Hartlepool’s Princess Royal

THE British People are an island race that has deep maritime roots.  The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, found in 1824 is a proud part of this tradition.   Hartlepool has seen the return and restoration of its wartime lifeboat, the Princess Royal.  She now has a new role as cruiser offering day trips along the coast.

Lifeboat Princess Royal is a Kingstown Class vessel, with a carrying capacity of 120, that first came to Hartlepool in 1939.  It was dedicated by HRH Princess Mary, the Princess Royal in 1941.

The Princess Royal had already proved her worth by helping to rescue the first Spitfire pilot to be shot down during the Second World War.  It was awarded the RNLI Gold Medal, equivalent to the Victoria Cross for rescuing five crew members from the SS Hawkwood in extremely rough seas and other missions.  Her eight man crew were all decorated with one Gold Medal to the Coxswain, one Silver Medal and six Bronze Medals.

She saved a total of a 122 lives before leaving the town in 1968 to become a reserve lifeboat at Humber, Lerwick, Kirkwall, Stromness, St Peter Port, Falmouth, Weymouth, Dunbar and Exmouth, then serving in the Orkney Islands.  She was decommissioned at Plymouth in 1976.

Princess Royal was owned by a series of private people until 1998.  Her last owner, Mr Osbourne died and his widow, Christine and family donated her to the people of Hartlepool.  She sailed home from Barry Island at Easter 2000 to be placed on the National Resister of Historic Vessels of the United Kingdom.

Restoration work began on the sixty year lifeboat, which was found to be in a worse state than originally thought. Local craftsmen, apprentices and students worked at getting shipshape.  Authentic parts were sourced from as far afield as Ireland.

Her forward cabin was panelled out and lockers were installed to store life jackets for her passengers.  It was modified to include a sea toilet and seating was added.

She was now ready to return to the water.  The amount of water that she shipped alarmed people who were not used to wooden boats, but her pumps held.  The vessel was now rewired and equipped with a state of the art navigation system, echo sounder and fish finder.

Her big day came in October 2004 when HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal rededicated her, making her the only vessel to have been dedicated by two different Princess Royals.

The Princess Royal began her new life as a cruiser giving tourists day trips around the bay and marina.  They can look at the headland, which has had human habitation since prehistoric times and there is almost permanent archaeological digging going on there.

The marina houses the Historic Navy Dockyard with HMS Trincomalee, the oldest British warship afloat as its centrepiece.

More details can be obtained from 01429 280853.