Oakley-Class 37/48 Foot

Home Page

 

Length	37'  11" x 11' 6"	Speed	8 kts
Weight	30 tons	Range
Construction		Endurance
Engines	Various twin diesels	Crew	7

Named after  the designer Richard A. Oakley. It featured a complicated method of self-righting using shifting water-ballast. The type entered service in 1958. The boat was the last to be built from African Mahogany.

Oakley-Class 37 Foot

Builders: J. Samuel White= JSW,, OSB= William Osborne, Littlehampton.GG= Groves and Gutteridge, Cowes. HM=Herd and Mackenzie, Buckie. ML= Morris/Lorimer. Berthon-Lymington.

 

No.	Name	O/N	Bldr	Base/Comments
37-01	J.G Graves of Sheffield	942	OSB	Scarborough 58-78. Relief 78-. Clogher Head 88-91. Relief 91-92. Newcastle 92-93. Stored 93-94. Displayed at RNLI Museum Chatham.
37-02	Manchester Unity of Oddfellows	960	OSB	Sheringham 61-90. Displayed at the Sheringham museum.
37-03	Calouste Gulbenkian	961	JSW	Weston-super-Mare 62-69. Relief 70-90. Newquay 90-91. to Milford Haven in 90s.  Under restoration at Donaghadee 2013.
37-04	Robert and Dorothy Hardcastle	966	GG	Boulmer 62-68. Filey 68-91. Relief 91-93. In boatyard Middleton Road, Hartlepool. Moved to Whitby area 2019.
37-05	The Will and Fanny Kirby	972	OSB	Seaham 63-79. relief 79-83. Flamborough  83-93. Displayed at RNLI Museum Chatham.
37-06	Fairlight	973	OSB	Hastings 64-88. Relief 88-89. St. Ives 89-90. Relief 90-91. Newquay 91-92. Sold as a pleasure boat,  Almalux, at Blakeney Pit, Norfolk. Renamed Fairlight at same base.
37-07	Jane Hay	974	OSB	St. Abbs 74-84. Relief 74-80. Newcastle 80-92. Stored 92-95. Broken up Tyrells Yard, Arklow. Hull may be restored.
37-08	Sir James Knott	975	GG	Cullercoats 63-69. Relief 69-72 Redcar 72-85. Relief 85-90. In Kirkleathem Old museum, Redcar.
37-09	The Lily Wainwright	976	GG	LLandudno 64-90. Kilmore Quay 90-92. Pleasure boat, Cork, ROI.
37-10	Charles Fred Grantham	977	GG	Skegness 64-90. Relief  90-92. Broken up Branksea Marine, Ridge 08/93.
37-11	The Royal Thames	978	JSW	Caister 64-69. Runswick 70-78. Pwllheli 79-91. Clogher Head 91-93. Stored  Fallgate Farm, Hanworth.
37-12	Amelia ex- James and Catherine MacFarlane	979	JSW	Relief 64-78. Scarborough 78-91. Displayed at Shipwreck and Heritage Museum, Charlestown, Cornwall.  Moved to Store 05/2017 Moved to South Fereriby, Lincs 2019.
37-13	William, Henry and Mary King	980	JSW	Cromer No. 2 64-67. Bridlington  67-88. North Sunderland 89-90. Climbing Frame at Drayton Park Primary School, Highbury, London.
37-14	Mary Pullman	981	OSB	Kirkudbright 65-89. Baytree Garden Centre, Weston, Spalding, Lincs.
37-15	Ernest Tom Neathercoat	982	OSB	Wells 65-90. North Sunderland  90-91. Under restoration at George Hewitt boatyard, Stifke, Norfolk.
37-16	The Doctors	983	OSB	Anstruther 65-91. Relief 91-93. Under restoration 2010 at Donaghadee, NI.
37-17	Mary Joicey	984	HM	Newbiggin 66-81. Relief 81-85. Redcar 85-86. Relief 86-88. Hastings 88-89. St. Ives 89. Under restoration at Newbiggin.
37-18	Valentine Wyndham-Quin	985	HM	Clacton-on-Sea 68-84. Clogher Head 84-88. Display at RNLI Harwich.
37-19	Lloyds II	986	ML	Ilfracombe 68-90. Sheringham 90-92. Broken up Rainham 08/1993.
37-20	Edward and Mary Leicester	991	OSB	North Sunderland 67-89. Broken up Southampton 12/89.
37-21	Frank Penfold Marshall	992	OSB	St. Ives 68-89. Broken up Southampton 12/89.
37-22	Har LIL	993	OSB	Rhyl  68-90. Under restoration South Ferraby Marina, South Humberside.
37-23	The Vincent Nesfield	994	OSB	Relief 69-72. Port Erin 73. Relief 73-88. Kilmore Quay 88-91. Broken up Tyrells Yard, Arklow, ROI, 12/91.
37-24	James Ball Ritchie	995	OSB	Ramsey 70-91. Broken up Dumbarton 12/91.
37-25	Bird's Eye	996	OSB	New Quay 70-90. Displayed at Moelfre Seawatch Centre.
37-26	Lady Murphy	997	OSB	Kilmore Quay 72-88. Broken up Tyrells Yard, Arklow 08/95.

