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Barnett-class lifeboat

Summary

The Barnett-class lifeboat consists of three types of non self-righting displacement hull lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from its stations around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1923 and 1987.

RNLB William and Kate Johnston (ON 682)
Class overview
Builders
Operators Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Built
  • 60 ft: 1923–1929
  • 51 ft: 1928–1949
  • 52 ft Mk. I: 1950–1955
  • 52 ft Mk. II: 1957–1960
In service1923–1987
Completed
  • 60 ft: 4
  • 51 ft: 13
  • 52 ft Mk. I: 10
  • 52 ft Mk. II: 10
Retired37
General characteristics
TypeMotor lifeboat
Displacement
  • 60 ft: 40–44 tons
  • 51 ft: 27 tons
  • 52 ft: 28 tons
Length51–60 ft (16–18 m)
Beam
  • 60 ft: 15 ft (4.6 m)
  • 51 ft: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
  • 52 ft Mk. I: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
  • 52 ft Mk. II: 14 ft (4.3 m)
Installed power
  • 60 ft:2 x 80 bhp D.E. 6-cyl. petrol
  • 51 ft: 2 x 60 bhp Weyburn CE6 6-cyl. petrol
  • 52 ft Mk. I: 2 x 60 bhp Ferry VE6 6-cyl. diesel
  • 52 ft Mk. II: 2 x 72 bhp Gardner 6LW 6cyl. diesel
Propulsion2 × pitch propellers in tunnels
Speed9.5 knots (10.9 mph; 17.6 km/h)
Range300 nautical miles (350 mi; 560 km)
Crew6

60 ft Barnett edit

History edit

The 60 ft (18.3 m) Barnett was the first twin-engined, twin-screw RNLI lifeboat, and when introduced in 1923, the largest. Designed by RNLI naval architect James Rennie Barnett, the boats pioneered many features which were to become standard on future lifeboats. They were, however too large to be slipway launched and had to be moored afloat at a time when the RNLI preferred to keep lifeboats in boathouses and consequently, only four were built.

Description edit

The boats had an open aft cockpit with a shelter ahead of it. The engines were in separate watertight engines rooms with exhaust taken up two side by side funnels amidships. There were fore and aft survivor cabins below deck. The boats were powered by two RNLI designed 80 bhp DE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, three built by Weyburn Engineering and the other by J. Samuel White. The final boat was 61 ft (18.6 m) long due to a forward raked bow. The boats served their stations well until the early fifties when they were replaced by 52 ft Barnetts.

Fleet edit

ON[a] Name Built Builder In service Station Comments[1]
682 William and Kate Johnston 1923 J. Samuel White 1923–1950 New Brighton Sold December 1950. Reported in August 2022 to be a pleasure boat at Dover Marina.
693 Emma Constance 1926 S. E. Saunders 1926–1951 Aberdeen No.1 Sold November 1951. Renamed Griselda. By December 2021 was an open hull aground at Keils House, Tayvallich, Argyll.
696 Robert & Marcella Beck 1926 J. Samuel White 1926–1943 Plymouth Sold June 1952. Renamed Blaskbeg Idle Hours. Reported in May 2008 as being a pleasure boat on the River Elbe in Hamburg.
1943–1947 Iceland (RN)
1947–1952 Plymouth
715 Princess Mary 1929 S. E. Saunders 1929–1952 Padstow (Harbour) Sold June 1952. Renamed Aries. Reported in October 2022 to be a yacht at Ibiza.

51 ft Barnett edit

History edit

The 60 ft Barnett was too large and heavy to be slipway launched and so the 51 ft (15.5 m) type was designed as a scaled down version which would be able to be stationed at a greater number of locations. The class is sometimes referred to as the "Stromness" after the first station to receive one.

Description edit

 
Mary Stanford (ON 733)

The 51 ft Barnett had an open aft cockpit with a shelter ahead of it giving access to the engine room. Ahead of the engine room was a survivor cabin and there was a forward shelter ahead of the mast. The class was powered by two 60 bhp Weyburn CE6 6-cylinder petrol engines with a single exhaust funnel ahead of the aft shelter.

The final boat of the class, RNLB Southern Africa (ON 860), was built in 1949, fourteen years after the end of regular production, and was more akin in deck layout to the first five 46ft 9in Watson-class boats built around the same time. This boat was powered by two 60 bhp Ferry VE6 6-cylinder diesels and was in effect a prototype for a post war production run of diesel powered boats. However, it was overtaken by events as James Barnett turned to midships cockpits and the new boats emerged as the 52 ft [15.8 m] class the following year. The only other 51 ft Watson to receive diesel engines was ON 755 which was re-engined with twin Ford based 65 bhp Parsons Barracuda diesels in 1965. In 1976, ON 860 also received Barracudas while serving in the relief fleet and this boat was the final member of the class in service when retired in 1981.

