Kelly's Heroes

The Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat
The lifeboat which went to the aid of the stricken ferry the Princess Victoria in 1953, lies rotting in a Donaghadee car park.

A life boat which saved the lives of the county down community and beyond for nearly 30 years, is now in need of saving itself.

The RNLI lifeboat Sir Samuel Kelly, now sits forlornly on wooden blocks in the corner of a car park near the marina at Donaghadee. Open to the elements and subjected to mindless vandalism, this once proud vessel is simply rotting away.

The 'Kelly' heroically went to the aid of the stricken ferry, Princess Victoria, during the great storm of 1953, picking up 33 of the ship's 44 survivors.

The Sir Samuel Kelly
The plight of the Kelly was brought to YPAM's attention by a Belfast man who has become very passionate about the boat and its brave contribution to the UK's worst peacetime sea disaster, which claimed more than 130 lives, on 31 January 1953.

Albert Morrison, as a young boy, vividly remembers the sound of bells ringing as the emergency services raced past his house near Dundonald on that fateful night. Since then Albert has always had an affinity with the Princess Victoria disaster and in recent years has educated himself further on the fate of the ferry.

Albert Morrison describes his passion for the Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat click here

Albert took us to the current 'berth' of the Kelly in the car park at the marina at Donaghadee. Just before you turn into the car park your eye is drawn to the modern million-pound lifeboat in the sea below and the brightly painted lighthouse beyond suggesting a proud and responsible seafaring vision of the town, which contrasts sharply with the next scene.

As we approach the rusted, wire fence surrounding the rubbish-strewn pen that now houses the old lifeboat, which sits perched on damp and moldy wooden blocks, I notice a proud but fading sign on the ground next to the vessel..."The Sir Samuel Kelly....."

To see this knight of the waves in its current state is a very sad sight for those who know what the boat once achieved. Billy Lennon who served for more than 37 years with the RNLI at Donaghadee, including a stint aboard the Kelly, and John McGimpsey, ex-RNLI crewman and Treasurer of the Sir Samuel Kelly Preservation Society were able to bring us up to date with the recent history of the lifeboat.
Picture of Tommy Shields in tropical kit taken in the Red Sea just before war was declared in 1939

Standing at the bow of the Sir Samuel Kelly are : from left to right) - Billy Lennon, Albert Morrison and John McGimpsey

Billy Lennon and John McGimpsey talk about the history of the 'Kelly' click here

After giving 29 years of life saving service with the RNLI from Donaghadee, the Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat was retired in 1979. A year later it was bought by the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum for the purpose of an exhibition highlighting the Kelly's proud history.

Close inpsection finds the Kelly in a poor stateUnfortunately as the years past, so it would seem, did the interest in the boat's pedigree and due to budgetary pressures in the mid-eithties the UF&TM saw the condition of the lifeboat slowly fall from grace. When ex-RNLI coxswain Willie Lennon inquired about the Kelly at the museum, he was shocked to find the boat "in very poor repair, covered in moss and full with rainwater".

In order to bring the boat back to life the ex-crewmen formed the Sir Samuel Kelly Preservation Society and took the Kelly on loan from the museum back to Donaghadee where it was painstakingly restored by volunteers with a limited budget. Cleaned, repainted and with the engine "fit for sea" the Sir Samuel Kelly stood proud once more.

However, by 2005 with no sanctuary and with only pennies left for maintenance the lifeboat slowly succumbed to coastal exposure and even vandalism. It stands today a poor reflection of the boat which braved 40 foot waves and hurricane force winds in the Irish Sea in 1953.

RNLI Lifestyle
The RNLI lifeboat crew, like many others around the UK, traditionally attracts numerous crew members from one family. In 1953 it was the Nelson family with no fewer than six men turning out for the Sir Samuel Kelly.

In Billy Lennon's time on the Kelly, and later aboard the modern Waveny class boats, his family featured strongly too including his father in law, his brother, brother in law, two nephews and even his daughter. All went to sea with the RNLI.

"once you start it's like a disease...it kind of sticks with you...."

In the old days most, if not all of the crew, would have been fishermen or linked to a trade on the sea, well adapted to dealing with seasickness and the dangers aboard a vessel. In more modern times however the volunteers come from all walks of life and although they are enthusiastic and very loyal they are more likely to suffer from the dreaded mal de mer.

