Angle Lifeboat Station
2009
26th November 2009
Brave lifeboatmen remembered on
80th anniversary of 'Molesey' rescue
By Ted Goddard, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Angle
A dramatic rescue operation, in which 28 lives were saved by RNLI Angle's first motor lifeboat, is recalled this month on the 80th anniversary of the incident.
The 3,809 ton merchant ship Molesey had sailed light from Manchester on Sunday, 24 November, 1929.
She carried a crew of 31, plus two women passengers, a stewardess (wife of the first officer), and two stowaways,
Originally named Rokeby, she had been built 30 years previously at Stockton-on-Tees by Messrs Ropner and Son.
Now her destination was Cardiff, where she was to be dry docked before being handed over to new foreign owners.
But as she headed down the Irish Sea, she ran into a 70 mph south-westerly gale and took a severe battering. In the early hours of the following day, she was drifting off the Pembrokeshire coast towards Skokholm Island and was eventually swept into the treacherous waters of Jack Sound, between Skomer Island and the mainland. 
Both anchors were let go, but the vessel grounded on rocks off the south-east corner of Midland Island. She was immediately holed and began sinking.
An attempt was made to establish an escape route to the island with a 40 foot ladder, but this was washed away. Of the four ship's lifeboats, three were swept from the deck and the fourth could not be launched.
Several of the crew attempted to jump from the ship to the rocks and were drowned. Others were drowned when the starboard side of the bridge was washed away. The remainder sheltered in various places amidships, and from time to time distress rockets were sent up.
The ship's SOS had been picked up at Fishguard and a message was relayed to Tenby Coastguards.
As the storm had blown down the telephone and telegraph lines between Tenby and Pembroke, the message alerting Angle lifeboat had to be taken part of the way by car.It took nearly two hours for the distress signal to reach Angle lifeboat station's Honorary Secretary, William Gutch. But the station's RNLI motor lifeboat, Elizabeth Elson, was quickly launched and she met the full force of the storm as she rounded St Anne's Head and made for Skokholm.
A thorough search was made in the vicinity of the island, but nothing was found and the lifeboat returned to her station two hours later.
New information was received by Coastguards later in the day that the Molesey was in fact stranded on Midland Island and the lifeboat was launched again at 7.45pm, battling through heavy seas to reach the casualty.
Visibility was barely 70 yards and although Coxswain Watkins took the lifeboat so close to the island that the breakers could be seen, no ship could be distinguished.
He wisely decided to return to the shelter of the Milford Haven Waterway to await daylight and at 6am on the Tuesday, November 26th, set out again. This time, the stricken steamship - which was low down in the water and had great seas breaking over her - was located.
The conditions made the lifeboat's approach difficult, but she anchored and managed to manoeuvre alongside the Molesey. The task of taking the survivors off proved very difficult and extremely dangerous. The lifeboat was rising and falling up to 20 feet in the confused seas and there were rocks on both sides.
But, in an hour-long operation, 28 survivors - including the captain, George Huntley, two women passengers and a crewman with both legs broken - were taken off.
It was subsequently established that six crew 
members and the wife of the chief officer, William Henry Stocks, had been lost in the mountainous seas soon after the ship struck the island.
They were Frederick W. Inch, 3rd Engineer; E. Redvers King, Wireless Operator; Charles Mattson, Carpenter; John Ellertsen, Sailor; Thomas McGinn, Ordinary Seaman; Ahmed Said, Fireman, and Ethel Stocks, Stewardess. Second Officer W. Shannon received serious injuries in the wreck and subsequently died of his injuries.
Five Marloes fishermen, accompanied by naturalist Ronald Lockley, of Skokholm Island, had rowed out at daybreak to reach the Molesey. But as they neared the wreck, they saw Angle lifeboat coming up from the south and knew it would be better for the Elizabeth Elson to take off all the survivors in one operation
Angle lifeboat reached Milford Haven at 11am and after landing the Molesey's crew and two women passengers, she returned to her station.
The St David's motor lifeboat, General Farrell, had also been alerted the previous night, with Coxswain Ivor Arnold and his crew battling through floods to reach their lifeboat station. The lifeboat was launched at midnight and reached the position of the Molesey at 2.30 am.
There was no response to flares burnt from the lifeboat, so Coxswain Arnold - like Angle's Coxswain James Watkins - decided to resume the search at daybreak.
