There are fresh hopes to restore a "barely seaworthy" boat which was abandoned, despite it being "crucial" to our region's history.
For decades, the William and Kate Johnston Barnett-class lifeboat could be seen on the River Mersey, serving New Brighton RNLI from 1923 until 1950. One of only four of its kind that operated in the UK & Ireland, in its time, it saved 248 lives over the course of 96 launches.
The first Barnett-class lifeboat put into service, at the time of her launch she was also the largest lifeboat in the world, capable of carrying 130 casualties. But in the years that followed, like many other vessels linked to Merseyside's maritime heritage and elsewhere in the country, the William and Kate Johnston fell into disrepair and is now deemed "barely seaworthy."
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For the last year, she had been abandoned in Gosport marina and was under threat of being demolished before the National Historic Ship Society stepped in to try and find new owners for her. Now, a preservation society has been set up to see the William and Kate Johnston restored to her former glory.
Spearheaded by Dan Wardle, a Liverpool River Pilot and helm at New Brighton RNLI on their Atlantic-85 B-class lifeboat Charles Dibdin, and Ian Diamond, former Commodore of Royal Mersey Yacht Club and Trustee of the Rock Ferry Water Front Trust, the charitable organisation – named the William and Kate Johnston Preservation Society – are working to see the historic lifeboat also returned to her hometown. Dan said: " The William and Kate Johnston is such an important part of the heritage of the River Mersey, and of the RNLI.
"As a worker on the river and a volunteer for the RNLI this cause holds a special place in my heart, and I believe the entire region can benefit from having this crucial part of its history returned home and restored back to her original condition. Just think how wonderful it would be to see her sailing back down the River Mersey once again."
With a view to creating an active heritage asset for the area, the team would like to see the lifeboat serve as a museum piece and working vessel on the river for day trips and community groups to take advantage of, whilst learning about her past. Having already acquired the vessel, the WKJPS have divided the task of the lifeboat’s return and restoration into several key phases.
Do you remember the William and Kate Johnston? Let us know in the comments section below.
Phase one launched on Thursday, January 11, and relies upon the society raising £10,000 to see the William and Kate Johnston returned, via road, to the Wirral, where all-important survey work to ascertain the scale of repairs required can be carried out. The society are now actively seeking funding from various sources.
In talks with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as other charitable funding organisations, they are also actively seeking corporate sponsorship and community funding to realise phase one of the project, to bring the vessel back home so that work can commence.
You can visit their Just Giving page here. To find our more about the WKJPS, you can visit their Facebook group here.
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