This is a must to see given the history of the town and they are very friendly..willing to tell exciting sea tales to youngsters :)
Whitby Lifeboat Museum (RNLI)
The lifeboat museum on Pier Road, Whitby has as its main exhibit the last pulling lifeboat to be in service with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), plus models of lifeboats and other types of vessel, diorama of 'Rohilla' wreck and local history of the Whitby lifeboat station.
The tale is toldof bravery and sacrifice
Rohilla, a 7,400 ton hospital ship with 229 crew and medical staff aboard. On the morning of October 30th 1914, she ran onto a reef near Whitby in an ESE gale, breaking in half in the mountainous seas.
The lifeboat reached the wreck twice after a fearful struggle, and took off 37 survivors, but could not return a third time as the rocks had taken their toll on the lifeboat.At 1.00 am on Sunday the lifeboat was in Whitby harbour, and four hours later set out for the wreck A rope was let down to the lifeboat, and figures scrambled down. In less than a quarter of an hour more than forty men had been taken into the lifeboat.
It was then that two enormous waves were seen rolling up at tremendous speed. They swept over Rohilla onto the lifeboat, enveloping it. Each time the tough little craft disappeared for a moment, reappeared, tottered, and righted herself gamely. Closer still she hugged the vessel's side till every man aboard - fifty of them in all - had been hauled into the rescuing boat. The rescuers, for their heroism, were awarded three gold and four silver medals.
But the peril was not yet over ; as the lifeboat shot passed the wreck on her return journey she was struck broadside on by a great wave;but once more she manfully withstood the shock, and swept out to sea. The Whitby pulling lifeboat putting out to help a fishing boat. The pulling lifeboat remained in service at Whitby until 1957.
Because the ship was only four hundred yards from the shore some of the crew attempted to make their own way to landfall but sadly even with the efforts of the lifeboat crews 84 members of the ship's compliment perished out of a total of 229.
Free but leave a donation..they deserve itwe cry out to Thee for those in Peril on the Sea! read more