47ft Watson-class lifeboat
The 47 ft Watson-class was a class of non self-righting displacement hull lifeboat built from 1955 to 1963 and operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution between 1956 and 1991.
History
The 47 ft Watson was the final development of the basic hull design laid out by George Lennox Watson in the late nineteenth century and was designed by James Barnett. They were the final Watson type boats to be built and survived in service almost to the end of the displacement hull era. The prototype, Dunnet Head , was built in 1955 and was placed on station at in January 1956. Unfortunately, on 10 December 1956, the boathouse at Thurso caught fire and both it and the lifeboat inside were destroyed. No further 47 ft Watsons were built during 1956 and production of the 46 ft 9in Watson continued during that year. Production of the new type resumed in 1957, with the first being a replacement boat for Thurso, still Civil Service no.31, but named Pentland. Production continued until 1963 when large displacement hull development turned to the self-righting 48 ft 6in Oakley-class and later Solent-class.Description
Compared to the preceding 46ft 9in Watson-class lifeboat, the new boats had a hull extended by 3 inches in both length and beam. The wheelhouse was fully enclosed with sliding doors on either side and there were bulwarks above the fenders fore and aft and, from the second boat, the forward cabin was increased in size. As with the previous year's 42ft Watson-class, the boats were powered by commercial diesel engines rather than the RNLI designed units used previously. In this case, two 60 bhp Gardner 5LW five cylinder diesels were fitted with the exhaust being taken up the mast as on the later 46 ft 9in boats. As built, the boats had line aerials rigged from the forward mast to a pole mast aft of the rear cabin. During their careers, this rig was replaced by twin pole aerials and the aft mast was removed. Radar was fitted on a bracket on the port side of the rear cabin roof. From 1973, the boats were modified to become self-righting by, in most cases, the fitting of an air bag on the starboard side of the rear cabin roof, adjacent to the radar. This gave a once only self-righting ability which was successfully deployed when 's The Baltic Exchange capsized on service in 1983. Six boats were rebuilt with larger forward and aft superstructures which made them inherently self-righting. In these boats the masts were removed and the exhaust outlets were on the side of the hull. The engines in these six were uprated to 70 bhp and these modified boats were the longest lasting of the type, all but one serving into the 1990s.Fleet
ON is the RNLI's sequential Official Number.| ON | Name | Built | Builder | In service | Stations | Comments |
| 920 | Dunnet Head | 1955 | William Osborne, Littlehampton | 1956 | Destroyed by fire in boathouse 10/12/1956 | |
| 940 | Pentland | 1957 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1957–1970 1970–1974 1974–1985 1986–1990 | Relief fleet | Self-righting mods 1974-5. Sold March 1991 |
| 947 | Margaret | 1958 | Groves & Guttridge, Cowes | 1959–1986 | Sold in 1987 | |
| 950 | Kathleen Mary | 1959 | William Osborne, Littlehampton | 1959–1977 1979–1987 1987–1988 1988–1990 | Relief fleet | Self-righting mods 1978-9. Sold April 1990 |
| 951 | Francis K. Wotherspoon of Paisley | 1959 | William Osborne, Littlehampton | 1959–1979 1979–1982 1981 1982–1986 | Relief fleet | Sold October 1986 |
| 953 | Sarah Jane and James Season | 1960 | Groves & Guttridge, Cowes | 1960–1986 1986–1988 | Sold in 1989 | |
| 954 | Solomon Browne | 1960 | William Osborne, Littlehampton | 1960–1981 | Wrecked on service 19/12/1981. Eight crew lost. | |
| 955 | The Robert | 1960 | William Osborne, Littlehampton | 1960–1978 1978–1984 1985–1988 1989–1991 | Self-righting mods 1976-7. Sold February 1992 | |
| 957 | The Jeanie | 1961 | Groves & Guttridge, Cowes | 1961–1986 | Sold in 1987 | |
| 958 | Laura Moncur | 1961 | Groves & Guttridge, Cowes | 1961–1984 1984–1988 1986–1987 | Relief fleet | Self-righting mods 1972-3. Sold November 1988 |
| 959 | Helen Wycherley | 1961 | Groves & Guttridge, Cowes | 1961–1969 1969–1987 | Whitehills | Sold December 1988 |
| 962 | T.G.B. | 1962 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1962–1969 1970–1978 1979–1985 | Relief fleet | Capsized on service at Longhope 17/3/1969, eight crew lost. Sold in 1986. Now at the Scottish Maritime Museum. |
| 963 | A.M.T. | 1962 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1962–1986 1987–1989 | Relief fleet | Sold June 1989 |
| 964 | The Baltic Exchange | 1962 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1962–1988 | Capsized on service 10/4/1983, righted by air bag. Sold in 1989 | |
| 965 | Louisa Anne Hawker | 1962 | Groves & Guttridge, Cowes | 1962–1986 | Sold August 1987 | |
| 969 | William Myers and Sarah Jane Myers | 1963 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1963–1990 1990–1992 | Relief fleet | Self-righting mods 1975-6. Sold in 1992 |
| 970 | Frederick Edward Crick | 1963 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1963–1986 | Sold October 1986 | |
| 971 | Joseph Soar | 1963 | J. Samuel White, Cowes | 1963–1985 1986–1988 1988–1990 | Self-righting mods 1976-7. Sold August 1992 |