On Christmas Day 1836, a crewman was washed from the Zetland and drowned during a vain attempt to save the crew of the Danish brig Caroline.

The man, William Guy, was a Tees pilot, and it is said that he left a service in chapel to take his place in the lifeboat.

The RNLI considered the old boat no longer fit for service and supplied a new self-righting lifeboat named Crossley.

An angry crowd prevented the work commencing and, after negotiation, the boat was given to the townspeople providing it would not 'compete' with the new RNLI lifeboat.

In 1880, it was launched with two other Redcar lifeboats (the Crossley and the Emma) and saved seven sailors' lives from the brig Luna.