35ft 6in Self-righting motor-class lifeboat

Class overview
Name:	35ft 6in Self-righting motor-class
Builders:	Saunders-Roe, Cowes J. Samuel White, Cowes J. Thorneycroft, Chiswick Rowhedge Ironworks, Rowhedge Groves & Guttridge, Cowes
Succeeded by:	Liverpool-class
Cost:	£3,000- £14,000
Built:	Single engine: 1929–1940 Twin engine: 1947–1950
Completed:	Single engine: 22 Twin engine: 5
Lost:	3
Retired:	24
General characteristics
Displacement:	Single engine: 5–6 tons Twin engine: 8–9 tons
Length:	35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Beam:	8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)-9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
Draught:	2 ft 8 in (0.81 m)
Propulsion:	Single engine: 35bhp Weyburn AE6 6-cyl. petrol Twin engine: 18bhp Weyburn AE4 4-cyl petrol/20bhp Ferry FKR.3 3-cyl.diesel
Speed:	8 knots (9.2 mph)
Crew:	7/8

The 35ft 6in Self-righting motor-class was a displacement hull lifeboat built in single engine form between 1929 and 1940 and in twin engined form between 1947 and 1950. The boats were operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1929 and 1965.

History

The need to provide motor lifeboats at stations using carriage launching had first been addressed with the 35ft Self-righting motor type of 1921. Three of these boats were built and were to all intents and purposes pulling and sailing boats with an auxiliary engine. The definitive boat for production appeared in 1929, six inches longer and with the same 8ft 10in beam as the second and third 35ft types. After the first two boats had been put on station, a crash programme of production was instituted in 1931 and twelve boats were produced that year. These gave many stations their first motor lifeboats, but experience proved that stability was lacking and from ON 763 beam was increased by 5 inches. The final two single engine boats saw further beam increases, to 9ft 6in and 9ft 10in respectively. In common with the similar but non self-righting Liverpool-class, post war production switched to twin engined versions, but only five were built. The RNLI was increasingly switching to more stable non self-righting lifeboats and the single engine 35ft 6in Self-righting motors were replaced at most stations by Liverpool class boats in the early 1950s after only around twenty years service. The twin engined boats had even shorter lives, being replaced at three stations by Liverpools and at the other two by 37ft Oakleys after less than fifteen years service.

Description

The challenge of producing a motor lifeboat light enough to be manhandled for carriage launching resulted in a boat weighing around 5 ¹⁄₂ tons. The single RNLI designed, Weyburn Engineering built AE6 6-cyl petrol engine produced 35bhp and sat in a watertight engine room beneath pent roof access hatches ahead of an aft cockpit shelter from which the mechanic operated the engine controls. Apart from a small shelter forward the boats were open. As decsribed above, beam was increased during production in an attempt to improve stability. After World War II, five twin engined boats were built which had a beam of 10ft and a larger shelter covering the engine room and very similar to the contemporary twin engined Liverpools. The first two of these boats were powered by two 18bhp Weyburn AE4 4-cylinder petrol engines, but the final three had 20bhp Ferry FKR3 3 cylinder diesels.

Fleet

Single engine

ON[lower-alpha 1]	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Principal Station	Comments
726	City of Nottingham	1929	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1930–1936 1936–1949	Hythe Clovelly	Sold in 1950
727	Westmorland	1930	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1930–1940 1940–1951	Berwick Cullercoats	Sold June 1951
737	Louisa Polden	1931	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1931–1951	Redcar	Sold in 1951
738	J.H.W.	1931	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1931–1939 1939–1947	Lytham St Annes Padstow No.2	Sold April 1948
739	Lily Glen - Glasgow	1931	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1931–1952	Girvan	Sold May 1952
740	Cyril and Lilian Bishop	1931	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1931–1950	Hastings	Sold November 1950
741	Morison Watson	1931	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1931–1953	Kirkcudbright	Sold in 1953
742	Herbert Joy II	1931	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1931–1951	Scarborough	Sold in 1951
743	John and Sarah Eliza Stych	1931	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1931–1938 1938–1939	Padstow No.1 St Ives	Wrecked on service 23/1/1939, seven crew lost.
744	Laurana Sarah Blunt	1931	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1931–1952	Youghal	Sold in 1952
745	Lady Harrison	1931	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1931–1948 1948–1951	Ramsay Aberystwyth	Sold in 1952
746	William Maynard	1931	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1931–1939 1939–1941 1941–1948 1948–1949 1949–1953	Cloughey Relief fleet Ferryside Whitehills Relief fleet	Sold February 1953
747	Stanhope Smart	1931	Saunders-Roe, Cowes	1931–1947 1947–1951	Bridlington Padstow No.2	Sold in 1951
748	Mary Ann Blunt	1931	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1931–1950	Clogher Head	Sold in 1951
752	John and William Mudie	1932	J. Thorneycroft, Chiswick	1932–1950	Arbroath	Sold June 1951
756	Civil Service No.4	1932	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1932–1948	Whitehills	Damaged beyond repair on service 16/6/1948
757	Frederick Angus	1932	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1932–1949	Aberystwyth	Sold August 1949
763	Caroline Parsons	1933	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1933–1938	St Ives	Wrecked on service 31/1/1938
767	Catherine Harriet Eaton	1933	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1933–1953	Exmouth	Sold in 1953
768	Thomas and Annie Wade Richards	1933	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1933–1953	Llandudno	Sold in 1953
785	Sir Heath Harrison	1936	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1936–1949 1949–1955	Port St Mary Relief fleet	Sold January 1956
826	Guide of Dunkirk	1940	Rowhedge Ironworks, Rowhedge	1941–1963	Cadgwith	Sold in 1963

Twin engine

ON[lower-alpha 1]	Name	Built	Builder	In service	Stations	Comments
851	Tillie Morrison, Sheffield	1947	J. Samuel White, Cowes	1947–1953 1953–1959	Bridlington Llandudno	Capsized on service at Bridlington 19/8/1952, one crew lost. Sold November 1959
878	M.T.C.	1950	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1950–1963	Hastings	Sold in 1964
879	E.C.J.R.	1950	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1951–1956 1956–1963	Scarborough Relief fleet	Capsized on service 19/8/1952, three crew lost. Sold March 1963
880	Isaac and Mary Bolton	1950	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1951–1963	Cullercoats	Sold in 1964
881	City of Leeds	1950	Groves & Guttridge, Cowes	1951–1965	Redcar	Sold March 1965

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

External links

• RNLI