R..N.L.B. J.W. Archer

The lifeboat R.N.L.B. J.W. ARCHER arrived at Wicklow Lifeboat Station in June 1956 and was commissioned into service on 14th July of that year. Throughout her delivery voyage to Wicklow Port, heavy weather was encountered and all onboard were extremely satisfied with the new lifeboat's performance.

She became the first lifeboat there to rely solely on engine power for propulsion. Prior to that, previous lifeboats, even though they were fitted with an engine, still had to maintain the capacity to use sails, and indeed oars, should they be required. The new lifeboat was equipped with many enhancements, such as a RNLI commercially produced engine and covered spaces on board where the crew could shelter from the elements.

Unfortunately, this came at a significant price: the lifeboat was no longer self-righting. So if the unthinkable happened and she capsized, she would remain upside down. The J.W. ARCHER was fitted with a grab rail on her underside which would give the crew something to hang onto if such a situation arose.

The ARCHER, as she became affectionately known, was named after her benefactor, James W. Archer of Bournemouth in the UK, who presented funds to the RNLI to build lifeboats. She became the second lifeboat he had funded.

She was built by William Osborne of Littlehampton as a 42ft Watson class lifeboat at a cost of £27,871. Her twin 48hp Gardner diesel engines gave her a top speed of 8.5 knots, with a fuel capacity for 220 miles. Along with a crew of seven, she was capable of carrying up to 70 survivors.

After 31 years of stalwart and invaluable service to our station, the ARCHER finally left Wicklow on 15th September 1987. During that time, she had launched 169 times and along with her dedicated and selfless crews, saved 75 lives. 

I have great memories of this boat going right back to my childhood. I used to run regularly from my home in Dunbur Park with my Brownie box camera to the harbour to see her launching down the slipway after receiving a distress message. 

Back in the day, there was no such thing as a pager system, as is currently the case in all lifeboat stations The callout procedure in the 1970s was the launching of two maroons or rockets to call the crew. Depending on weather conditions, the thundering echo of the two rockets would reverberate across all areas of the town, so everyone - including the crew members - became aware that the local lifeboat was going to launch. Whenever I managed to get to the harbour in time, I was fascinated by the whole launching procedure.

The ARCHER is currently privately owned by Hugh Searle who is doing his very best to restore and maintain her, based as they both are in the small Welsh harbour of Porth Penrhyn. Under his ownership, the vessel has frequently visited Ireland for heritage events and maritime festivals, including to her old home port of Wicklow. 

It was on one of these visits several years ago that I discovered the ARCHER, Hugh Searle and myself had something in common. It was just an incredible coincidence that all three of us shared almost the same birthday, with barely a month or so between us!

I have just recently retouched my mural of the J. W. ARCHER, as she is still so fondly remembered in Wicklow for her long and dedicated service to the community. She remains a prized heritage! As well as a photo of my mural of her, I also feature here an old photo of her launching down the slipway on one of her many service runs throughout her years at Wicklow Port.