Urgent appeal launched to save former Hartlepool lifeboat The Princess Royal from the scrapheap
An appeal has been launched to save an iconic piece of Hartlepool’s maritime history from the scrapheap.
Former lifeboat The Princess Royal, which served the town from 1939 to 1968 and saved 122 lives, is looking for a new home – and time is running out.
For around the last five years she has been kept on land at Hartlepool Marina. But she is now in poor condition and requires considerable restoration.
The marina, and former town yachtsman Mike Fellows, 79, are reaching out to the community to try to find a saviour.
Marina bosses say they need the space by the end of January, and say if a new home can’t be found by then, the Princess Royal faces being dismantled and disposed of.
Mike says that would be “a travesty” adding: “A chunk of Hartlepool history will disappear”.
He said: “It’s sad to see her like this. This boat has saved 122 lives and deserves to be saved for the town."
Mike, who had a yacht at the marina for many years and once sailed around the UK single-handed, said marina bosses have tried in vain to attract the interest of local businesses.
He has also contacted potential rescuers including Sunderland’s Maritime Heritage Museum, without success.
Mike added: “It’s a Hartlepool boat. I could understand it if it was from somewhere else. It’s a shame because once it’s gone, it’s gone.”
He believes she would make an ideal restoration project for a local businesses and apprentices, or skilled craftspeople.
Hartlepool Marina said in a post on social media: “This remarkable 46ft Watson-class lifeboat has an incredible history, including wartime rescues and an RNLI Gold Medal-winning rescue.
“Sadly, she is now in poor condition and requires considerable restoration and TLC. However, with the right care and commitment, she could once again become a wonderful historic display vessel, preserving an important part of Hartlepool's heritage.”
The vessel rescued one of the first downed Spitfire pilots over the North Sea in 1940.
In 2000, she was relocated from Barry Island, in Essex, to Hartlepool, and rededicated by The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in 2004
The marina is offering her free of charge to any individual, preservation group, museum or organisation willing to restore her.
Inquiries should be made by email to: [email protected]