Abersoch History
1869 An RNLI lifeboat station was established to cover the western half of Cardigan Bay. A lifeboat house was built at a cost of £170.
1870 A Silver Medal was awarded to Rev Owen Lloyd Williams, Honorary Secretary, for the rescue of 13 men from the ship Kenilworth.
1871 A slipway was built to improve launching.
1879 A second Silver Medal was awarded to Rev Williams for ‘… his continued intrepid services in the Abersoch and Porthdinllaen lifeboats’.
1894 The lifeboat station was moved to Penrhyn Du on the south side of the Bay. A new boathouse and slipway were built a cost of £1,350.
1897 A watch room was built next to the main boathouse.
1931 The lifeboat station was closed.
1965 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established at Abersoch with a D class lifeboat.
1972 Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellums were awarded to Helmsman Barrie McGill and Crew Member Michael Bosley when the inshore lifeboat, with the Pwllheli lifeboat, rescued two men by breeches buoy, a rescue method involving a pulley system and ‘breeches’ attached to a suspended buoy, from the rocks at Cilan Head.
1977 Framed Letters of Thanks were presented to Helmsman Barrie McGill, Crew Members N Loughlin and M Davies for a service to a climber fallen 10m into the sea.
1978 The citizens of Wolverhampton raised over £30,000 in a special appeal that funded a boathouse, launching equipment and an Atlantic 21 lifeboat. The D class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced with an Atlantic 21 lifeboat named Wolverhampton.
A new boathouse was built.
1986 A sea defence wall was built as protection for the boathouse.
1987 The boathouse was extended so that the ILB, trolley and tractor could be coupled together at all times.
1990 The Atlantic 21 Borough of Solihull replaced Wolverhampton.
1994 A new boathouse was built, providing housing for the ILB, trolley and tractor, as well improved crew facilities.
2001 Helmsman Richard Hughes and Crew Member Simon Harris were both awarded the Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum for the rescue of a girl and her dog from a rock in darkness and rough seas on the evening of 26 October 2000.
2002 An Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-790 Margaret Bench of Solihull, arrived at the station. She was funded by a legacy from Margaret Bench.
2003 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station for completion of a total of 100 years service.
Station honours
At Abersoch lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Framed Letter of Thanks 3
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 4
Silver Medal 2