As the conditions made it impossible to wait in the area, he put into the Milford Haven Waterway for shelter. Angle lifeboat was also waiting there, but without radio the two lifeboats remained out of touch.
At daylight, the St David's boat again went in search of the Molesey. When the wreck was found, Coxswain Arnold knew he had been close to it when the flares were fired. By now, the survivors had already been taken off and Coxswain Arnold and his crew battled their way back across St Brides Bay to return to their station after 12 hours at sea.
Ronald Lockley, who had first spotted the wreck on Midland Island and informed Coastguards, returned to his Skokholm Island home the next day.
As his boat passed the wreck, he and a companion heard a weak call from near the ship. A Maltese fireman, Paola Attard, who had remained hidden on board during the rescue operation and was believed drowned, had managed to reach rocks on Midland. Lockley took his boat alongside the island and Molesey's last survivor was brought to safety.
A Board of Trade inquiry into the loss of the ship was held over two days at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, in May 1930. The court found a combination of causes:
* The sudden shift of wind from SSE to SSW, which developed into a very hard gale.
* The light condition of the vessel which in the weather conditions encountered rendered her unmanageable.
* The action of the master in passing between the Smalls and the mainland in doubtful weather conditions with a vessel which he already knew was unmanageable in a strong wind.
Angle Coxswain James Watkins was later awarded the RNLI's Bronze Medal in recognition of his judgement, perseverance and fine seamanship. The lifeboat's Motor Mechanic, Edgar Rees, was voted the Thanks of the RNLI on Vellum for his efficient handling of the lifeboat's engines throughout the service.
Thanks on Vellum also went to Lifeboat Honorary Secretary, William Gutch, who had done everything possible to obtain information and, although not a seaman, had accompanied the lifeboat on the third and successful search. Letters of Appreciation were sent to the other members of the Angle crew, Second Coxswain David Phillips, William Watkins (brother of the Coxswain), Fred Morse, Leslie Phillips, Tommy Greathead and Alfred Watkins (son of the Coxswain).
Thanks on Vellum were also voted to Coxswain Arnold, of St David's, for his good judgement and fine seamanship.
Letters of Appreciation were sent to the crew of St David's lifeboat, and to the Honorary Secretary, Dr Joseph Soar, organist at St David's Cathedral and, like Mr Gutch, not a seaman, who had accompanied the lifeboat on her service. The Foreman of Works to RNLI engineers Messrs Lewis and Lewis, Mr O. T, Evans, was also thanked for going out with the lifeboat.
The RNLI also paid tribute to the Marloes fishermen and Ronald Lockley for their brave part in the rescue, and to the village postmaster for passing messages during the operation.
The attention of the Board of Trade was drawn to the help received from the Divisional Officer of Tenby Coastguards and the men under his command.
The owners of the Molesey, Messrs Watts, Watts and Company - the British Steamship Company - sent a donation of £105 to the RNLI ' as some small recognition of the fine work by the Angle and St Davids motor lifeboats'. They also sent £20 to the Marloes fishermen.
A final accolade came from Pembrokeshire County Council, which passed a formal resolution recording its 'high appreciation of the gallantry of the crews of lifeboats stationed in the county and of the gallantry of the fishermen of Marloes'.
Coxswain James Watkins travelled to London the following April for the RNLI's annual meeting at Caxton Hall, Westminster, where he was presented with his Bronze Medal by Admiral Sir Roger Keyes.
Coxswain Watkins was one of seven RNLI medallists of the great gales which hit the British Isles between October 1929 and January 1930.
Bravery medal winners, including Angle's Coxswain James Watkins, at the RNLI's annual meeting in April 1930. They are (left to right): Coxswain James Wickham, Rosslare Harbour; Honorary Secretary W. J. B. Moncas, Rosslare Harbour; Coxswain Harry A, Griggs junior, Hythe; Coxswain Douglas Oiller, Dungeness; Coxswain James Watkins, Angle; Coxswain Richard Payne, Newhaven, and Coxswain John Swanson, Longhope.
Picture: RNLI.
A second ceremony was held later at Angle, when Brigadier-General Sir F. C. Meyrick presented the Bronze Medal to James Watkins, and the Thanks of the RNLI inscribed on Vellum to Motor Mechanic Edgar Rees and Honorary Lifeboat Secretary William Gutch.