Fleet edit

ON[a] Name Built Builder In service Station Comments[1]
702 J.J.K.S.W. 1928 S. E. Saunders 1928–1955 Stromness Sold 1965. Became a workboat named Jon Dee BS19. Broken up August 2000.
1955–1964 Reserve fleet
717 A.E.D. 1929 J. Samuel White 1929–1950 Holyhead Sold 1957. By February 1992 it was working as a pleasure boat at Fuengirola, Spain.
1951–1957 Valentia
718 William and Harriot 1929 J. Samuel White 1929–1954 Stornaway Sold 1959. Broken up at Barry Docks in 1978.
1954–1959 Reserve fleet
719 Queen Victoria 1929 J. Samuel White 1929–1940 St Peter Port Sold May 1958. Destroyed by a fire on the River Hamble in 1978.
1940–1941 Reserve fleet
1941–1945 Killybegs
1945–1954 St Peter Port
1954–1958 Reserve fleet
720 City of Glasgow 1929 J. Samuel White 1929–1953 Campbeltown Sold 1959. Last reported as yacht at Barry Docks but destroyed in the 1970s.
1953–1959 Reserve fleet
731 Lady Jane & Martha Ryland 1930 J. Samuel White 1930–1958 Lerwick Sold 1969. Renamed The Lady Jane. Reported in March 2022 to be at the Old Mill Boatyard, Dartmouth, Devon.
1958–1969 Reserve
733 Mary Stanford 1930 Saunders-Roe 1930–1959 Ballycotton Sold 1969. By December 2022 it was restored and on display, at Cliff Walk, Ballycotton, Ireland.
1959–1968 Reserve fleet
734 George Shee 1930 Saunders-Roe 1930–1958 Torbay Sold December 1958. Used as a lifeboat in Guatemala from 1959.
1958 Reserve fleet
735 William and Clara Ryland 1930 Saunders-Roe 1930–1957 Weymouth Sold 1958. In December 2020 it was a houseboat at Hundred of Hoo Sailing Club, Hoo Peninsula, but in December 2023 it was reported as sunk at its mooring.
754 Lloyds 1932 Groves & Guttridge 1932–1957 Barra Island Sold January 1970. In June 2022 it was at Sandwich Marina in Kent.
1957–1969 Reserve fleet
755 Peter and Sarah Blake 1932 J. Samuel White 1932–1958 Fenit Sold October 1972. In May 2022 it was undergoing restoration at Fox's Marina, Ipswich.
1958–1972 Reserve fleet
776 The Rankin 1935 Groves & Guttridge 1935–1961 Aith Sold 1970. Renamed Perseverance. Reported in November 2022 to be working as a pleasure boat at Tipner Boating and Angling Club, Portsmouth.
1961–1969 Reserve fleet
860 Southern Africa 1949 Rowhedge Ironworks 1949–1967 Dover Sold July 1981. Reported in June 2022 as being used as a pleasure boat at the Clyde Boatyard, Glasgow.
1967–1981 Reserve fleet

