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Falmouth’s bid farewell to the town’s Severn class lifeboat, Richard Cox Scott

Lifeboats News Release

Falmouth’s severn class lifeboat, Richard Cox Scott will leave Falmouth for a final time on Friday 31 January 2025. The lifeboat, which has reached the end of its operational life, will come off service on Friday 24 January after 23 years at the station. In what is expected to be an emotional

RNLI/Simon Culliford

Falmouth's Severn class lifeboat Richard Cox Scott

farewell, a week later, the lifeboat will be escorted by a flotilla of both working and recreational vessels out of the harbour, and pass a number of viewing locations to allow the community to say their goodbyes.

Falmouth’s new relief Shannon class lifeboat, 13-44 George and Frances Phelon will go on service on Saturday 25 January and remain at the station until Falmouth RNLI is allocated the station’s own Shannon class lifeboat later in 2025.

On Friday, 31 January, the station’s Shannon and Atlantic lifeboats and lifeboats from flank stations, will join Falmouth’s pilot and harbour boats to escort Richard Cox Scott out of the harbour. Recreational water users are encouraged to join at any point along the route, weather and conditions permitting, while those based on the land will have opportunities to wave the lifeboat off from the following locations -

*Please note timings are approximate.

11.00am – Richard Cox Scott will leave her berth in Pendennis Marina

11:20am - Prince of Wales Pier.

11:30am – Flushing Sailing Club, Falmouth Boat Co.

The lifeboat will turn and proceed down through the harbour channel.

12:00pm – St Mawes Harbour

12:30pm – Muster off Pendennis Point with lifeboats from The Lizard and Penlee

13:00pm – Richard Cox Scott will steam away with an escort until St Anthony’s Head.

The lifeboat will stop in at Salcombe for the night before continuing to the RNLI Lifeboat College in Poole the next day.

In her 23 years of service at Falmouth, RNLB Richard Cox Scott has launched on service over 500 times and the station’s volunteer crew have saved 12 lives in her care. As part of the farewell, the station’s visits team offered special tours of the lifeboat and welcomed over 360 people over the course of six days in January.

Coxswain Jonathan Blakeston will be joined by a volunteer crew to take the lifeboat out of the harbour for the very last time. He says;

‘Its been a busy few weeks and months with our volunteers very much focussed on the training and familiarisation on the new Shannon. They have all worked incredibly hard and dedicated time and energy to ensuring we are ready as a station to transition to the Shannon.

‘Drawing breath on this busy time, it’s been really heartening to see how many people have wanted to come down and take a look, one last time around Richard Cox Scott, she is a fantastic lifeboat that has served our station well and we will be sorry to say goodbye.

‘We’re expecting it to be an emotional day on Friday, and we’d love to see as many of the local community as can make it to see her off in style.’

Notes to Editors

· To register your interest in attending the event, please contact Amy on the details below along with any specific interview or filming requirements.

History of Richard Cox Scott

· Richard Cox Scott was built and fitted out at Souter’s Boatyard in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The funding had principally come from a bequest from Mrs Ruth Marygold Dix Scott who had passed away in May 1998 and bequeathed her residuary estate to the RNLI.

· Mrs Scott worked for a time as a commercial artist and designed, among others, the Ovaltine label. She retired to Cornwall with her husband Dick, a banker, in the early 1950’s. The couple had invested wisely in property during the wartime depression which had provided a considerable nest egg. Her husband died in 1959 and, although not enjoying the best of health, she could be seen swimming or canoeing on the Helford River. She was also a member of Mabe Choir.

· Mrs Scott had asked for her bequest to be used to provide a new lifeboat to be named Richard Cox Scott after her late husband. She hoped it would be stationed on the Cornish coast near her Mawnan Smith home so with the new lifeboat being allocated to Falmouth, her wish was granted.

· The brand new RNLB Richard Cox Scott was placed on service on 18 December 2001 and it wasn’t long before she was called out on service for the first time. It was at 18 minutes past midnight on 19 December that the new lifeboat launched, with Coxswain Alan Barnes in command, to help with the search for a 28ft working boat, reported overdue on a passage from Ponsharden to Cowlands Creek. The casualty was found by the all-weather lifeboat and it was taken in tow by the inshore lifeboat.

· The station was honoured when, on 1 May 2002, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, named Richard Cox Scott as one of her first engagements at the start of her Golden Jubilee of Great Britain. This was only the fourth time a reigning monarch had named a lifeboat. After the tour, the royal party went on board Richard Cox Scott and were taken on a tour of the harbour.

· The most significant service undertaken by Richard Cox Scott was to the cargo vessel Galina, with eight people on board. While on passage from the Baltic to Israel, the Galina lost all power in storm force conditions 5 miles south-east of Dodman Point and started drifting towards the coast with the danger of being driven ashore. Falmouth’s all-weather lifeboat, with the Fowey lifeboat also in attendance, succeeded in getting a line aboard and a tow established and managed to keep the casualty vessel away from the shore until an emergency towing vessel arrived and took over the tow. Falmouth RNLI Coxswain Mark Pollard was later awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal for his fortitude, exemplary leadership and outstanding seamanship in the rescue of the Galina. The other members of the Falmouth lifeboat crew received Medal Service Certificates for their crucial part in this service.

Information on the Shannon class lifeboat

· The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the RNLI fleet. Designed entirely in house by a team of RNLI engineers and built at the RNLI’s all weather lifeboat centre in Poole, Dorset, the charity harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure this new lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century rescue service.

· The Shannon will work alongside Falmouth’s current Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat to provide all weather cover to the port of Falmouth and beyond.

Media contacts

For further information, please contact Amy Caldwell, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, on 07920 818807 or [email protected] or contact the RNLI press office at [email protected] or on 01202 336789

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

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