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Lifeboat 52-02
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The Sir William Arnold
Service of Dedication
10 June 2022
The naming ceremony for the lifeboat "Sir William Arnold" in Saint Katharine Dock was a momentous event attended by His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and reverence as dignitaries and community members gathered to honour this remarkable vessel and its heroic history. The lifeboat's name bore the weight of an unforgettable legacy, having played a pivotal role in the daring rescue of the Bonita ship and its crew. The coxswain of the "Sir William Arnold," a true hero, was at the ceremony, as well as survivors of the rescue. During the ceremony, in a touching gesture, the Duke of Kent unveiled a commemorative plaque, marking the boat's official christening. This plaque served as a lasting tribute to the courage and dedication of all those involved in lifesaving missions, reminding us of the unwavering commitment to saving lives at sea. It was a moment that underscored the vital role of the RNLI and the enduring spirit of heroism that defines their mission.
RNLI
13 Dec 2021
MV Bonita, an 8,000 tonne Ecuadorian cargo boat sailing from Hamburg to Panama to go home for Christmas, was caught in a hurricane on 13 December 1981, when it sent out a distress signal. Guernsey's lifeboat was among emergency services called to the scene.
40 years on from the Bonita rescue, ex-Coxswain Michael Scales tells his story of what happened that night when St Peter Port RNLI went to aid the cargo ship Bonita, he also looks beyond Bonita to reflect on the rescue.
itv NEWS
16 Dec 2021
Extraordinary rescue of cargo ship crew remembered in Guernsey 40 years on.
Guernsey's RNLI is marking exactly 40 years since one of the most audacious rescue efforts in its history. On 13 December 1981, the St Peter Port lifeboat was scrambled to the aid of an 8,000 tonne Ecuadorian cargo ship which was sinking in hurricane force winds.29 crew members were rescued thanks to the bravery of the islanders involved that day.
BBC Radio Guernsey
13 Dec 2021
40 years after the rescue of the Bonita, Oscar Pearson interviews a survivor and Mike Scales the coxswain of lifeboat who rescued him.
BBC Radio Guernsey
09 Jun 2021
Interview with Colin Trowles about sailing the lifeboat to her new home at St Katharine Docks.
"We’ll be leaving Heybridge Basin around midday on Thursday 10th and heading to Burnham on Crouch. We’ll then head into the estuary Saturday morning and towards Gravesend where the boat will lie alongside Town Pier. 5202 will then head up river to arrive at St Katharine Docks around 5pm Sunday".
ITV Interview
5 August 2020
Watch a video report by ITV News Anglia's Charlie Frost
The Sir William Arnold, also known as Lifeboat 52-02, has been bought by Essex lifeboat lover Colin Trowles, who wants to turn it into a floating classroom and museum.
The boat, which saved more than 200 lives during its 24 year service and is best known for the Bonita cargo ship rescue near Guernsey, is now in Heybridge Lock.
The plan was for her to be permanently docked at St Katharine Docks in London, but when lockdown was imposed, Colin docked her in his hometown of Maldon to work on her.
He will be moving her to St Katharine's next month
BBC Radio Guernsey
15 July 2020
Today we were able to talk about the progress of the restoration of the Sir William Arnold live on BBC Guernsey’s Oscar Pearson Breakfast Show. Listen again by going to BBC Sounds App or click on the link below
Thank you Oscar for inviting me on your show!
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BBC Radio Guernsey
January 2020
We were able to talk about the progress of the restoration of the Sir William Arnold live on BBC Guernsey’s Jenny Kendall-Tobias Show. The whole interview is 1 hour but you can listen to the 15 minute section on the Lifeboat here or catch up on the whole show on the BBC Sounds App.
The Duchess of Kent is whisked out of St Peter Port in Guernsey on the Sir William Arnold Lifeboat
Credit: ITV Channel TV
HRH Duchess of Kent
This superb piece of previously unseen footage captures the arrival of the HRH Duchess of Kent as she arrives at the quayside of St Peter Port, Guernsey to name the RNLB Sir William Arnold. She’s then taken out on the lifeboat for a short trip with Coxswain John Petit at the helm.
Sir William Arnold 1974
Another piece of rare footage, capturing the Sir William Arnold at sea on the day of her official naming, 23rd May 1974. Over the years and following different refits, various items of equipment would be repositioned elsewhere on the boat. The white life-raft canister on the foredeck was moved to the upper steering position and the white direction finding loop aerial on the wheelhouse roof would be moved to the radar mast.
Sir William Arnold going for a spin around Jethou in 1974.
Credit: ITV Channel TV
Remembering the Bonita: Nils Fosstveit
Nils Fosstveit takes us back to the night he’ll never forget – and to what was, at the time, the biggest Channel rescue since the Second World War
Listen to the podcast
13 December, 1981: in hurricane-force winds, cargo ship – the Bonita – was sinking off the Channel Islands. 27-year-old Nils Fosstveit was one of 36 crew on board. Not all would survive. Nils did, but in his own words, it was by ‘very small margins’.
At one point, losing hope, he and other crew members had thought about voluntarily sliding down the badly listing ship and giving themselves up to the freezing waters. But the crew rallied. Before his escape, Nils, along with others, had to haul an injured man down ladders by rope. Nils then had to jump 15m into the sea. He was one of the last off.
Walls of Water: Michael Scales
In December, 1981, the St Peter Port lifeboat crew braved 15m waves to go to the aid of stricken cargo ship, the Bonita. The late coxswain – Michael Scales – relives a momentous rescue
Listen to the podcast
In the second of two episodes dedicated to one of the RNLI’s finest rescues, the late coxswain of the Sir William Arnold lifeboat – Michael Scales – recalls battling 3-storey swells to help save 29 lives. Arriving at the scene between Guernsey and Devon, the lifeboat was dwarfed by the 8,000-tonne cargo ship, Bonita, listing on its side with its rudder and propeller exposed.
The RNLI’s youngest coxswain at the time recalls the night he and his determined crew made no less than 50 attempts to save those on board. The rescue would earn Michael an RNLI Gold Medal for Gallantry, and his entire crew were awarded Bronze Medals.
Since this episode was recorded, the Sir William Arnold lifeboat – restored by former fundraiser Colin Trowles – was moved and is now a floating museum in Heybridge Basin, Maldon, Essex.