Cromer Lifeboat Henry Blogg ON 840
 Millie Walton/Henry Blogg ON840 | |
| Career | British RNLI Flag |
|---|---|
| Name: | Henry Blogg ON840 |
| Namesake: | Henry Blogg |
| Owner: | Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) |
| Builder: | Sussex Yacht Company Shoreham-by-Sea |
| Official Number: | ON 840 |
| Donor: | Legacy of Mrs M E Walton of Derby. |
| Station | Cromer |
| Cost: | £15,241 17s 6d |
| Laid down: | 1945 |
| Christened: | 7th August 1948 by Sir John Cunningham |
| In service: | No 1 Lifeboat from 20 December 1945 |
| Out of service: | 3 April 1966 |
| Fate: | The Henry Blogg was damaged while launching on service in April 1966, and never returned to Cromer. After repairs she entered the Reserve fleet serving until 1976. Sold out of service in April 1977 for the sum of £5,500 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Watson Class boat |
| Length: | 46 feet 9 inches (14.25 m) overall |
| Beam: | 12 feet 9 inches (3.89 m) |
| Installed power: | Twin Ferry VE4 Diesel engine of 40 brake horsepower (30 kW) |
| Speed: | 8.22 knots (15.22 km/h) |
HenryBlogg ON 840 was the eighteenth lifeboat to be stationed at Cromer in the county of Norfolk.[1]
ON 840 was stationed at Cromer from 1945 until 1966.
Contents
History
In 1945 after 10 years service which included busy service through the second world war H F Bailey ON777 was replaced with a new No 1 lifeboat in December 1945. The new lifeboat had the number ON 840 and had the name The Millie Walton. This lifeboat had originally been destined for Douglas on the Isle of man and had only been sent to Cromer for evaluation. The Millie Walton was a Watson class lifeboat but had a new midship steering position which the Cromer crew found much to their liking[1] and so after request from the Cromer crew, she remained at Cromer. In 1948 the Millie Watson was officially renamed The Henry Blogg in homage to Cromer’s famous lifeboat man Henry Blogg who was the Coxswain. Henry Blogg made his last voyage on the Millie Walton under the new coxswain Henry "Shrimp" Davies on the 4th September 1948 when he had then reached the age of 71. The call was to the rescue of the steam trawler Balmoral and 11 lives were saved. Henry Blogg retired after 53 years service with the service and he was the holder of the most awards by the RNLI.
Notable Rescues
Francois Tixier
In heavy seas on the 8 July 1948 a French steamer by the name of Francois Tixier[2] Bound from Goole to the French inland port of Rouen, got into difficulties of the north Norfolk coast four miles (6 km) off Sheringham[2]. The steamer was laden with a cargo of coal and in worsening gale she capsized. With the Sheringham lifeboat undergoing a refit[2] at Oulton Broad, Henry Blogg was launched to the steamers aid and stood by. With the Francois Tixier heavily listing on the port the lifeboat went alongside but the captain and his crew refused to leave the stricken vessel. Despite the attempts by the crew to secure the cargo, it shifted further to port. With their failed attempts to steady the vessel the captain and crew agreed to leave their ship. One crew man jumped into the water and was rescued; another reached the lifeboat by rope passed between the boats. Using a Breeches buoy, eight more of the crew were rescued[2]. After the eleventh crew man was rescued using the breeches buoy the stricken steamer rolled over and settled down under the sea. The last five remaining crew scrambled on to the stern and as the steamer slipped below the waves they scrambled on to a raft and were picked up by the lifeboat shortly after. The sixteen rescued French seaman were landed at Great Yarmouth by the Henry Blogg. In recognition of their efforts Coxswain Davies[2] and his crew were presented with awards by the French Government[2].
Sheringham Lifeboat Forester Centenary
On the 31st of May 1958[1] Henry Blogg took part in an unusual rescue when she was called to aid the Sheringham Lifeboat Forester Centenary[1]. This service began with a call at 9.50am to the Sheringham honorary secretary from the Trinity House Superintendent of Great Yarmouth requesting that a sick man be taken off the Dudgeon Light-vessel[1]. At 10.15am the Sheringham lifeboat Forester Centenary was launched with a doctor on board and she reached the light-vessel by 1.10pm. The doctor went aboard the light-vessel and dispensed a sedative[1] to the sick man and he was then strapped to a stretcher and transferred to the Forester Centenary. The lifeboat then set off on the return journey to her station. Nine miles north east from home at around 4.40pm the Forester Centenary was in trouble when her skew gear which drives the lifeboat's oil and water pumps broke down. Henry Blogg was called out and had to take the Sheringham lifeboat in to tow. Both boats arrived back at the Sheringham station at 7.00pm and the sick man was taken to Hospital[1].
