Wooden Ships Comments on this Ex RNLB Watson Class Lifeboat
Ex RNLB Samuel and Marie Parkhouse built by J. Samuel White & Co. Ltd of Cowes in 1938.
Now called Oniros, she is a 46’ Watson Class Life boat, Official No. 805.
The boat saw active service as the Salcombe lifeboat from 1938 – 1962. This lifeboat alters from others of her class to make her more suitable for local conditions. The bar across the entrance of Salcombe harbour can break in heavy seas, so her draft is less than normal and her stern post and rudder assembly strengthened. The turtle back deck structures were designed to shed water from the decks when pushing out through the entrance of the harbour in heavy weather.
Her first active service came on 7th December 1939 when she saved 62 people after the Dutch passenger liner was hit with a torpedo from a German U-boat. In all she launched 126 times in her years of service.
Bought by the current owners in 2009, her external appearance has been returned largely to original, with her funnel, open backed helm position and many custom bronze fittings. The interior has been converted as far as possible to give a forward cabin with 4 berths and a heads. The galley area is located under the shelter in the cockpit.
This is a lifeboat rich with history and stories, a fine solid vessel that has been returned as far as possible to her original external layout and although not a luxury cruising motor yacht, she is a living part of our maritime history.
Length on deck 46’
Beam 13’6”
Draft 3’9”
Displacement 23 tons
Construction
- Double diagonal mahogany, copper riveted together with calico and white lead between the layers. Total thickness of 1”.
- Steamed oak frames with sawn oak frames in way of bulkheads.
- External lead ballast keel.
- Galvanised strap floors across the centreline and prop tunnels.
- Decks made from 1” double diagonal mahogany as with the hull. Recently sheathed in epoxy glass cloth and finished with grey deck paint. This gives her a low maintenance water tight deck.
- Engine room cover and forehatch surround in painted galvanised steel. Turtle back cockpit shelter made with diagonal mahogany, sheathed in epoxy glass cloth and finished in 2 pack varnish.
- Open backed cockpit and helm position with a large wooden wheel connected with rods to the rudder.
Rig
- Fore and aft masts with stainless steel standing rigging.
- Headsail and small mainsail set on the main mast.
- Small Bermudan mizzen sail.
Machinery
- 2 x Garnder 6LX 110hp diesel engines with 2UC Gardner gearboxes.
- These engines came from the Oakley class RNLB ‘Princess Marina’.
- Single lever Morse controls at the helm. Crusing speed of 7.2 knots. Top speed of 8.2 knots.
- The propellers are housed in tunnels in the hull in the usual lifeboat fashion to help protect them from damage. Scuttles in the tunnels enable access from inside the boat should the props get fouled when on service.
- 1 gearbox rebuilt in 2024.
- 2 banks of 2 x 12 volt batteries give 24 volt starting for each engine.
- Single 12 volt battery for domestic use, nav lights etc is trickle charged from the start banks..
- 4 x separate fuel tanks with a total capacity 207 gallons (930 litres). 2 x original brass tanks of 60 gallons each. 47 gallon plastic Vetus tank and a 40 gallon stainless steel tank.
- Fresh water is stored in jerry cans under the cockpit side decks, total of 20 gallons.
- 2 x electric bilge pumps in the engine space.
- 2 x engine driven salvage pumps.
- Original manual bilge pump screws into deck fittings to pump out various different areas of the bilge.
Accommodation
- As with most life boats, a large area of the interior is taken up with the engine room midships.
- The accommodation is in the forward part of the vessel with access through the forehatch. Companion ladder down into the saloon with a central table and a saloon settee berth either side.
- Outboard under the side decks either side is a pilot berth.
- Door through the aft bulkhead of the saloon towards the engine room. Heads compartment with a Baby Blake sea toilet to starboard and hand basin to port.
- Access through the engine room back t the cockpit.
- Aft cockpit with a shelter under the back of the deck structure. Gas cooker located in here against the forward bulkhead. Manual hand pump from the jerry cans for water.
- Chart desk to port under the shelter.
- The cockpit has a bench thwart across the aft end and lockers either side. A canvas hood on pram style hoops can be erected enclosing in the cockpit and creating another dry living space. This cover has zipped side doors and windows.
- The original forward cockpit space and buoyancy chamber has been altered to give a large storage space right in the bows.
Equipment
- Steering compass
- Garmin GPSmap 162
- ICOM IC-M401E VHF
- Garmin GPSmap 556 plotter with sounder
- Sounder
- Koden radar
- Kent Clearview screen (not functioning)
- Original RNLI Fishermans anchor
- Danforth anchor
- Manual windlass
- 30m x 14mm chain
- Fenders
- Warps
- Emergency tiller
- Manual fog horn
- Electric horn on funnel
- Bunk and berth cushions
- Vanessa Flavel 2 burner gas stove
- Manual hand water pump
- Baby Blake sea toilet
- 5 x 12 volt batteries
- Sterling DC-DC converter charging domestic 12 volt battery
- Cockpit tent/cover with stainless steel frame
- Standard cockpit cover
- Jib
- Mainsail
- Mizzen
