RNLB Julia Park Barry of Glasgow (ON 819)

RNLB Julia Park Barry of Glasgow (ON 819) is a former RNLI Watson-class lifeboat that was in active service in Peterhead, Scotland from 15 June 1939 to 14 January 1969.

At the time, the 46’ (14m) long by 12’ 9” (3.9m) Julia Park Barry of Glasgow was one of the most modern and powerful of the many RNLI Lifeboats that had been built by Messr’s Alexander Robertson and Son’s, one of the foremost wooden boat-builders on Scotland's River Clyde.

[2] Notably, it facilitated the rescue of 106 lives in March 1942 over a 75-hour period, which earned Coxswain John B McLean the RNLI Gold Medal, the first to be awarded in Scotland in 104 years.

[3] The 46 feet (14 m) vessel, most recently berthed in Northern Ireland after being used as a leisure craft, was then purchased by Professor Sir Lewis Ritchie OBE FRSE (General Practitioner Peterhead 1980-2017) with a view to returning it as an exhibition piece to the town.

[5] where it was fully restored during 2018 [6] It became centrepiece of the Julia Park Barry Building, a museum retelling the story of the vessel, and history of lifeboats in Peterhead.

Julia Park Barry of Glasgow at the Opening Ceremony in Peterhead June 2019
Julia Park Barry of Glasgow at the Opening Ceremony in Peterhead June 2019