41ft Watson-class lifeboat

RNLB Edmund and Mary Robison (ON812), 6th of 13 in the Watson 41 Class. Off Princes Dock, Liverpool, on the occasion of her naming ceremony.
Class overview
Name41ft Watson-class
Builders
Operators Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded byVarious
Succeeded by42ft Watson
Cost£5,636–£20,700
Built1932–1939, 1948–1951
In service1933–1982
Completed13
Lost2
Retired11
General characteristics
Class & type41ft Watson-class motor lifeboat
Displacement14-15 tons
Length41 ft (12 m)
Beam11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) - 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m)
Draught3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 x 35-bhp Weyburn AE6 6-cyl. petrol
  • 2 x 47-bhp Parsons Porbeagle 4-cyl. diesel (8 upgraded, 1963)
Speed71⁄2 knots
Crew8

The 41 ft Watson-class was a non-self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built between 1933 and 1951 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1933 and 1982.

History

The 41 ft Watson was designed for service at stations which required a larger and more powerful boat than the standard carriage launched types, but which could not accommodate the larger Watson types through boathouse or slipway constraints.

The boat is not to be confused with the earlier 41ft Beach Type Motor lifeboat, which was developed from the Norfolk and Suffolk-class lifeboats. Production ran from 1933 to 1939, with thirteen lifeboats completed. Between 1948 and 1952 a further four boats were built, before attention turned to the much modified 42ft Watson-class, which appeared in 1954.[1]

Description

The 41 ft Watson had an aft cockpit, with a cabin ahead of it containing the engine controls. There was a separate forward shelter and there was room in the two for sixteen people. The boats carried two sails as an auxiliary to the twin Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines.

The type was put back into production in 1948, nine years after the last had been built, in a revised version with an enlarged cabin which replaced the forward shelter. From 1963, eight of the boats were re-engined with 47 bhp Ford-based Parsons Porbeagle 4-cylinder diesel engines.[1]

Fleet

ON[a] Name Built In service[2] Stations Re-engined Comments[1][2]
758 Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn 1932 1933–1963 Shoreham Harbour 1963 [Note 1] Sold in 1973.
Renamed Dowager. At International Boat-building Training College (IBTC) at Lowestoft, until its closure in Nov 2025.[3]
1963–1973 Relief fleet
769 Duke of York 1933 1934–1961 The Lizard No [Note 2] Sold in 1961.
Broken up at Castlebridge, Co. Wexford, April 2024.
806 Rachel and Mary Evans 1936 1937–1968 Barry Dock No [Note 3] Wrecked after breaking moorings on relief duty at Weston-Super-Mare 12 April 1969.
1969 Weston-super-Mare
807 Inbhear Mor 1938 1938–1968 Arklow 1963 [Note 4] Sold in 1974.
Broken up at Ynyslas Boatyard near Borth, Ceredigion, December 2013.
1968–1973 Relief fleet
808 Mary Ann Hepworth 1938 1938–1974 Whitby 1963 [Note 5] Sold in 1975.
1988, fully restored as a trip boat at Whitby. Sold 2023, at Caernarfon, November 2025.
812 Edmund and Mary Robinson 1938 1938–1950 New Brighton No.2 No [Note 6] Sold March 1964.
Broken up near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, February 2016.
1950–1964 Relief fleet
813 Ann Letitia Russell 1938 1939–1976 Fleetwood 1963 [Note 7] Sold April 1977.
Renamed Angela, then Olive, used as a yacht/ houseboat at Lowestoft (2014). Stored at ABP Marine yard, Fleetwood Dock awaiting restoration and intended display as Ann Letitia Russell, 2016, but project failed, and was broken up, April 2025.[4][5]
823 Matthew Simpson 1939 1939–1972 Port Erin 1963 [Note 8] Sold in 1976.
Renamed Penros. May 2022, unaltered pleasure boat with the Hayling Island Yacht Company, August 2025.
1972–1976 Relief fleet
824 John Pyemont 1939 1939–1941 Tynemouth No [Note 9] Boathouse and lifeboat destroyed in an air raid, 9 April 1941.
856 Susan Ashley 1948 1948–1972 Sennen Cove 1963 [Note 10] Sold 1981.
On display at RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard from April 1996.[6]
1973–1979 Barry Dock No.2
1979–1981 Tynemouth Boarding Boat
857 Glencoe, Glasgow 1949 1949–1960 Buckie 1963 [Note 11] Sold in 1979.
Renamed Vagrant. Private ownership at Burghead Harbour, Moray, September 2019.
1960–1961 Girvan
1961–1965 Relief fleet
1965–1978 Portavogie
858 R. L. P. 1949 1949–1975 Swanage 1963 [Note 12] Sold August 1981.
Renamed Beya. Was a workboat at Millport, Great Cumbrae, last reported to have been given to a Sea Cadet group, June 1989.
1975–1981 Relief fleet
897 St. Andrew
(Civil Service No.10) 		1951 1952–1959 Whitehills 1963 [Note 13] Sold in 1982.
Restored at New Ross Boatyard, County Wexford. October 2023, on display at West Wales Maritime Heritage Centre, Pembroke Dock, September 2025.[7]
1959–1961 Relief fleet
1961–1968 Girvan
1968–1973 Arklow
1973–1976 Relief fleet
1976–1977 Girvan
1977–1982 Relief fleet
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Legacy of Mrs Lord, plus collections from Mr Lunn and Mrs Perowne, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £6,132. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  2. ^ Funded from the King George's Fund For Sailors, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £5,636.
  3. ^ Legacy of Mr Evans, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £6,459.
  4. ^ From RNLI Funds, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £6,506. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  5. ^ Gift of Mr A. Hepworth, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £6,576. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  6. ^ Gift of Mrs M. Robinson, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £6,534.
  7. ^ Legacy of Miss A. L. Russell, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £6,634. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  8. ^ Legacy of Miss C. F. Simpson, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £7,206. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  9. ^ Legacy of Mr J. Pyemont, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £7,358.
  10. ^ Legacy of Mr C. C. Ashley of Menton, France, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £13,357. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  11. ^ Legacy of Miss Lily Glen, built by Morgan Giles of Teignmouth, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £11,885. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  12. ^ Legacy of Mrs A. Pugh, built by Sussex Yacht Co. of Shoreham-by-Sea, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £15,584. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.
  13. ^ Legacy of Mrs A. Pugh, built by William Osborne of Littlehampton, with twin 35-hp Weyburn AE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, costing £20,700. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle diesel engines, 1963.

References

  1. ^ a b c Morris, Jeff (2008). List of British Lifeboats Part 3 (Third ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 18–20.
  2. ^ a b Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2026). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2026. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. p. 28–29.
  3. ^ "Dowager". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Ann Letitia Russell". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  5. ^ "Ann Letitia Russell Lifeboat". Visit Fleetwood. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Susan Ashley". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  7. ^ "St Andrew". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
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