AdnamsGirl
Elizabeth Simpson c1970s
The former Gorleston lifeboat Elizabeth Simpson, pictured in the 1970s when she was being used as a trip boat on the Norfolk Broads.
Launched on the 23rd October 1889, the Elizabeth Simpson was one of the private lifeboats operated by the Ranger’s Beach Company for the Gorleston Volunteer Lifeboat Association. Built by the Beeching brothers, she was funded by the donation of £500 by a Miss Elizabeth Simpson Stone who had witnessed the tragic capsize of the lifeboat Refuge in 1888. Originally powered by oar and sail, the Elizabeth Simpson was motorized in 1926 and, with earnings from salvage dwindling, began to run sea trips for visitors during the summer months. The trips were advertised with the slogan “Help us in summer to save drowning men in winter“. Her last launch as a lifeboat was in February 1938, having given 50 years of service during which time she had saved over 400 lives.
The Elizabeth Simpson was 47 ft in length with a 13 ft beam and, as a trip boat, was licensed to carry up to 90 passengers. Although a canopy offered some protection from the weather, she didn’t have the onboard facilities which the Queen of the Broads offered, but was still very popular with visitors and continued to carry passengers on the Broads until the 1990s.
The last reference that I can find for her suggests that she is now lying in a garden somewhere in North Norfolk awaiting restoration.
Elizabeth Simpson c1970s
The former Gorleston lifeboat Elizabeth Simpson, pictured in the 1970s when she was being used as a trip boat on the Norfolk Broads.
Launched on the 23rd October 1889, the Elizabeth Simpson was one of the private lifeboats operated by the Ranger’s Beach Company for the Gorleston Volunteer Lifeboat Association. Built by the Beeching brothers, she was funded by the donation of £500 by a Miss Elizabeth Simpson Stone who had witnessed the tragic capsize of the lifeboat Refuge in 1888. Originally powered by oar and sail, the Elizabeth Simpson was motorized in 1926 and, with earnings from salvage dwindling, began to run sea trips for visitors during the summer months. The trips were advertised with the slogan “Help us in summer to save drowning men in winter“. Her last launch as a lifeboat was in February 1938, having given 50 years of service during which time she had saved over 400 lives.
The Elizabeth Simpson was 47 ft in length with a 13 ft beam and, as a trip boat, was licensed to carry up to 90 passengers. Although a canopy offered some protection from the weather, she didn’t have the onboard facilities which the Queen of the Broads offered, but was still very popular with visitors and continued to carry passengers on the Broads until the 1990s.
The last reference that I can find for her suggests that she is now lying in a garden somewhere in North Norfolk awaiting restoration.