Charles Cooper Henderson, a 1933 Dunkirk Little Ship with an exceptional RNLI service record, is being offered for sale in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, at £52,500. The vessel is described as used and in fair condition; although substantially restored and refitted in 2018, she now requires further restoration to her hull.
Built by Groves & Gutteridge at Cowes, the Watson Beach Class lifeboat served at Dungeness from 1933 to 1957 and subsequently in the RNLI Reserve Fleet. National Historic Ships records 42 years and six months of active service, 296 launches and 156 lives saved, making her the oldest surviving motorised lifeboat with the most years of RNLI operational service.
A Dunkirk Little Ship
Charles Cooper Henderson was one of 19 RNLI lifeboats involved in the 1940 evacuation from Dunkirk. On 1 June she was found damaged and drifting off Margate with four naval ratings aboard before being rescued and towed back to the English coast by the Margate lifeboat.
Her service history also includes the 1956 rescue of nine men from the collier Teeswood during a Force 12 storm, for which coxswain George Tart received the RNLI Bronze Medal for gallantry.
Restoration and equipment
The seller reports that a comprehensive restoration and refit was completed in 2018. The work included twin Beta 50 engines, new wiring, running gear, fuel tanks and water tanks. The interior was equipped for comfortable private use or charter, with Smeg appliances, a shower and a luxury bathroom. The vessel is reported to have previously been fully licensed for charter and to have held a five-star food-hygiene rating.
Further hull restoration is now required, and prospective purchasers should obtain current professional advice on the scope and cost of that work. Extensive documented provenance is said to be available, and the owners are willing to discuss sensible offers.
Further information is available through the Wallingford Facebook Marketplace area where the vessel was advertised and the National Historic Ships register entry for Charles Cooper Henderson.
The price, 2018 refit details, equipment and present condition were supplied by the seller and have not been independently verified by the Wartime Vessels Association. Prospective purchasers should confirm the vessel’s availability, ownership, documentation, condition and repair requirements directly with the seller and an appropriately qualified marine surveyor.