Littlehampton History
1840 A Gold Medal was awarded to Coastguards Lt T Macnamara and Silver Medal to Lt G Davies for rescuing 14 people after the brigantine Victoria and the sloop Lively were driven ashore in an extremely violent storm.
1884 The RNLI established a lifeboat station and a boathouse was built on the east bank of the River Arun.
1903 The boathouse was moved to a new site close to the lighthouse.
1915 The last horse-drawn launch was made at the station.
1921 The station closed, partly because there was very little shipping at the port and no suitable men were available to man the lifeboat, but also because a new motor lifeboat was to be placed at Selsey. The all weather lifeboat was withdrawn.
1967 The station reopened and an inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat. This lifeboat was funded by the viewers of the BBC television programme Blue Peter and was named Blue Peter I.
1970 A cyclone and tidal waves hit East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in November causing major flooding and damage. Crew Members CR Cole and CJ Pelham flew out to assist with the training of Pakistan nationals in the use of 20 inshore lifeboats sold to the Red Cross for use in the disaster area. The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to them and they were also recognised by the Red Cross for their humanitarian efforts in the form of certificates. The RNLI’s team were the first relief workers to be sent from Britain to the disaster area.
1972 The D class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced by a B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat.
1979 A new ILB boathouse was built near Fisherman’s Quay.
1982 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman David William Woollven, and Framed Letters of Thanks to Crew Members Geoff Warminger and Michael McCartain when the lifeboat launched in a force 8 gale and in seas up to 12ft high. They landed four people from a sailing dinghy and the trimaran Lara of Bosham on 19 September 1981.
1999 As part of the RNLI’s 175th anniversary crew members from Littlehampton took part in the last ever Royal Tournament in London. Based on a dramatic rescue, and in keeping with the Royal Tournament's competitive theme, lifeboat crews from Brighton and Littlehampton competed to see who could reach their lifeboat station, change into dry suits, lifejackets and helmets and launch their lifeboat first.
2002 A new boathouse was completed for both the Atlantic and a D class lifeboat and their launching tractors.
The new Atlantic 75, B-779 Blue Peter I, arrived at the station. The station also received a second inshore lifeboat, a D class.
2005 The new D class (IB1-type) inshore lifeboat, D-631, was named Spirit of Juniper after it was generously donated by the Campaign for Real Gin.
Station honours
At Littlehampton lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Framed Letter of Thanks 2
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 3
Silver Medal 1
Gold Medal 1
