Salcombe History

1857 Silver Medals were awarded to William Wedge, James Turpin and David Warder for rescuing two people from Bantham Bar.

1869 The RNLI established a lifeboat station and a boathouse and slipway were built at South Sands.

1916 On 27 October Salcombe lifeboat capsized at the entrance to Salcombe Harbour drowning 13 of her crew of 15.

1917 One of the survivors of the lifeboat disaster, Edwin Distin, became coxswain of the new lifeboat and a new crew of 13 was formed in spite of the war.

1922 The lifeboat was moved to a permanent mooring in the harbour.

1925 The lifeboat station closed.

1929 Salcombe lifeboat station re-opened.

1931 The station’s first motor lifeboat was placed on service.

1940 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Edwin W Distin and Bronze Medals to each of the other seven crew members for rescuing 62 people from the steamer Tajandoen which was sunk by enemy action on 7 December 1939.

1944 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Edwin W Distin for rescuing 11 people from a salvage craft off Start Point on 4 December 1943.

1945 Salcombe lifeboat carried out a service one minute before the end of the War when it launched to a Norwegian mine sweeper.

1969 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.

1972 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain HW Distin for rescuing five crew from the fishing trawler Amelie Suzanne.

1979 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain John Griffiths after taking the lifeboat close to dangerous rocks and illuminating the coaster Heye P during the rescue of three crew by helicopter.

1983 A collective Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to the Coxswain and six crew members following the capsize of the lifeboat The Baltic Exchange during a service to an upturned inflatable dinghy on 10 April. There was fortunately no loss of life.

1988 The Tyne class lifeboat Baltic Exchange II was placed on service.

1992 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Frank Yeoman Smith when the lifeboat took the 1,200 ton coaster Janet C in tow and held her off the rocks at Start Point for three hours until the arrival of a tug in the early hours of 8 January. A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Staff Coxswain John Marjoram.

The boathouse was modified and provided a new museum and display area plus updated crew facilities.

1997 A Framed Letter of Thanks was awarded to Coxswain/Mechanic Frank Smith when the lifeboat towed the cargo vessel Ina clear of rocks near Bolt Head.

2002 Former Coxswain Frank Smith was awarded the MBE in the New Years Honours.

2003 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established and the new B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-794 Joan Bate, was placed on service on 7 November. This lifeboat was funded by the generous bequest of Miss Joan Bate.

2004 A new slipway, improvements to the ILB boathouse and a new all weather lifeboat berth were completed.


Station honours

At Salcombe lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Framed Letter of Thanks 3

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 2

Bronze Medal 9

Silver Medal 4