HISTORY
| 1972 | Oban
lifeboat station established in May with an 18’ McLachlan inshore
lifeboat placed on service to provide seasonal cover only from March
to November.
|
| 1978 | Though
the McLachlan served the area well it became clear that a lifeboat with
greater, year-round capabilities was required. A 42' Watson class All-weather
lifeboat, the Watkin Williams, arrived in August. This boat had already
attained legendary status whilst serving as the Moelfre lifeboat in 1966
for the rescue of the crew of the Navsiporos.
Shortly after its arrival, the Watkin Williams, was replaced by a sister
ship, the Dorothy and Philip Constant, which had been equipped with radar
– a valuable navigational aid.
|
 |
|
| 1982 | By
the early 1980s, Oban's service record was such that the station was allocated
the first of a new class of fast lifeboat, the 33' Brede capable of 18.6
knots. After 10 years service, the 18’ McLachlan lifeboat was withdrawn.
|
| 1983 | On
7 May, the new intermediate class Brede, the Ann Ritchie, was named by
the donor, Mrs Ann Ritchie of the Isle of Man. The Ritchie family have
a long legacy of supporting the RNLI with boats in Port
St Mary and Ramsey
both being named after family members.
|
| 1985 | The
Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum was accorded to Coxswain/Mechanic
John Patrick Maclean in recognition of the skill and judgement he displayed
when rescuing the crew of eight from the fishing vessel Shemara which
had stranded on Lady's Rock off Lismore in a westerly gale and a rough
sea on 31 January.
|
| 1997 | A 14 metre Trent class All-weather lifeboat, the Mora Edith Macdonald (14-23), was placed on service on 17 July, replacing the Brede. |
 |
|
| 2000 | Oban lifeboat became the first all weather lifeboat in the UK to launch on more than 100 services. In total, Oban lifeboat launched 109 times in 2000.
|
| 2001 | A
Framed Letter of Appreciation from the Institution was awarded to crew
member Ronnie MacKillop
for entering the water to assist a man who had fallen between two moored
trawlers in Oban Harbour in the early hours of 16 April. Full story HERE
|
| 2005 | A Framed Letter of Appreciation from the Institution was awarded to crew member Peter MacKinnon and coxswain Ronnie MacKillop for the rescue of the crew of three from the yacht Classic Wave that foundered on the SW coast of Kerrera on 17th September. Full story HERE |
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