Edgar Rees' grandson is Jerry Rees, Coxswain of Angle's present all-weather lifeboat, the Tamar class Mark Mason. Jerry is an RNLI Bronze Medallist and among his volunteer crew members are James Watkins' great great nephews, Deputy Second Coxswain Alun Watkins, Bryan Watkins and Helmsman Mark Lynas.
Coxswain James Watkins is Angle's most decorated lifeboatman. He was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for saving six persons from the motor vessel Thor in 1943 and a clasp to his MoleseyBronze Medal for rescuing nine men from the steamer Walter L. M. Russ in 1945.
He retired in 1946 after 24 years as Coxswain and was succeeded by his son, Alfred, who had been on the Molesey service.
The Elizabeth Elson, a Watson class non self-righter built at cost of £8,253 by J. S. White, of Cowes, Isle of Wight, from a legacy of the late Benjamin Elson, of Hove, Sussex, had arrived at Angle in January 1929, but she was not formally named until August 1932 by Mary, Lady Meyrick.
The motor lifeboat was housed in a new £20,000 station, built the previous year. The boathouse remained a landmark on the shores of the Milford Haven Waterway until 1992, when it was demolished following the completion of the present station.
The Elizabeth Elson served at Angle until 1957, when she was allocated to the RNLI's relief fleet. She was a relief lifeboat right up until 1968, when she was sold and in 2004 was in use as a pleasure boat, with a wheelhouse added, at Sneem, Co. Kerry, Ireland.
28th August 2009
Officers and members of Pembroke Haven Yacht Club were welcomed to Angle RNLI lifeboat station on Thursday as a thank-you for their gift of two sofas for the crewroom.
The visitors toured the station’s new £2.7m Tamar class all-weather lifeboat Mark Mason and saw the launch of the D-class inshore lifeboat Richard John Talbot Hillier (crewed by Helmsman Mark Roch, Sarah Lunn and Lenny Howells), which was called out to assist police and coastguards search for a missing person in the Neyland area. The person was later found ashore by the police.
The sofas were supplied by Pembroke Dock’s Big Brums, which itself donated a section of carpet for the crewroom.
The Yacht Club party, which was welcomed by Coxswain Jerry Rees and crew members, included Rob Murton (Press Officer), Jane Hunter (Membership Secretary), Margaret Beckett (Bar Officer), Jenny Sucksmith (Social Secretary), Chris Richards (Front Street Chairman), Sailing Committee Members Doug McIntosh (trustee) and Terry Beckett (handicaps), Members Mike Sucksmith, Jenny McIntosh, Cheryl Jenkins, Jeremy Peach, Denzil Parry, Bob Harries, Mary Lewis, Sian and Paul Moseley, Ben Moseley and children Sophie Moseley and Kyle Davies.
The visitors, trying out the sofas, are pictured with Coxswain Jerry Rees, Deputy Second Coxswain Alun Watkins, Assistant Mechanic Mervyn Lunn, Probationary Crew Member and Education Volunteer Jo Lynas and Shore Crew Member Bernard Jonker.
23rd August 09
Tamar lifeboat painting presented to Angle RNLI
Angle lifeboat station has been presented with a painting of its new Tamar class all-weather lifeboat, Mark Mason.
The presentation was made on Wednesday (19 August) to Angle's Lifeboat Operations Manager, John Allen-Mirehouse, by Mr George Parker, Proprietor of Llanelli's Parker Plant, suppliers of plant and equipment to Dean & Dyball Civil Engineering during the reconstruction of the lifeboat station to house the new Tamar. 
The painting was commissioned by Mr Parker from Naomi Tydeman, a self-taught, award-winning water colourist based in Tenby. She completed a similar commission for Tenby lifeboat station, also constructed by Dean & Dyball.
The team is now looking forward to being involved with the construction, in the not too distant future, of new lifeboat stations at St Davids and Mumbles, which have also been allocated new Tamar class lifeboats.
Pictured at the presentation are (left to right): Mr.Allen-Mirehouse, Neil Beresford, Regional Director, Dean & Dyball, and Mr Parker.
4th August 2009
Choir visits Angle lifeboat station
Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir, which took part in the naming ceremony and service of dedication for Angle’s new £2.7m Tamar class all-weather lifeboat Mark Mason, have received a thank you gift from the lifeboat station.