Billy Lennon and John McGimpsey describe the RNLI family lifestyle Click Here

The Sir Samuel Kelly crew members at the time of the Princess Victoria disaster - from left to right - Samuel Herron, John Trimble, Samuel Nelson, James Armstrong, Hugh Nelson (coxswain) in the foreground, Alec Nelson, Hugh Nelson Jnr, George Lindsay, William Nelson and Frank Nelson.

The selection process for volunteers who answer a call-out to the lifeboat is usually a first come first served basis. As Billy Lennon says: "if they were good enough to be there, they were good enough to take out".

However in very bad conditions the crew is individually selected by the coxswain. In Billy's time the crew was summoned by a combination of a very loud firework called a 'maroon' In the latter day pagers were used also.

The maroon explosion can heard for many miles and was often more reliable than any telecommunication device.

Billy calmly shares his experiences of call-outs of up to 27 hours at sea on huge waves going to the aid of many vessels. Duties include attending the Fastnet yachting race, Naval boats and large steamers, but he is at pains to point out that most of his call-outs were for small craft in trouble with lack of fuel or damage of some kind on flat seas in fine weather.

Relaxing in what was The Royal Bar (now Pier 36) in Donaghadee are former Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat crew members :- from left to right - John Trimble, second coxswain - also Willie Lennon's brother in law - , George Lindsey, bowman and Alex Nelson, coxswain.

The Future

Billy Lennon and John McGimpsey are very concerned that the Sir Samuel Kelly might be simply left to rot away, unless something is done swiftly to house it. As the years go by the older crewmen who have served on the Kelly number only a handful. Now, as retired men, their resources are scarce and they fear that, without funding, the memories that they share most weekdays down at the marina over a flask of coffee, may be the only thing left of the Sir Samuel Kelly.


Billy and John share more RNLI memories and gauge the future of the Sir Samuel Kelly Click Here

Albert Morrison's keen interest and subsequent contact with YP&M is very timely. On the 31st January 2005, 52 years on from the sinking of the stricken ferry; Princess Victoria, a meeting will be held in Donaghadee to try to find a permanent home for the Sir Samuel Kelly, where it can be restored to its former glory.

YP&M will keep this article updated with any progress in the attempt to find a suitable resting place the lifeboat.

UPDATE - 14/2/05
David Gordon, chairman of the Donaghadee Community association was able to confirm more good news :

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum has agreed to fund the survey element of the restoration project. The survey is required to assess the condition of the boat.

Denis Waterworth, owner of Pier 36 and Ocean Drive restaurants in Donaghadee, has offered to pay for the painting of the boat at a cost of around £1000.

A couple of individuals have also sent cheques of £100 each - an unexpected but very welcome turn of events.

It is hoped that the survey will be carried out in the next couple of weeks, with the painting starting shortly afterwards.

UPDATE - 1/2/05
After the meeting on the 31st of January all parties agreed that it was essential that the boat was saved from decay and that it needed shelter as soon as possible. A site near the sea front at Donaghadee has been earmarked for the Kelly to be remembered as a symbol of the loss of life at sea along the Irish coast, whilst duly highlighing the brave exploits of the RNLI crew.

A rough estimate of around 18 months has been given as a reasonable time frame for the project to be completed.

Paddy O'Flaherty speaks to David Gordon of the Donaghadee Community Association and Billy Lennon about the proposals discussed at the meeting Click Here

The Princess Victoria Disaster

Map showing where the Princess Victoria sank in 1953

The devastating floods of 1953 were a "once-in-250 year event".
click here to appreciate the size and ferocity of the 1953 storm right across Europe

"In the shelter of Donaghadee Harbour, the Creevy Coal boat had already had difficulty in docking and unloading. The horses being used had nearly been blown off their feet and into the harbour by the strong winds. The Lifeboat was beginning a period of 24 hours at sea".
click here for a full account of the journey and end to the Princess Victoria

Every woman and child on board the ship died in the disaster
click here for a BBC News account of the ferry disaster

Related weblinks
The official RNLI website
The RNLI Portrush website

(This article can also be found at the BBC Radio Ulster - Your Place and Mine website Click Here)