The R.N.L.B. ANNIE BLAKER

The R.N.L.B. ANNIE BLAKER

Saturday, 30th September 1989 was a day I will never forget with the arrival of the new Tyne Class Lifeboat, R.N.L.B. ANNIE BLAKER as she made her way towards the entrance of Wicklow Harbour to be greeted by throngs of people scattered across the East Pier and the Black Castle area. 

Two maroons were fired that were heard above the cheers as the vessel crossed the harbour entrance. She was escorted by the relief lifeboat and many fishing boats and yachts, all of which were decked out with colourful flags.

Her crew, who had been away for the previous two weeks undergoing training with the new boat along the south coast of England ahead of the week-long delivery voyage back to Wicklow, became very emotional at the great welcome they received.

Prior to this wonderful occasion, major works had just been successfully completed on the adaptation of the boathouse and the slipway to accommodate the station's first new high-speed, slipway-launched, offshore lifeboat. This involved the construction of a two-storey extension to the side of the existing building, improved crew facilities, a refurbished winch, and a shop. 

The R.N.L.B. ANNIE BLAKER was placed on station shortly afterwards and was financed by the generous bequest of Anna Lydia Blaker, together with other funds. As a young woman, she had grown up by the sea at Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, where she had formed a great admiration of the work of the lifeboat institution. She left home at an early age to work as a nanny, and travelled to Canada and Europe before returning home to work in a furniture shop which she inherited. She was known locally as a 'somewhat remarkable lady and a memorable character'.

The ANNIE, as the boat had become affectionately known locally, contrasted greatly to all the lifeboats preceding her. The Tyne class lifeboat, with its steel hull, was 47 feet long - hence the lifeboat number on her hull being 47-035. Weighing in at 24 tons, her twin 425hp diesel engines produced a top speed of 18 knots and an operational radius of 120 miles. She was state of the art as her watertight aluminium wheelhouse allowed her to self-right, and she was fitted with the latest electronic navigation and communications equipment.

All the new technology associated with her came at a price, however: namely, the priority need for regular crew training. The crew needed to know where everything was, be able to locate it quickly in the dark, and know how to use it. The speed meant that distances were covered quicker, so navigation had to be more precise.

During her long 30 years of valiant service to the local station, the ANNIE clocked up 348 launches on callouts and, in turn, rescued 408 people. She was also acknowledged to be the last slipway-launched lifeboat in Ireland during her later years in service, as well as being the very last Tyne Class lifeboat to finish her service to the RNLI institution.

I had the great pleasure of painting the mural of the R.N.L.B. ANNIE BLAKER on the pier wall gallery in 1990, alongside the mural of the earlier Wicklow lifeboat, the R.N.L.B. J.W. ARCHER - much to the delight of everyone who saw them both. 

My earliest connection with the ANNIE occurred about a week before she arrived for the first time in Wicklow. I happened to be away exploring South Devon and Cornwall at the same time that the crew were training with the new boat off the south coast of England. While out walking around the quaint Cornish fishing village of Polperro one sunny morning, I heard the roaring engine noise associated with the Tyne Class in the distance. Minutes later, I could not believe my eyes when I saw her passing by out at sea. 

Several days later, by another strange coincidence, I saw her moored alongside the marina in the South Devon fishing port of Brixham. Incredibly, I met some of the crew there, and had a great chat and a quick look around our new lifeboat. From that moment on, I really loved the boat!

Sunday, 28th April 2019 was a momentous day, and a sad one in a way, as the ANNIE was making her final launch down the slipway and leaving Wicklow for the last time. A tremendous crowd turned out to bid her an emotional farewell. The Arklow and Dun Laoghaire lifeboats had arrived to pay their respects to this special boat, culminating in a remarkable parade of lifeboats off the harbour, with ANNIE leading the pack. It was the last time that I was to hear the distinctive roaring sound of the Tyne Class diesel engines at our station, as she was replaced by a much faster Shannon Class lifeboat.

Following her decommissioning, the vessel went into private ownership at Portishead in the Bristol Channel. Several years later, she was bought by Buz White from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, who runs a boat charter business there. It was always his ambition to own and operate a former RNLI lifeboat, having retired as coxswain of his local St. Peter Port lifeboat in 2022 after 40 years of service to the RNLI. 

He travelled to Portishead to pick up the ANNIE from her previous owner and then transported the old lifeboat on an articulated lorry down the M25 motorway to the south coast of England, where she was lifted into the water and completed the rest of her journey to the Channel Islands under the power of those incredible diesel engines of hers. 

She is now licensed to carry up to 12 passengers on cruises around Guernsey and nearby islands. It is great to know that ANNIE is still very much in action in a different role. While the last Tyne Class was stationed at Wicklow, there were others previously stationed in Ireland at Arranmore, Lough Swilly, Kilmore Quay, and Baltimore. Eventually, as in Wicklow's case, they were all replaced by the faster Shannon Class of lifeboats capable of speeds of up to 25 knots.

Along with a photo of my mural, I feature here a photo of a typical slipway launch of ANNIE, a photo courtesy of Patrick Browne, RNLI, showing the vessel's final departure from Wicklow Harbour, and a black-and-white selfie at the bow of the lifeboat.