Noel Stimson’s talk on Lifeboats Past and Present was a very timely topic in the RNLI’s 200th anniversary year. Prompted by the wreck of SS Racehorse off the Isle of Wight, Lt Col Sir William Henry gathered a group of influential friends to form an institution dedicated to saving lives at sea. Not long afterward the patronage of George IV added the term ‘Royal’ to the institute’s name. Since then, it has grown and adapted to changing circumstances and technology, including through two world wars. In numbers, 9,300 crew (including shore crew and 1,100 women) service 238 stations including 37 in the Republic of Ireland. They are backed up by 135,000 support volunteers. The Institute designs and builds it own boats in Cowes and Poole. It also provides a variety of services including lifeguards, education, flood rescue and international assistance.
The support act was Derek Nudd on German and Italian submarines running the Gibraltar Strait in the Second World War. Using transcripts of recorded prisoner of war conversations, he looked at the techniques and relative success of Axis boats trying to get through the strongly guarded Straits. The results were surprising.
The meeting was well attended and both sessions attracted lively discussion afterward.
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