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Portsmouth and Southsea Voluntary Lifeguards today |
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Our History |
History of Lifesaving in Portsmouth
In September 1875, Harry Fisk founded the Portsmouth Swimming Club, which became the forerunner to the RLSS, the club’s motto being, ‘We dare the waves a life to save’
Portsmouth & Southsea Voluntary Lifeguards
The formation of the Club
June 1932 saw the formation of the Lifeguard Corps of the RLSS. By Christmas 1932, the membership of the Corps in Portsmouth had reached over 200 and it was felt that a committee should be formed to run the lifeguards in Portsmouth and the club was born the first of its type in Great Britain.
When war broke out in September 1939 the club was disbanded and was not reformed until 1948. After the War
In the 1950’s the club equipment was little more than a small wooden hut at Southsea Castle with an eight-foot clinker built dinghy.
In the early 1960’s, the landscaping of Southsea Castle meant that the old hut had to go and was replaced by a new Lifeguard HQ, a flat roofed cedar wooden building (17ft x 12ft) with no water or power supplies, situated close to the Rock Gardens Pavilion. The rescue equipment consisted of a red fibreglass rowing boat, a double surf ski, reel and line, and newly invented torpedo buoys.
Our first powered patrol craft arrived in the 1970’s, named ‘Bucephalus II’, a cathedral hulled boat purchased in May 1972, which was more stable than a rowing boat, making it better suited to recovering swimmers from the water.
As part of the Mobil Oil sponsorship, the club was given a 3.5m Commando rigid plastic boat, which started a long association with this type of craft which has proven an ideal rescue craft for patrolling close inshore although it has ceased to be used in recent years.
PSVL has been a member of the Solent Sea Rescue Organisation (SSRO), formerly the Solent Safety Organisation (SSO), since its inception in 1977, providing a co-ordinated sea rescue service in the Solent region under the direction of the HM Coastguard.
In June 1978 at a cost of £2,000, the club purchased its first rigid hulled inflatable boat (RIB), an Avon Searider, ideally suited to the new club developing role of inshore rescue and was operated as the principal rescue boat (Portsea Rescue 1) for a total of 12 years.
The Lifeguard HQ moved to its present building in April 1986 following the Pyramids development at Southsea Castle. The present Lifeguard HQ was a joint venture between PSVL and Portsmouth City Council.
The Avon Searider was finally replaced in 1990 at a cost of £9,350, by a RIBTEC 5.3m. The beam was reduced to allow it to fit into HQ in the current accommodation.
The latest Portsea Rescue 1, a RIBCRAFT 5.85m was launched on 28th June 1998, because of it size, it has been necessary to store this off site. Additionally, a second hand Land Rover was purchased to permit launching, now at the Camber Docks slipway.
Future plans are being developed to replace the current boat as well as ongoing discussions with Council and fundraising activities for a new lifeguard HQ |
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Alexander the Great on his horse, Bucephalus |
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The current Portsea Rescue 1, RIBCRAFT 5.85m |
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Phone: +44 (0)23 9282 0985 E-mail: info@portsmouthlifeguards.org |
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PSVL © 2005 Registered Charity Number 265431
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