About This Site

In early 1999 I was setting up my family history site "Clive's Family History Bookshelf" and at the same time I decided to make a page using the photos I had of the Ramsgate (England) Waveney class lifeboat 44-016 the "Ralph and Joy Swann". I had taken the photos to help me build a model of the 40-016, which I had chosen as a project at the Medway College of Design, where I was studying Industrial Modelmaking. I guess that my interest in the lifeboat service must stem from my father who was Deputy Launching Officer at Ramsgate for over 21 years.

 

Before long my page had turned into a site and my family history site had to be shelved. The next job was to find a title and "44-016 Ex Ramsgate Lifeboat" is what I decided on.

 

 

At this stage the site also included information on other Ramsgate lifeboats but after discussion with the Hon. Sec. at the Ramsgate branch of the RNLI, I was given permission to use this information as a basis for a "Ramsgate Lifeboat" web site.

 

The next step was to add the other 21 Waveney's in the RNLI fleet and to show what happened to them after they left the RNLI service. It was at this stage that I began to receive a lot of interest from the U.S.A. where the boat had originated from. So naturally a U.S. Coast Guard page was added as well as pages for other organisations, which operated this type of lifeboat such as the Canadian Coast Guard.

 

As the site now had information on every boat of this type, I decided in March 2002 to rename the site "44ft Motor Lifeboats".

 

It is quite often a surprise to people who write to me to find that I live in Norway. I was brought up in a place called Broadstairs, which borders on to Ramsgate. After my work had taken me to various places in England, I moved to Norway in 1986. It is perhaps no less of a surprise to me that the geographical area in which I live doesn't cause me any problems with my work on the site.

 

 

I take great pleasure in building this site and many people have written with praises and thanks but this should be shared with everyone who has so willingly given me their kind help.

 

Thanks,

 

Clive.

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