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Saturday 6 June was a big day for all those associated with Poole
lifeboat station with the naming ceremony and dedication of the
new B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat.
 
The Atlantic was named after Sgt Bob Martin, who was ex-Durham
light Infantry and long-term supporter of the RNLI at the Royal
Hospital, Chelsea.
The lifeboat was named Sgt Bob Martin (Civil Service No. 50) at
the wonderful ceremony, which was a proud and, at times, emotional
event for all concerned at the lifeboat station.
This lifeboat is the 50th lifeboat to be provided by The Lifeboat
Fund and a legacy of Mrs Florence Lillian Abbott. Mrs Diana Allpress,
Secretary of The Lifeboat Fund, formally handed over the lifeboat
to the RNLI and Mr Phillip Gilbert, RNLI Council Member, accepted
the lifeboat on behalf of the Institution. Rod Brown, station Lifeboat
Operations Manager, then accepted the boat on behalf of the station.
After the service of dedication, daughters of Bob Martin, Sally
Bowden and Debbie Martin, named the lifeboat in traditional style
with champagne. They said: ‘We are very proud to have a lifeboat
named after our father and may all the crew have many safe call
outs in her.’
Eight Chelsea Pensioners attended the ceremony, resplendent as
always in their scarlet coats. On the same day as the world commemorated
and remembered 65 years since D Day, the pensioners were asked why
they not at a service for this elsewhere. They replied: ‘We
are here for Bob.’
After a day of being the centre of attention, it was business as
usual when the pagers went off just before midnight. Sgt Bob Martin
was out on service, well into the early hours of Sunday morning,
amid lightning and heavy rain, which felt like ‘ball bearings
being fired from a machine gun’ and force 6 easterly winds.
Reports of a man in the water saw the crew dash to the fuel barge
in Poole Harbour where the man had managed to climb back onboard.
The crew were then tasked to a second shout after concerned relatives
reported two men missing on a fishing trip. The all-weather lifeboat
also launched to join the search. The inshore crew found the motorboat
at Whitley Lake where its crew had moored after losing radio and
mobile phone contact in the storm.
The new Atlantic 85 boat is capable of reaching speeds of 35 knots
and will be able to reach the entrance of the harbour in around
3 minutes. It carries the latest technology onboard, with radar,
electronic navigation, GPS and night vision equipment. It is also
capable of being beached in an emergency without damage to the boat.
The inshore lifeboat crew received intensive training to learn
about the technicalities of the new boat before the lifeboat was
placed on service.
The first ‘official’ shout for the lifeboat took place
on 8 December to a yacht aground on the training bank. Its first
‘unofficial’ shout took place on its way to Poole on
14 November to a report of a dog strapped to a surfboard!
View further pictures of the Atlantic 85 here.
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