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175th Anniversary of RNLI lifeboats: The Jersey Stamp Bulletin No 106 gives as follows:

The National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was founded in 1824 after Sir William Hillary appealed for a sea rescue service.
In 1854, the Institution changed its name to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – the RNLI.
Since 1824 selfless members of the RNLI have saved over 130,000 lives.
The first official RNLI lifeboat stationed in Jersey arrived in April 1884 from its previous home on the northern-most Channel Island of Alderney, where it was never called upon to perform a rescue operation.
The RNLB’s MARY AND VICTORIA took the place of Jersey’s existing lifeboat, which had served the island since 1830.
The RNLI now have a total of 302 lifeboats at 215 stations around the coastline of the British Isles.

The two Jersey stamps celebrating the 175th anniversary feature current lifeboats serving in islands waters.
The first (£1) is a Tyne Class lifeboat, the ALEXANDER COUTANCHE, named after a previous Bailiff of Jersey; and it is housed at the St. Helier Harbor station.
Tyne Class lifeboats are 14.3m in length, can reach a speed of 17.6 knots, and cost in the region of £600,000 each.

The other lifeboat featured is the Jessie Eliza, based at St Catherine in the north easterly Parish of St Martin, and is a rigid hulled speed boat, topped by an inflatable tube. This 6.9m long vessel can move at a speed of up to 29 knots and has the ability to turn upright within seconds of a capsize, and restart without a problem.

As the RNLI is a charity, the institution relies heavily upon donations and fund raising to exist. In Jersey, the Jersey Lifeboat Guild for ladies is responsible for much of the fund raising and general promotion of the RNLI. The Jersey Ladies Lifeboat Guild’s first meeting took place at Government House in 1932 and the governor’s wife, Mrs Willis became the guild’s first president. In 1965, Ladies’ was dropped from the title and they simply became the Jersey Lifeboat Guild.

Fund raising and promoting awareness of the RNLI will be high on the list of events to celebrate the 175th anniversary in 1999. There are two key dates when celebrations are to take place in the United Kingdom, the first being March 4, the actual 175th ‘birthday’, and the whole week beginning June 20. March 4 will see a synchronized launch of lifeboats from every station around the British Isles and also a ‘birthday bash’ is intended, which will involve each local branch and guild organizing as many varied birthday events as possible. There will of course also be an anniversary appeal. The week commencing June 20 is when the Eighteenth International Lifeboat Federation Conference will be held in Poole at the RNLI’s head-quarters, and it is hoped that a huge flotilla of British, Irish and European lifeboats will descend on Poole Harbor to join in the celebrations. A special logo has been designed for the occasion which was launched at the Southampton Boat Show in September 1998 and will also be incorporated into the overall design of the Jersey stamps.

The two stamps are the first se-tenant type to be issued by Jersey Post, and will be sold in sheets of 20.

ALEXANDER COUTANCHE: Out of service in 2009 at St Helier and replaced by a new Tamar Class lifeboat.
2010 Based at Hythe Marine Village, Calshot, not renamed.

JESSIE ELIZA: 2000 Out of service in St. Catherine, was transferred to the Dutch Lifeboat Service for evaluation trials, thereafter not any more info on her.

Jersey 1999 75p and £1 sg 890/91, scott ?

RNLB ALEXANDER COUTANCHE was built in 1989 by FBM Marine of Cowes, Isle of Wight and placed on station at St Helier, Jersey, on 13/12/1989. After 20 years of service there she has made her final departure to return to the RNLI's headquarters in Poole, Dorset. She is still operational and after a four month refit will be used a relief boat around the UK. She is to be replaced by one of the new Tamar class lifeboats.

RNLB ALEXANDER COUTANCHE is now stationed at Calshot on Southampton Water, having arrived sometime after August 2009, and is moored just offshore from the lifeboat pier. She is the 4th lifeboat I have seen at this station in 6 years.

I spoke to a local ship enthusiast in July, regarding this, and he told me that because the RNLI are unable to keep the lifeboat engine oil warm they have problems when they have to depart at full speed and this has necessitated the need for the changes in lifeboats due to breakdowns. He said that the ideal situation would be to keep the lifeboat at the pier with the engine oil being constantly warmed but because of vandalism the RNLI have to keep the lifeboat moored offshore.

Tyne class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK and Ireland as a part of the RNLI fleet. They are named after the River Tyne in north-east England. The class was introduced in 1982, and the last boat was built in 1990.

The unusual design of this lifeboat derives from the requirement to deploy from slipway stations built for previous generations of lifeboats, with limited clearance. The Tyne also lies afloat at stations where the approaches, or operating areas, are particularly shallow. As the lifeboat propellers are protected by heavy bilge keels, she is particularly well suited to operate where there is a danger of hitting the bottom.

After over 20 years of service, they are gradually being replaced by the substantially larger and more powerful Tamar class lifeboat, for which new slipway stations are being constructed.

Displacement: 26 long tons (26 t)
Length: 47 ft (14 m)
Beam: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Draught: 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m)
Propulsion: 2 × DDEC V6 diesels
2 × GM V6 diesels or 2 × V8 diesels
Speed: 17.6 knots (20.3 mph; 32.6 km/h)
Range: 240 nmi (440 km)
Capacity: Self Righting 20
Non-Self Righting 100
Complement: 6 + doctor
Cost: £1.2 Million
Built: 1982–1990

Great Britain 2005 33p sg1186, scott?

Sources: Wikipedia and various internet sites.



Peter Crichton

2012 - 2015 at Calshot, whereafter she was sold, fate unknown.



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