Boat Name
Boat Use
Boat Type
Build Date
Country of Origin
Area of Origin
Boat Dimensions
Length
32 ft 9 in
Width
11 ft 0 in
Photographs
Description
She was built in 1886, and is oak timbered and planked, and fastened with copper.
The buoyancy cushion surrounding her is made of cork and she is entirely self-draining. This is achieved by having her floorboards above sea level when she is fully loaded, thus enabling six drain-holes to pass right through the hull, from the floor and out of the bottom.
An engine was added about a year after she was taken out of commission in 1930, but she is now restored to a pulling craft because it was as such that she performed the majority of her rescues.
It is known that 'The Bedford' was launched forty-five times on rescue operations, but it has not so far been possible to discover how many souls she saved during her forty-five years of service.
History
'The Bedford' was presented to the Museum by the Tyne Lifeboat Society - the forerunners of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Hazel Langley Posted: 6 months ago | Reply
I hve photographs of The Bedford on the Quay at Exeter taken around 1980 when she was part of the collection of the now defunct Exeter Maritime Museum, does anyone know how she came to be there and how she went from there to her present position?