.

RNLB J. G. Graves of Sheffield pictured at RNLI Museum Chatham in 2010 (Photo by Phil)

RNLB Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, 37-02, now in Sheringham Museum (Author Unknown, please let me know)

RNLB Manchester Unity of Oddfellows 37-02 on display at the Sheringham Museum (Photo Courtesy Sheringham Museum)

Former RNLB Robert and Dorothy Hardcastle 37-04 at Hartlepool 13/06/15 (Photo Martin Fish)

The former Robert and Dorothy Hardcastle 37-04 pictured at Hartlepool Boatyard on 04/06/08 (photo Stan Laundon)

RNLB The Will and Fanny Kirby 37-05 at The RNLI Museum Chatham 11/07/11 (Photo Michael Belfast)

RNLB Fairlight 37-06 and The Royal Thames. 37-11 seen at Poole awaiting sale on 23/07/93 (Photo Galley Boy)

RNLB Jane Hey 37-07 pictured near Arklow in 2018 (Photo Courtesy Hugh Seale)

RNLB Sir James Nott 37-08 seen at Kirkleven in 1992 (Photo Courtesy David Durward)

RNLB Lily Wainright 37-09 at Llandudno (Date and author unknown)

The former RNLB Lily Wainright 37-09 pictured at Cork on  18/02/16 (Photo Gabriel  Whitstone)

The former RNLB The Royal Thames 37-11 seen on a farm at Hanworth 28/10/14 (Photo Martin Fish)

RNLB Amelia 37-12 on display at the Shipwreck and Heritage Museum Charlestown, Cornwall (Photo N. Leach)

RNLB

RNLB William Henry Mary King 37-13 seen at Seahouses, date unknown (Photo Galley Boy)

Former RNLB Mary Pullman 37-14 seen at Baytree garden Centre on 14/05/16, in a bad way (Photo Nigel Hole)

37-15 Ernest Tom Neathercoat seen at Wells 21/07/12 with the new Shannon-Class behind (Photo Galley Boy)

RNLB The Doctors, 37-16, pictured at Berwick 04/08/90 (Photo Galley Boy)

RNLB Mary Joicey,, 37-17, seen 25/05/05 at Newbiggin under restoration (Photo Galley Boy)

RNLB LLoyds II 37-19 at Ilfracombe, date unknown (Photo Ilfracombe LBS)

RNLB Frank Penfold Marshall 37-21 pictured at Poole in 1989 shortly before she was scrapped (Photo Courtesy Dave James)

 37-22 former 37-22 Har Lil seen at Ferriby, Lincs on 25/08/19 (Photo Richard Sheard)

RNLB Birds Eye 37-25 pictured at the Moelfre Seawatch Centre in 2012 (Photo Moelfre LBS)

Oakley-Class  48 Foot 6 Inch

This lenghthened version was built as 48 feet 6 inches by  13 feet wide and entered service in 1963.

 

No.	Name	O/N	Bldr	Base/Comments
48-01	Earl and Countess Howe	968	OSB	Yarmouth 63-77. Walton-the-Naze 77-84. Broken up Portishead 09/2003.
48-02	James and Catherine MacFarlane	983	Berthon	Padstow 67-83. The Lizard 83-87. Displayed at Lands End. . Left by road on  04/07/16. To a farm  at Compton near Winchester.
48-03	Ruby and Arthur Reed	990	OSB	Cromer 67-84. St. Davids 85-88. Displayed at Hythe Marina.
48-12	Charles Henry	1015	OSB	Selsey 69-83. Baltimore 84-87. Pleasure boat Exeter. To Wells, Norfolk in 2016. To Royal Quuays, Newcastle by 2018
48-13	Princess Marina	1016	OSB	Wick 70-88. To Basildon Motor Museum. Broken up at Portishead Dec 2013. Supersteructure reported on Wakefield Canal.

The RNLB Earland Countess Howe 48-01 (Photo credit and location unknown, via Mark Raines)

48-01 Earl and Countess Howe pictured at Poole in July 1988 (PhotoMartin Smith)

The-former RNLB James and Catherine MacFarlane 48-02 seen on display at Lands End (Photo Courtesy LBES)

Ex-James and Catherine MacFarlane 48-02 seen in a field at Compton, nr Winchester on 07/08/16 (Photo via Geoff Seale)

RNLB Ruby and Arthur Reed 48-03 on display at Hythe Marina, seen on 12/10/10 (Photo N. Rush)

Ex-RNLB Charles Henry 48-12 at Exeter in 2014 (Photo Mac McClaren)

Former RNLB Charles Henry 48-12 pictured at Wells on 03/08/15 (Photo Dan Brown)

48-13 RNLB Princess Marina at Buckie, date unknown (Photo Cliff Crone)

48-13 Princess Marina pictured at the Basildon motor Museum in March 2003 )Photo Cliff Crone)

one)My special thanks must go to Kevin Cleaver and Tony Denton without whose help this page would not have been possible.

e-mail: lifeboatsonline@yahoo.co.uk