Service and rescues
| Rescues from Cromer as Millie Walton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Casualty | Lives Saved | |
| 1946 | |||
| March 7 | Steamship CORCREST of London, assisted to save vessel | 22 | |
| Re-named Henry Blogg (ON 840) | |||
| 1947 | |||
| January 04 | Steam trawler BALMORAL of Grimsby, gave help and saved | 11 | |
| April 23 | Motor Yacht SWITHA of Inverness, gave help | ||
| July 8 | Motor vessel FRANCOIS TIXIER of Dunkirk, saved | 16 | |
| August 7 | Rubber dinghy, saved dinghy | 1 | |
| August 25-31 | Steamship MONTE NURIA of Bilbao, stood by and gave help | ||
| 1948 | |||
| September 2 | Rubber Dinghy, saved dinghy | 1 | |
| December 10 | Motor trawler GEORGES LANGANAY of Fecamp, assisted to save vessel | 19 | |
| December 20-21 | Motor vessel BOSPHORUS of Oslo, assisted to save vessel | 37 | |
| 1949 | |||
| October 4 | Yacht MARJELLEN, gave help | ||
| November 19 | Steamship SUNTRAP of London, Landed an injured man | ||
| 1950 | |||
| November 21 | Barge THYRA of Rochester, gave help | ||
| 1951 | |||
| January 9 | Cabin cruiser DIMCYL of Lowestoft, gave help | ||
| 1952 | |||
| July 24 | Gloster Meteor aeroplane, gave help | ||
| August 1 | Motor Yacht ZIPPALONG of Boston, gave help | ||
| November 23 | Steamship GROVE HILL of Middlesbrough, gave help | ||
| 1953 | |||
| June 11 | Sea Cadet Motor Vessel NORFOLK of Goole, saved vessel | 16 | |
| 1954 | |||
| October 2 | Cromer Light vessel, Landed a sick man, saving | 1 | |
| October 15 | Fishing boat WHY WORRY of Cromer, saved boat | 2 | |
| 1955 | |||
| February 19 | Bathers with rubber tyre, saved | 3 | |
| 1956 | |||
| February 19 | Steamship COLCHESTER of London, landed a body | ||
| August 10 | Yacht AMBIDA of Hull, saved yacht | 7 | |
| 1957 | |||
| September 9 | Sailing dinghy, saved dinghy | ||
| September 23-24 | Fishing boat BRITANNIA of Cromer, saved boat | 2 | |
| October 26 | Trawler JOHN WILLMENT of Lowestoft, took out doctor | ||
| 1958 | |||
| May 31 | RNLB FORESTERS CENTENARY of Sheringham, gave help | ||
| August 27 | Yacht WIMA of Rochester, gave help | ||
| 1959 | |||
| August 17 | Yacht, saved yacht | 2 | |
| September 5 | Motor Launch GAY CRUSADER of London, saved boat | 8 | |
| December 31 | Aircraft, Landed a body from motor vessel BROUGHTY of Dundee | ||
| 1960 | |||
| July 11 | Steam trawler CRADDOCK of Grimsby, gave help | ||
| August 3 | Rubber mattress, saved | 1 | |
| 1961 | |||
| February 16 | Haisborough Light-vessel, gave help | ||
| February 16 | Steam tanker WAVE CHIEF of London, gave help | ||
| March 8 | Motor vessel CORSTAN of London, landed a sick man | ||
| 1962 | |||
| May 29 | Cabin cruiser MAYFLY, saved cruiser | 5 | |
| September 23 | Yacht ELIZABETH ANN, saved yacht | 4 | |
| November 2 | HM Survey vessel SCOTT[3],Landed a sick man | ||
| November 24 | Motor vessel VISCOUNT of Groningen, gave help | ||
| 1963 | |||
| April 9 | Haisborough Light-vessel, landed sick man | ||
| May 12 | Sailing dinghy, saved dinghy | 1 | |
| June 11 | Motor vessel WARWICKBROOK of London, put a doctor aboard | ||
| December 23 | Motor fishing boat FOUR BROTHERS of Lowestoft, gave help | ||
| 1964 | |||
| March 11 | Motor vessel JOIKA of Oslo. Gave help | ||
| July 5 | Yacht SALLY BROWN of Boston, saved yacht | 2 | |
| 1965 | |||
| December 28 | Oil Rig SEA GEM, stood by | ||
| 1966 | |||
| January 16 | Steam salvage tug OCTOPUS of IJmuiden, escorted vessel | ||
| January 16 | Motor vessel START of Groningen, escorted vessel | ||
| April 3 | Oil rig CONSTELLATION, stood by rig | ||
| Total | |||
Gallery
- Henry Blogg Lifeboat.jpg
Henry Blogg puts to sea
Coxswain of Henry Blogg ON 840, Henry "Shrimp" Davies
- Shrimp Davis 1 Feb 2008 (2).JPG
Bust of Henry '"Shrimp"' Davies in the Henry Blogg Museum in Cromer.
.JPG)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 The Cromer Lifeboats, by Bob Malster & Peter Stibbons,:Poppyland Publishing, ISBN 0 946 148 21 X
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Cromer Lifeboat, A pictorial history, By Nicholas Leach & Paul Russell, Pub; Landmark Collector’s Library, ISBN 9781843063636
- ↑ David A Thomas, A companion to the Royal Navy, 1988, ISBN 0245545727
