RNLB Mary Stanford

RNLB Mary Stanford

RNLB Mary Stanford (ON733) was the Ballycotton Lifeboat from 1930 to 1959. Ballycotton is on Ireland's southern coast, a trade route to the Americas. There are many dangerous rocks and shallows with on-shore prevailing winds. Ballycotton has a long tradition of life-saving. Mary Stanford had 41 "shouts" and saved 122 lives. She performed what many regard as the most famous rescue: the Daunt Lightship rescue on 7 February 1936. She is the only lifeboat to be awarded a gold medal for gallantry (boat as well as the crew). Today Mary Stanford languishes in a backwater of Dublin's Grand Canal Dock. Nearby are timbers, all that remain of the Iris.