Lifeboat launch, Ramsey, Isle of Man

Date(s): 1895

Creator(s): Midwood, Thomas Horsfall

Scope & Content: Two crewmen are on the boat as it is tipped into Ramsey harbour. The first lifeboat house is believed to have been a wooden hut on land owned by the Harbour Commissioners, the arrival of the ‘Two Sisters’ in 1868 saw the building of a stone lifeboat house a little north of the present building on the South Promenade. This was an ideal location for launching straight out on to the beach and in to the sea. In February 1895 there was a blizzard as well as a heavy sea and a schooner had grounded on Ramsey beach close to the boathouse, It proved difficult to launch the lifeboat in the usual way and so she was hauled around onto the quayside where a lamp standard had to be taken down to facilitate the launch into the harbour. The lifeboat suffered damage to her bow which was quickly covered with a piece of tin but afterwards it was discovered that 13 planks were in fact damaged. This photograph is not however of that launch for there is no snow, no blizzard, no overcoats and something of a heat haze. So if this is after February 1895 why did they try it again after the damage the first time! The view was given to the Manx Museum in June 1953 by Sam Bennett of Ramsey.

Language: eng

Extent: photo format : 3.00 x 3.00

Item name: photograph

Collection: Photographic Archive

Level: ITEM

ID number: PGN 03736

Subject tags : #ALLATSEARNLI

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