A Lifeboat Begins Her Longtime Service Along the English Coastline

September 4, 1894

A newly built lifeboat was launched at Sheringham, an English town along the North Sea. This rescue vessel replaced the lifeboat Augusta, which had been stationed at Sheringham since 1838.The new lifeboat had been constructed by Sheringham native Lewis “Buffalo” Emery and was provided to the town by a prominent local resident named Mrs. Caroline Upcher. She donated this vessel in memory of her late husband Henry Ramey Upcher, and the lifeboat was officially named after him during the launch ceremony.

Hundreds of people were on hand for the ceremony. A key part of this event entailed having the Reverend Arthur Upcher, Henry’s youngest brother, formally bless the vessel.

For more than four decades, the rescue vessel Henry Ramey Upcher was used to save more than 200 lives in that region of the North Sea. This double-ended lifeboat, measuring 39 feet and eight inches (12.1 meters) in length and 11 feet and three inches (3.4 meters) in width, was equipped with 16 oars.

One of the more notable rescues involving the Henry Ramey Upcher took place in 1896, when the steamship Commodore was being pummeled in a powerful storm in the area and the lifeboat was dispatched to that location. The crew of the Henry Ramey Upcher ended up rescuing not only 14 men stationed on the Commodore but also three local fishermen who had sailed there to help out but were likewise stuck on board the steamship.

The Henry Ramey Upcher continued to participate in lifesaving efforts for steamships and fishing vessels alike until she was retired completely from official service by 1935. The Henry Ramey Upcher is now on permanent display in a museum (formerly a lifeboat shed) in Sheringham.

For more information on the lifeboat Henry Ramey Upcher, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Ramey_Upcher