Cromer Lifeboat Henry Blogg ON 840

Millie Walton/Henry Blogg ON840
Career
Name:	Henry Blogg ON840
Namesake:	Henry Blogg
Owner:	Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Builder:	Sussex Yacht Company Shoreham-by-Sea
Official Number:	ON 840
Donor:	Legacy of Mrs M E Walton of Derby.
Station	Cromer
Cost:	£15,241 17s 6d
Laid down:	1945
Christened:	7th August 1948 by Sir John Cunningham
In service:	No 1 Lifeboat from 20 December 1945
Out of service:	3 April 1966
Fate:	The Henry Blogg was damaged while launching on service in April 1966, and never returned to Cromer. After repairs she entered the Reserve fleet serving until 1976. Sold out of service in April 1977 for the sum of £5,500
General characteristics
Type:	Watson Class boat
Length:	46 ft 9 in (14.25 m) overall
Beam:	12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
Installed power:	Twin Ferry VE4 Diesel engine of 40 bhp (30 kW)
Speed:	8.22 knots (15.22 km/h)

HenryBlogg ON 840 was the eighteenth lifeboat to be stationed at Cromer in the county of Norfolk.^[1]

ON 840 was stationed at Cromer from 1945 until 1966.

History

In 1945 after 10 years service which included busy service through the second world war H F Bailey ON777 was replaced with a new No 1 lifeboat in December 1945. The new lifeboat had the number ON 840 and had the name The Millie Walton. This lifeboat had originally been destined for Douglas on the Isle of man and had only been sent to Cromer for evaluation. The Millie Walton was a Watson class lifeboat but had a new midship steering position which the Cromer crew found much to their liking^[1] and so after request from the Cromer crew, she remained at Cromer. In 1948 the Millie Watson was officially renamed The Henry Blogg in homage to Cromer’s famous lifeboat man Henry Blogg who was the Coxswain. Henry Blogg made his last voyage on the Millie Walton under the new coxswain Henry "Shrimp" Davies on the 4th September 1948 when he had then reached the age of 71. The call was to the rescue of the steam trawler Balmoral and 11 lives were saved. Henry Blogg retired after 53 years service with the service and he was the holder of the most awards by the RNLI.

Notable Rescues

Francois Tixier

In heavy seas on the 8 July 1948 a French steamer by the name of Francois Tixier^[2] Bound from Goole to the French inland port of Rouen, got into difficulties of the north Norfolk coast four miles (6 km) off Sheringham^[2]. The steamer was laden with a cargo of coal and in worsening gale she capsized. With the Sheringham lifeboat undergoing a refit^[2] at Oulton Broad, Henry Blogg was launched to the steamers aid and stood by. With the Francois Tixier heavily listing on the port the lifeboat went alongside but the captain and his crew refused to leave the stricken vessel. Despite the attempts by the crew to secure the cargo, it shifted further to port. With their failed attempts to steady the vessel the captain and crew agreed to leave their ship. One crew man jumped into the water and was rescued; another reached the lifeboat by rope passed between the boats. Using a Breeches buoy, eight more of the crew were rescued^[2]. After the eleventh crew man was rescued using the breeches buoy the stricken steamer rolled over and settled down under the sea. The last five remaining crew scrambled on to the stern and as the steamer slipped below the waves they scrambled on to a raft and were picked up by the lifeboat shortly after. The sixteen rescued French seaman were landed at Great Yarmouth by the Henry Blogg. In recognition of their efforts Coxswain Davies^[2] and his crew were presented with awards by the French Government^[2].

Sheringham Lifeboat Forester Centenary

On the 31st of May 1958^[1] Henry Blogg took part in an unusual rescue when she was called to aid the Sheringham Lifeboat Forester Centenary^[1]. This service began with a call at 9.50am to the Sheringham honorary secretary from the Trinity House Superintendent of Great Yarmouth requesting that a sick man be taken off the Dudgeon Light-vessel^[1]. At 10.15am the Sheringham lifeboat Forester Centenary was launched with a doctor on board and she reached the light-vessel by 1.10pm. The doctor went aboard the light-vessel and dispensed a sedative^[1] to the sick man and he was then strapped to a stretcher and transferred to the Forester Centenary. The lifeboat then set off on the return journey to her station. Nine miles north east from home at around 4.40pm the Forester Centenary was in trouble when her skew gear which drives the lifeboat's oil and water pumps broke down. Henry Blogg was called out and had to take the Sheringham lifeboat in to tow. Both boats arrived back at the Sheringham station at 7.00pm and the sick man was taken to Hospital^[1].

