnels to protected them when being launched or hauled back up the beach. The lifeboat was powered by two 35 horse power Weyburn petrol engines which produced a top speed of 7.5 KT and gave her a range of 122 miles.[4] Although this class of twin engine lifeboats no longer carried sails, the Aldeburgh crew requested that this lifeboat be fitted with a mizzen mast and sail as they preferred to have this arrangement.

Namesake

The Abdy Beauclerk was paid for by a private legacy from the estate of William Abdy Beauclerk[1] of Tower Court, Ascot, Berkshire, England; he was the grandson of William Beauclerk, 8th Duke of St Albans.[5] A keen yachtsman, he committed suicide[6] in December 1912 at age 53.

Service at No:2 Station in Aldeburgh

The Abdy Beauclerk arrived in Aldeburgh in December 1931. A notable service occurred on 23 November 1938.[7] At 8:00am the lifeboat was called out to service to three barges which had been seen to be in some distress. There was a northerly gale in full force and the seas were heavy. The barges were two and a half miles east of the station. When the lifeboat got to the Rochester barge Grecian she refused help. A second barge, also from Rochester, called Astrild had lost her topsail in the storm and she had damage to her spar and rigging. The Barge was happy to be helped and two crewman were taken off. The third barge, from London, was riding on anchor near Sizewell Bank. She also refused help and so the Abdy Beauclerk returned to the Grecian, and this time took two crewman off to safety. By this time the lifeboat had been out for a long time and it was too late to get back to Aldeburgh so she headed to Lowestoft arriving at 1:15 pm. For his part in the rescue the coxswain of the lifeboat, George Chatten[7] received an RNLI Bronze Medal.

Abdy Beauclerk by Eric Ravilious

The artist Eric Ravilious painted the Abdy Beauclerk in 1938; the painting is now in the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne.[8]

Wartime service

During the Second World War the lifeboats along the coast of East Anglia found themselves busier than ever. Abdy Beauclerk was the first lifeboat in the country to perform a wartime rescue. It took place on 10 September 1939[9] seven days after war had been declared. The 8,641 tons[9] merchantman SS Magdapur[10] out of Brocklebank Dock, Liverpool was en route from South Shields to Southampton when she either struck a mine or was torpedoed. A loud explosion was heard by hundreds of holiday-makers which rocked the buildings right along the coast. They watched as a column of water shot into the air, and the Magdapur began to sink by the bow. The Abdy Beauclerk arrived to find the vessel's back broken, and returned, covered in oil and blood, with seventy survivors, eight on stretchers, and one of six crewman who had been killed.[9]

Dunkirk Evacuation

On the Thursday afternoon of 30 May 1940 the Abdy Beauclerk[3] was called out by telephone from London and along with the No 2: lifeboat Lucy Lavers[11] got away quickly and both boats were ordered to head for Dover in Kent. The lifeboats arrived in Dover the following morning and were met by a Naval Launch. The Navy told the crews what they were wanted for, gave them their course to Dunkirk and sent them into the harbour to refuel. As soon as they went in, their boats were commandeered by the Navy crews. The two lifeboats were needed, along with 16 other RNLI lifeboats, to help in the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and the French Army from Dunkirk. Abdy Beauclerk with her exceptionally shallow draft designed for the beach launches, made her particularly suitable for the task of transporting hundreds of men from the beaches out to the big ships waiting to evacuate them back to England. The task began with the lifeboats being towed across the English Channel by a drifter. They arrived at a beach just east of Dunkirk harbour where they began the evacuation. Abdy Beauclerk along with the other lifeboats were ordered to remain at Dunkirk until ordered to return home. She remained there and ferried the evacuees out to larger ships. She stayed in the vicinity until late on the evening of 4 June in case stragglers reached the beaches. The Abdy Beauclerk, along with the other surviving lifeboats, returned overnight to Ramsgate in Kent.

Retirement from service

The Abdy Beauclerk remained on the No:1 station at Aldeburgh until 1959 when she was replaced with a 42 ft Watson-class lifeboat called Alfred and Patience Gottwald (ON 946). At the same time the No: 2 station was closed. Abdy Beauclerk was sold by the RNLI out of the service. She was renamed Saint Íte and she spent time working as a pilot vessel for Cork Harbour Commissioners, in the Republic of Ireland. She is believed to still be in Ireland.

References
  1. The Story of The Aldeburgh Lifeboats (28 page Paperback): Author: Morris Jeff: Publisher Lifeboat enthusiasts' Society (1994) :ASIN B0018TW60Y
  2. OS Explorer Map 231 – Southwold & Bungay. ISBN 978 0 319 23805 9.
  3. "The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships". Abdy Beauclerk. Association of Dunkirk Little Ships. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  4. Rescue at Sea, An International History of Lifesaving, Coastal Rescue Craft and Organisations. Page: 129 Early Motor Lifeboats. Author:Clayton Evans. Published by: Conway Maritime Press (Chrysalis Books) 2003. ISBN 0 85177 934 4
  5. "St Albans, Duke of (E, 1683/4)". cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. press cutting from an unidentified newspaper reporting the inquest
  7. Lifeboat Gallantry RNLI medals and how they were won. Edited by:Barry Cox. Published:Spink, London, 1998. Page 273 – George Chatten.ISBN 0 907605 89 3
  8. "Ravilious: The Lifeboat". Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  9. "(d) The End of Sail-Abdy Beauclerk and Lucy Lavers". Aldeburgh Museum Online. Copyright © 2009 Aldeburgh Museum. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  10. "SHARKHUNTERS International – History of the german submarine U-13". Contains photo of the Magdapur sinking - SHARKHUNTERS International. Copyright © Sharkhunters International, Inc. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  11. "The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships". Lucy Lavers. Association of Dunkirk Little Ships. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
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