The Lifeboats history is a story involving the whole town, but strangely the origins of Hartlepool Lifeboats do not lie in Hartlepool. In fact the history of the lifeboats at Hartlepool began at Castle Eden.
The Castle Eden Inn was the setting for a meeting, which took place on August 5th, 1902. The decision made that night was to build a lifeboat to serve the Port of Hartlepool. Local builder Geo. Hunter was commissioned to build the boat, and local fishermen agreed to man the oars.
By February 1803 the new boat was built and the first well documented rescue work took place some years later, in 1815.
In 1841 the original lifeboat was replaced by another purpose built vessel, this time with a home on the North Sands, the boat was built by John Cambridge, a Hartlepool Boatbuilder, for the TEES BAY LIFEBOAT ASSOCIATION, and was powered by twenty oarsmen.
By this time three lifeboats were serving the Hartlepool Bay, the one mentioned above, and two other boats from West Harbour (or Middleton as it is better known now). Also a boat was stationed at Seaton Carew.
All the above mentioned lifeboats were involved in a rescue operation, which took place on 9th February 1861, when 70 ships came to grief in one of the worst storms ever to hit the North East coast.
Between them Hartlepool and Seaton Carew lifeboats saved forty lives and escorted no fewer than ninety one other ships into port.
In 1857 the Royal National Lifeboat Institution took over the running of the Hartlepool lifeboats, prior to this Hartlepool lifeboats had been run by the HARTLEPOOL LIFEBOAT SOCIETY.
At this time three lifeboats were stationed at the Headland. The stations were Located as follows :North Sands, Old Pier and Fish Quay.
In 1887, thanks to the growing influence of the R.N.L.I., funds were raised by an organisation known as " THE CYCLISTS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM". A lifeboat was built and named "THE CYCLIST"in their honour and this provided the port with its first self-righting class lifeboat.
THE CYCLIST's' replacement was the 'HORATIO BRAND' named after a major who paid for the boat to be built. The lifeboat was a pulling and sailing boat, and the three lifeboats provided a sterling service throughout the early part of the century up to the hectic days of the First World War.
In 1924 money was raised to provide Hartlepool with a motor Lifeboat. The occasion was marked with great pomp and ceremony, the Marchioness of Londonderry named the boat ' ELIZABETH NEWTON'.
The ' ELIZABETH NEWTON ' was built at
Cowes on the Isle of Wight and was a 45' Watson Class lifeboat. She proved
to be a good boat and provided excellent service up to the outbreak of the
Second World War.
The replacement of the ' ELIZABETH NEWTON ' was ' THE PRINCESS ROYAL'
another Watson Class Lifeboat, but the very latest design incorporating
watertight engine compartment.
On July 21st 1941, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal came to Hartlepool and named the lifeboat.
Copyright © 1997-2002 John Gruson