Broughty Ferry (Dundee) History
1828 A Silver Medal was awarded to Daniel Kidd for rescuing three crew from the wrecked schooner Fancy.
1830 The first lifeboat was stationed at Buddon Ness by the River Tay Lifeboat Society.
1837 A Silver Medal was awarded to Lieut Peter Stark RN for rescuing three crew from the mast of the brigantine Two Sisters.
1838 A Gold Medal was awarded to Lieut Peter Stark RN for rescuing five men from the schooner Ranger wrecked on the Banks of the Tay.
1859 A lifeboat was placed at Broughty Ferry.
1861 Broughty Ferry and Buddon Ness lifeboats were taken over by the RNLI.
1862 A boathouse was built in Fisher Street and the Broughty Ferry lifeboat was launched from a carriage into the River Tay.
1863 The Buddon Ness lifeboat sank at her moorings after a small vessel collided with her. The station temporarily closed until a new lifeboat was sent in 1867.
1889 A slipway was built to improve launching.
1894 The Buddon Ness lifeboat station closed.
1909 A new boathouse and slipway were built for a new lifeboat.
1910 The station’s first motor lifeboat arrived at the station.
1920 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Charles Gall for rescuing six pilots from the wrecked cutter Daydream.
1931 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.
1940 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain James Coull and Bronze Medals to Acting Second Coxswain George B Smith and Motor Mechanic John Grieve for rescuing nine crew from the steam trawler Quixotic aground on Bell Rock on 5 December 1939.
1959 On 8 December the lifeboat Mona, first stationed at Broughty Ferry in 1935, was launched to assist the North Carr lightship that had broken adrift in exceptionally severe weather conditions. In the early hours of the morning the lifeboat capsized and her eight crew drowned. They were Ronald Grant, George Smith, Alexander Gall, John Grieve, George Watson, James Ferrier, John J Grieve and David Anderson.
A memorial plaque to the men who tragically lost their lives can be seen on the boathouse wall.
1960 The boathouse was adapted for the Watson class lifeboat.
1964 The first inshore lifeboat station in Scotland was established at Broughty Ferry with a D class lifeboat.
The slipway was altered to improve launching at high water.
1978 The Watson class lifeboat was withdrawn and replaced by an Arun class lifeboat, which was kept on moorings in the River Dee.
1980 The station was presented with a 150th anniversary Vellum.
1998 A new D class lifeboat, D-539 Hartlepool Dynamo, was placed on service in September.
2001 The Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth of Glamis replaced the Arun class.
2005 The station celebrated its 175th anniversary with a rededication of the lifeboat.
Station honours
At Broughty Ferry lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Bronze Medal 3
Silver Medal 3
Gold Medal 1