Service and rescues

Rescues from Cromer as Millie Walton
Date	Casualty	Lives Saved
1946
March 7	Steamship CORCREST of London, assisted to save vessel	22
Re-named Henry Blogg (ON 840)
1947
January 4	Steam trawler BALMORAL of Grimsby, gave help and saved	11
April 23	Motor Yacht SWITHA of Inverness, gave help
July 8	Motor vessel FRANCOIS TIXIER of Dunkirk, saved	16
August 7	Rubber dinghy, saved dinghy	1
August 25–31	Steamship MONTE NURIA of Bilbao, stood by and gave help
1948
September 2	Rubber Dinghy, saved dinghy	1
December 10	Motor trawler GEORGES LANGANAY of Fecamp, assisted to save vessel	19
December 20–21	Motor vessel BOSPHORUS of Oslo, assisted to save vessel	37
1949
October 4	Yacht MARJELLEN, gave help
November 19	Steamship SUNTRAP of London, Landed an injured man
1950
November 21	Barge THYRA of Rochester, gave help
1951
January 9	Cabin cruiser DIMCYL of Lowestoft, gave help
1952
July 24	Gloster Meteor aeroplane, gave help
August 1	Motor Yacht ZIPPALONG of Boston, gave help
November 23	Steamship GROVE HILL of Middlesbrough, gave help
1953
June 11	Sea Cadet Motor Vessel NORFOLK of Goole, saved vessel	16
1954
October 2	Cromer Light vessel, Landed a sick man, saving	1
October 15	Fishing boat WHY WORRY of Cromer, saved boat	2
1955
February 19	Bathers with rubber tyre, saved	3
1956
February 19	Steamship COLCHESTER of London, landed a body
August 10	Yacht AMBIDA of Hull, saved yacht	7
1957
September 9	Sailing dinghy, saved dinghy
September 23–24	Fishing boat BRITANNIA of Cromer, saved boat	2
October 26	Trawler JOHN WILLMENT of Lowestoft, took out doctor
1958
May 31	RNLB FORESTERS CENTENARY of Sheringham, gave help
August 27	Yacht WIMA of Rochester, gave help
1959
August 17	Yacht, saved yacht	2
September 5	Motor Launch GAY CRUSADER of London, saved boat	8
December 31	Aircraft, Landed a body from motor vessel BROUGHTY of Dundee
1960
July 11	Steam trawler CRADDOCK of Grimsby, gave help
August 3	Rubber mattress, saved	1
1961
February 16	Haisborough Light-vessel, gave help
February 16	Steam tanker WAVE CHIEF of London, gave help
March 8	Motor vessel CORSTAN of London, landed a sick man
1962
May 29	Cabin cruiser MAYFLY, saved cruiser	5
September 23	Yacht ELIZABETH ANN, saved yacht	4
November 2	HM Survey vessel SCOTT[3],Landed a sick man
November 24	Motor vessel VISCOUNT of Groningen, gave help
1963
April 9	Haisborough Light-vessel, landed sick man
May 12	Sailing dinghy, saved dinghy	1
June 11	Motor vessel WARWICKBROOK of London, put a doctor aboard
December 23	Motor fishing boat FOUR BROTHERS of Lowestoft, gave help
1964
March 11	Motor vessel JOIKA of Oslo. Gave help
July 5	Yacht SALLY BROWN of Boston, saved yacht	2
1965
December 28	Oil Rig SEA GEM, stood by
1966
January 16	Steam salvage tug OCTOPUS of IJmuiden, escorted vessel
January 16	Motor vessel START of Groningen, escorted vessel
April 3	Oil rig CONSTELLATION, stood by rig
Total

Gallery

• 

  Henry Blogg puts to sea

• 

  Coxswain of Henry Blogg ON 840, Henry "Shrimp" Davies

• 

  Bust of Henry '"Shrimp"' Davies in the Henry Blogg Museum in Cromer.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} The Cromer Lifeboats, by Bob Malster & Peter Stibbons,:Poppyland Publishing, ISBN 0 946 148 21 X
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Cromer Lifeboat, A pictorial history, By Nicholas Leach & Paul Russell, Pub; Landmark Collector’s Library, ISBN 9781843063636
3. ^ David A Thomas, A companion to the Royal Navy, 1988, ISBN 0245545727