A party of 100, made up of choristers, families and friends, visited the station last week, when they were welcomed by Lifeboat Operations Manager John Allen-Mirehouse and Coxswain Jerry Rees.
The visitors were given tours of the new lifeboat and, afterwards, a framed picture of the choir at the naming ceremony was presented to Frank Harries, Choir Chairman, by Rosie Allen-Mirehouse, Angle lifeboat Deputy Launch Authority.
Pictured (left to right) are: Phil Lloyd, Choir Secretary; Christine Lloyd, Choir Conductor; Frank Harries; Rosie Allen-Mirehouse, and Phil Thompson, Choir President.
August 2009
Neyland Yacht Haven cheque for Angle RNLI 
Neyland Yacht Haven has presented Angle RNLI lifeboat station with a cheque for £5,000 to assist towards crew training and operational support.
“Angle lifeboat provides a high class professional service to the users of the Milford Haven Waterway and beyond and we are delighted that we can assist them in their invaluable work,” said Neyland Yacht Haven Manager, James Cotton, during a tour of the station and the new RNLI Tamar class all-weather lifeboat Mark Mason.
“We fully support RNLI fundraising and safety events at Neyland Yacht Haven, such as an RNLI ball last year, followed by a Kinsale Irish RIB run and lifejacket safety check open day so far this year.”
Yacht Havens Ltd, an RNLI ambassador, owns and operate 2,500 marina berths around the UK. Similar contributions have been made to five other lifeboat stations adjacent to Yacht Haven marinas, making total donations to the RNLI for 2009 of £25,000.
James was accompanied by his partner Stephanie Wilkins and Neyland Yacht Haven Havenmaster Louis Howe.
James (right) and Louis (left) are pictured presenting the cheque to Angle RNLI Honorary Treasurer, Major George Hancock. With them are lifeboat and shore crew members. They are (left to right) Brian Brown, Head Launcher; Brian Harries, Crew; Danny Richards, Second Coxswain; Luke Richards, Crew; Jeff Stringer, Deputy Launch Authority; Alun Watkins, Deputy Second Coxswain; Bernard Jonker, Shore Crew; Richard Roch, Mechanic; Jerry Rees, Coxswain, and Derek Richards, Crew.
July 2009
Dragon LNG cheque for Angle lifeboat station 
Angle RNLI lifeboat station has been given a £1,000 boost from a safety incentive scheme for the Dragon LNG Project workforce at Waterston.
The lifeboat station is among a number of charities to benefit from the ‘Cracked It’ scheme, which helps worthwhile causes by working safely.
Three personnel from the LNG Project – Lee Cox (Hertel Scaffolder), Alex Roe (Global) and Jennifer Ferrari (Amec) – visited Angle to present the cheque to Lifeboat Operations Manager John Allen-Mirehouse and Coxswain Jerry Rees.
They are pictured (by Jennifer Ferrari) on board the station’s new £2.7m Tamar class all-weather lifeboat Mark Mason.
* A further donation of £1,000 to the station has been received from George and Nicky Hancock, on their departure as mine hosts of the Point House public house. George is the station’s honorary treasurer.
Friday 5th June
There were celebrations in Pembrokeshire today as Angle’s new Tamar class lifeboat was named by HRH Prince Michael of Kent. The lifeboat was funded from a £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons, a branch of the freemasons, and by RNLI supporters in Pembrokeshire who donated over £400,000.
HRH Prince Michael of Kent, The Grand Master of the Order of Mark Master Masons, named the lifeboat Mark Mason during a ceremony this afternoon.
Angle’s Tamar, which was declared operational on 23 March 2009 has already proved her worth, having already launched on five rescue missions. Call-outs have included escorting a fishing vessel taking on water, assisting a power boat with engine problems, searching for two missing boys and investigating a sighting of red flare.
John Allen-Mirehouse, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Angle says:
‘The volunteer RNLI crew have really got to grips with this fantastic new boat and can’t praise her enough. She is faster, which means they can reach casualties more quickly but she is also a more comfortable, safer ride, which is especially important at many of our shouts are long towing operations.’
An appeal to fund the new lifeboat was launched in Birmingham in 2006, to celebrate the historic links between the city and the sea. RNLI supporters in Pembrokeshire also threw their weight behind the fundraising drive, which raised just over £400,000. The £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, completed the task to foot the bill of the £2.7M lifeboat.