52 ft Barnett (Mk. I) edit

ON[a] Name Built Builder In service Station Comments[1]
883 Norman B Corlett 1950 J. Samuel White 1950–1973 New Brighton Sold February 1982. Reported in December 2019 to be a houseboat for holiday letting at Coalisland, Northern Ireland.
1973–1981 Relief fleet
884 St.Cybi
(Civil Service No. 9) 		1950 J. Samuel White 1950–1980 Holyhead Sold 1986. On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard since April 1996.[2]
1980–1986 Relief fleet
889 Hilton Briggs 1951 J. Samuel White 1951–1958 Aberdeen No.1 Sold July 1976. Reported in December 2022 as being lived on at Wapping Wharf, Bristol.
1959–1969 Fenit
1969–1970 Reserve fleet
1970 Longhope
1970–1974 Reserve fleet
1974–1975 Invergordon
890 Thomas Forehead & Mary Rowse 1952 J. Samuel White 1952–1974
 Plymouth Sold December 1982. Renamed Isle Ornsay. In December 2021 it was undergoing a refit at Port Penrhyn, Bangor.
1974–1982 Relief fleet
898 Joseph Hiram Chadwick 1952 J. Samuel White 1952–1967 Padstow (Harbour) Sold April 1980. Reported in July 2022 to undergoing restoration at Goodchild Marine, Burgh Castle.
1968–1977 Galway Bay
1977–1980 Relief fleet
899 City of Glasgow II 1953 J. Samuel White 1953–1979 Campbeltown Sold April 1980. Reported in April 2021 as being at Titchmarsh Marina, Walton-on-the-Naze.
912 Euphrosyne Kendal 1954 J. Samuel White 1954–1972 St.Peter Port Sold May 1983. Engines removed and broken up at Rushbrooke, County Cork, Ireland by 2015.
1973–1975 Dunmore East
1975–1983 Relief fleet
913 James & Margaret Boyd 1954 J. Samuel White 1954–1973 Stornoway Sold January 1985. Renamed Sea Terror and a houseboat. Sunk at English Harbour, Antigua, on 10 December 2010.
1974–1975 Macduff
1975–1984 Invergordon
923 John Gellatly Hyndman 1955 J. Samuel White 1955–1972 Stronsay Sold August 1985. Renamed Sea Terra. Reported to be operated as a pleasure boat at English Harbour, Antigua, in September 2022.
1972–1985 Relief fleet
924 Archibald and Alexander M Paterson 1955 J. Samuel White 1955–1984 Stromness Sold May 1989. Reported in August 2021 to have been restored for use as a pleasure boat at Lawrenny Quay on the River Cleddau estuary in Wales.
1985–1986 Arranmore
1986–1987 Lowestoft

52 ft Barnett (Mk. II) edit

ON[a] Name Built Builder In service Station Comments[1]
935 R.A.Colby Cubbin No. 3 1957 J. Samuel White 1957–1984 Barra Island Sold November 1984. By June 2013 was a houseboat at City Marina, Rotterdam.
936 E.M.M. Gordon Cubbin 1957 J. Samuel White 1957–1982 Mallaig Sold 1985. Renamed Gordon Cubbin. Reported in March 2022 to be moored by the Tees Transporter Bridge.
1982–1985 Relief fleet
938 Rowland Watts 1957 Groves & Guttridge 1957–1983 Valentia Sold 1985. By June 2020 was stored at Murphy Marine, Valentia Island, Ireland.
1983–1985 Relief fleet
939 Frank Spiller Locke 1957 Groves & Guttridge 1957–1976
 Weymouth Sold October 1986. It is unaltered but used as a pleasure boat from Old Mill Boatyard, Old Mill Creek, Dartmouth, Devon.
1977–1985 Galway Bay
943 Claude Cecil Staniforth 1958 Groves & Guttridge 1958–1978 Lerwick Sold November 1985. Renamed Naomh Seosamh. Reported in December 2022 to be a pleasure boat at New Ross Boatyard, Wexford, Ireland.
1978–1985 Arranmore
944 Ramsay Dyce 1958 Groves & Guttridge 1958–1976 Aberdeen Sold August 1985. . Reported in August 2022 to be working as a pleasure boat but unaltered at Glasson Dock in Lancashire.
1976–1978 Relief fleet
1978–1985 Lochinver
945 Princess Alexandra of Kent 1958 J. Samuel White 1958–1975 Torbay Sold 1984. Renamed Princess but lost on 1 August 2012 off Crail in Scotland while on passage to Peterhead.
1975–1983 Relief fleet
949 Ethel Mary 1959 Groves & Guttridge 1959–1985 Ballycotton Last Barnett Class boat on station. Sold 1989. In December 2021 it was reported to be undergoing a survey at Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
1985–1987 Relief fleet
1987–1988 Baltimore
952 Duke of Cornwall
(Civil Service No. 33) 		1960 Groves & Guttridge 1961–1984 The Lizard Sold 1989. Reported in December 2021 to be in unaltered condition but used as a pleasure boat at Old Mill Creek, Dartmouth, Devon.
1984 Padstow
1984–1989 Relief fleet
956 John and Francis MacFarlane 1960 J. Samuel White 1961–1986 Aith Sold October 1986. Reported in December 2022 to be in unaltered condition but in use as a pleasure boat at Maldon, Essex.
  1. ^ a b c d ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2023). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2023. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society.
  2. ^ "St Cybi (Civil Service No.9)". National Historic Ships. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barnett class lifeboats.
  • RNLI
  • ON943 RNLB Claude Cecil Staniforth

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