Douglas History

1802  A lifeboat station was established. The lifeboat was funded by the Duke of Atholl and was built by Henry Greathead, who built the first lifeboat in 1789.

1814 The lifeboat station closed.

1824 The RNLI received a request from Sir William Hillary, the founder of the Institution, for a lifeboat for Douglas ‘… on account of the frequent gales and wrecks in Douglas Bay’.

1825 A Gold Medal was awarded to Sir William Hillary, Bart for founding the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Over the next 20 years several awards were made for rescues off the coast:

1828 Gold Medal to Sir William Hillary, Bart and Silver Medals to Augustus Hillary, Lt Robson RN and to Lt Stragnell RN
Silver Medals to George Quirke, Thomas Brine and William H Carrington.

1830 Gold Medal to Sir William Hillary, Bart
Gold Medals to Sir William Hillary, Bart and Lt R Robinson RN and Silver Medals to Coxswain Isaac Vondy, and Mr William Corbett

1833 Two Silver Medals to Coxswain Isaac Vondy

1837 Silver Medal to William Milburn

1839 Silver Medal to Captain Edward Quayle

1840 Silver Medal to William Cain

1841 Silver Medals to Captain Edward Quayle and Coxswain Thomas Cannell

1874 A second lifeboat (No. 2) was placed on service.

1881 The No. 2 lifeboat capsized after rescuing 16 people from the barge Lebu and tragically four lifeboat crew members and seven of the rescued seamen drowned.

1891 Shore Helper W Gordon died after he was injured whilst helping to launch the lifeboat.

1892 Second Coxswain John David Hay died after a lifeboat exercise. His widow was formerly married to one of the lifeboat crew who was lost on service in 1881.

1895 The No. 2 lifeboat was damaged beyond repair after breaking away from her moorings. The lifeboat was not replaced and it was decided to close the No. 1 station.

1896 A new boathouse and slipway were built near Battery Point.

1924 The station’s first motor lifeboat was placed on service and was kept in a new boathouse in Approach Road.

1928 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.

1971 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Honorary Secretary Captain JL Robertson for his valuable service over ten years.

1988 The Watson motor class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced by the Tyne class lifeboat, ON-1147 Sir William Hillary.

1989 The boathouse was adapted for the new Tyne class lifeboat.

1997 A Vellum was presented to the station to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of Sir William Hillary.

1999 Coxswain Robert Corran was awarded an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours.

2002 A Vellum was awarded to the station to commemorate 200 years as a lifeboat station.

2002 The RSPCA awarded a commendation for rescuing a heifer stranded on a rocky outcrop. The heifer jumped into the sea where it was lassoed and gently towed to Port Sodenick beach.

2006 Repairs to the slipway were completed.

Station honours

At Douglas lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 1

Silver Medal 15

Gold Medal 5