The “Cuttle”    (Legacy of Miss F Cuttle)

Work started in 1938 at the Cowes yard of Groves and Guttridge on the construction of a new motor lifeboat for Filey.  She arrived at Filey on 22^nd may 1940.  She was one of the last single engined 35’6” Liverpool class, non-self righters driven by a 35hp Weyburn petrol engine giving her a speed of 7.5 knots.  She cost £4444 and was provided out of a legacy from Miss F.L Cuttle of Rotherham, and was named “The Cuttle”

Her first service was on 28^th September 1940 to escort local cobles caught out in worsening weather conditions, she escorted local boats “Windsor Lad”  “Kathleen” and “John and Nancy” to safety.

On November 18^th 1943 she launched to a tank landing craft with 12 men on board that had engine problems and was at anchor, as the lifeboat approached the vessel a mine was spotted just 6 feet from the landing craft, the crew hauled in on their anchor and missed the mine, after passing a tow from the landing craft to a mine sweeper, which broke twice,  the landing craft was towed to Scarborough.

On 13^th December 1945 the SS “Empire Tigavon” and the SS “Cormoat” collided 4 mile off Flamborough Head. Flamborough Lifeboat embarked 15 of the Empire Tigavons crew from the Cormoat, which then resumed its passage to the Tyne. The Flamborough boats propeller, had become fouled with a rope,the Filey Lifeboat had already launched and took the boat in tow back to Filey where she landed the Lifeboat and her casualties on the beach, her propeller was cleared, and both boats re-launched, to the Empire Tigavon, standing by until a tug arrived and they were no longer required.

On November 29^th 1950, the local cobles were at sea when a gale sprang up,  with many of the lifeboat regular crew at sea the lifeboat launched with a scratch crew with Mechanic Thomas Willis in command,  the casualty was the coble “Catherine Ann” who had  smashed her rudder in the heavy seas, the lifeboat took off her 3 crew then towed the vessel to the beach, then returned to sea to escort the rest of the cobles still at sea back to the safety of the beach.

 In 1952 the RNLI decided to place a new lifeboat at Filey, “The Cuttle” launched for the last time on service on 15^th September 1953 when she escorted the coble “Isabella” to safety in heavy seas. The new lifeboat arrived on October 21^st 1953 and “The Cuttle” was transferred to Skegness Lifeboat station where she remained in service till 1964.