Mr Allen-Mirehouse adds:
‘We can’t express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the fundraising appeal which has made this dream a reality for Angle. Today is the culmination of three years of hard work and the ceremony will give us the opportunity to thank the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons and the people of Birmingham and Pembrokeshire who have given so generously.’
The ceremony was attended by RNLI Chairman Admiral Lord Boyce, who accepted the new lifeboat on behalf of the RNLI Council. The service of dedication was led by the Team Vicar Reverend Matthew Dobbs, Angle Parish Church and included music by Pembroke Silver Brass Band and Pembroke Choir.
Tuesday 31st March
We are very sorry to record that Rees Holmes passed away in Withybush Hospital on Tuesday 31st March at the age of 85.
Rees was a well known and much valued Coxswain of Angle Lifeboat from 1966 to 1981, being awarded 2 Bronze medals and the RNLI Thanks on Vellum.
Our thoughts and sympathy go to his family especially John.
A service took place at St Mary's Church, Angle on Thursday 9th April at 10:30 followed by cremation at Parc Gwyn Crematorium at 12:15.
New £2.7M Tamar class RNLI lifeboat today arrives in Angle
17th March 2009
A dream was realised for the RNLI crew at Angle this afternoon, when the station's modern new Tamar class lifeboat arrived at its new home. The RNLI's most technologically advanced lifeboat will reach casualties faster and help the volunteer crew save even more lives at sea. It will be officially placed on service once the crew have completed an intensive training programme.
The arrival of the Tamar is the culmination of three years of fundraising, which RNLI supporters began so effectively at grass-roots level in Birmingham and Pembrokeshire following an appeal launched in 2006. A £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons, a branch of the Freemasons, completed the task to foot the bill of the £2.7M lifeboat*. The significant windfall will give the donor the right to name the lifeboat, which will be called Mark Mason, during a dedication ceremony this summer.
Angle is the second RNLI lifeboat station in Wales to take delivery of a Tamar class lifeboat, the first being Tenby, which welcomed Haydn Miller into service in 2005. The Angle RNLI crew collected their new lifeboat from the RNLI's headquarters in Poole on Friday. Following a passage through Weymouth, Plymouth, St Mary's and Padstow, they arrived in Angle this afternoon.
The Tamar class is the latest design of RNLI all-weather lifeboat and features cutting edge technology to enhance its lifesaving capabilities. The new lifeboat replaces the station's Tyne class all-weather lifeboat, which was built in 1986. Compared to the Tyne, the Tamar is bigger - 16 metres as opposed to 14 - and faster, with a speed of 25, rather than 17 knots.
John Allen-Mirehouse, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Angle says:
'This is a very exciting day for the volunteer RNLI crew at Angle and a momentous occasion for the station. We are extremely proud to be the second of the RNLI's 31 lifeboat stations in Wales to take delivery of this fantastic boat and seeing her arrive in the distance was quite a moment for everyone. As a charity, the RNLI is eternally grateful to everyone who has given so generously to make this dream a reality.'
Extensive modifications have been carried out to the boathouse and the slipway to allow a new larger lifeboat to operate. The re-profiled slipway was put to the test in December when a relief Tamar was put through its paces to ensure everything was operating correctly, in anticipation of the arrival of the new boat.
Mr Allen-Mirehouse adds:
'Last year, the Angle all-weather RNLI lifeboat launched 25 times and rescued 21 people. A large proportion of call-outs for the volunteer RNLI crew at Angle are to vessels in trouble a long way from the shore. Angle's crew spent 72 hours at sea during 2008 and many shouts were long towing operations. The Tamar class lifeboat is not only faster which will ensure the lifeboat is able to reach casualties quicker, but it is more comfortable and safer.'
The Tamar has more safety features built in to protect the crew, including a new seat design that will reduce loadings on crew members' spines in rough weather. A new on board computer known as SIMS (Systems and Information Management System) further improves safety because a lot of the lifeboat's functions can now be managed remotely. This means the crew do not have to move around the boat while underway, reducing the risk of accidents. Using SIMS also allows better task sharing between crew members, as the various functions required to operate the lifeboat can be accessed via screens at any of the six crew positions.
photos by Martin Cavaney