Press Release 2^nd February 2004  

Castletownbere Lifeboat Station

 Lifeboat Press Officer:   Mr Paul J.  Stevens
Tel.: (w) 027-70935  Fax.: (w)  027-70788   Tel.: (h)  027-70729  Fax : (h)   027-71942
Mob.: 086 – 6015110     e-mail: lifeboat5236@eircom.net

101 Call-Outs for Lifeboat

 Just before 10.00 last Saturday morning, Castletownbere’s all weather Arun class lifeboat slipped her moorings and quietly steamed out the harbour for the  very last time. The RNLB ‘Roy and Barbara Harding’ (52-36) which arrived here on 25^th October 1997 had served Castletownbere for six in a half years and had answered 101 calls for help. A newer Arun lifeboat is now on station on a temporary basis until the arrival of Castletownbere’s new Severn Class lifeboat later in the year.

The Roy and Barbara Harding initially served as lifeboat to the Aran Islands from the 4^th July 1986 until 27^th October 1996 and was launched 298 times during that ten year period, often providing an ambulance service between the Islands and mainland. On the allocation of a new lifeboat to Aran in 1996, Castletownbere was earmarked for the establishment of a new station and , after a complete refit, the Roy and Barbara Harding was placed on station in Castletownbere. In her time at Castletown, the boat provided 24 hour search and rescue cover 365 days a year and responded to a total 101 call-outs. Since being built this lifeboat has saved 69 lives, landed 130 persons, saved in excess of €6 million worth of property, and spend over a thousand rescue hours at sea. In total the lifeboat launched 407 times, and 306 of these call-outs were conducted in darkness. Lifeboat Operations Manager and former Coxswain, Mr Tony O’Sullivan, stated that the ‘Roy and Barbara Harding’ had served Castletown well and for operational reasons was now being replaced by a newer slightly faster lifeboat, the ‘Murray Lornie’ (52-42) from Lochinver in Scotland for a temporary period. He added that the ‘Roy and Barbara Harding’ had been taken to Malahide in Co Dublin and would join the relief fleet for a short period prior to being offered for sale to one of the overseas lifeboat organisations which are members of the International Lifeboat Federation.

The ‘Murray Lornie’ went on station in Lochinver on 19^th July 1989 and served there until the arrival of a new Severn class lifeboat just before Christmas 2003. The lifeboat launched 141 times at the Scottish station and saved 64 lives. The ‘Murray Lornie’ was collected at Girvan last weekend by Castletownbere lifeboat crew and made the 320 mile trip to Castletown over three days. Coxswain Brian O’Driscoll stated that the temporary lifeboat was very similar to the ‘Roy and Barbara Harding’ and that “we are all looking forward to the forthcoming announcement regarding the new Severn lifeboat for Castletownbere.’

Photos taken by Nick Leach