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JOSEPH SOARS 50TH BIRTHDAY RE-FIT

Her owner, Bernard Condon takes up the story

t is difficult to believe that nearly 50 years have elapsed since the building of RNLB Joseph Soar (ON-971) and her later placing on service in September 1963 at St Davids Lifeboat Station in Wales.

One of just eighteen 47ft Watson Class Motor Lifeboats, she was built at the J Samuel Whites yard at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. She was funded from the Civil Service Lifeboat Fund at the cost of 40,500. Her first operational launch took place on 5 October 1963 and she had a distinguished career until leaving service in September 1990, having launched 135 times and being credited with saving 48 lives. She displaces 25 tons, is 47 feet in overall length, with a 13 foot beam and a draft of 4foot 6inches. She is equipped with two Gardner 5 LW engines, a type which I consider to be one of the greatest engines of all time. ON-971 Joseph Soar winter lift-out October 2011 all photos Bernard Condon 002

Removing both Gardner 5LW engines 003 Joseph Soar is fortunate in that she has been very well cared for during her life, right up to the time I acquired her from Frank Smith and friends who maintained her exceptionally. From her time in service at St. Davids until she left service, she was maintained to the highest RNLI standards and escaped the worst rigours of the sea, being boatshed domiciled for most of her service life. Indeed Dai John, the current coxswain at St. Davids mentioned to me that one of his earliest RNLI duties were those of, Chief Brightwork Polisher on Joseph Soar !

Dismantling both Gardner engines

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ensure another 50 years on the water, I decided to embark on a major over-Winter refit. In planning the refit, I was also very fortunate to be able to draw on the combined expert advice of Michael Vlasto, Tom Peebles and Quinton Nelson. Their combined knowledge of boats of this era and in particular their specific knowledge of Joseph Soar has proved invaluable. Their detailing of the RNLI Planned Maintenance Schedules for Joseph Soar formed the basis for the re-fit. After detailed planning all that remained to do was actually carry out the job ! > New crankshaft bearings installed
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Gardner engines arriving at Cork Dockyard

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Joseph Soar is kept very much in original condition, practically as she was in service right down to the Neil Robertson stretcher and First Aid kits, but with modern navigation and communication equipment installed as sympathetically as possible and in such a manner that removal would allow her to revert to original. To mark her 50th birthday and to hopefully