Saturday, 17 November 1962
Five lifeboatmen left Seaham in worsening weather to bring five people home. Their rescue succeeded. The sea took nine lives within sight of the harbour.
George Elmy had served Seaham since 1950. On that November afternoon she launched to search for the fishing coble Economy, still at sea as conditions rapidly deteriorated. What followed remains one of the defining stories in the town's history.
The rescue
Courage in
a rising storm.
George Elmy launched at 4:10pm with Coxswain John Miller and four crew aboard. A north-by-east force-six wind soon rose to force eight, with storm-force gusts and waves estimated at around 12 feet outside the harbour.
The lifeboat reached the Economy off Dawdon Colliery in about ten minutes. Coxswain Miller brought her alongside three times before all five people—including nine-year-old David Burrell were safely transferred.
At 4:51pm George Elmy reported that the rescue was complete. She then turned for home with ten people aboard.
Thirty feet from safety
At the harbour
entrance.
At 5:15pm, only around 30 feet from the end of the south pier, George Elmy capsized to port. The RNLI investigation found that successive waves struck while the lifeboat was broadside to wind and tide in confused broken water, worsened by backwash and undertow from the breakwaters.
Donald Burrell survived by holding onto a propeller shaft and placing his other hand through an opening in the keel. When the upturned boat grounded, he released his grip and scrambled ashore. The other nine people aboard were lost.
The subsequent inquiry was unequivocal: the decision to launch was correct, Coxswain Miller was thoroughly competent, the crew experienced and the lifeboat seaworthy. Weather conditions had deteriorated with devastating speed.
Remember their names
Nine lives lost.
Five lifeboatmen and four of the people they had rescued died that evening. Their names remain part of Seaham's shared memory.
Crew of George Elmy
John Tyrie Miller Coxswain
Frederick Gippert Second Coxswain
James Farrington Bowman
Arthur Leonard Brown Motor Mechanic
Arthur Brown Crew member
Crew of Economy
Joseph Kennedy
George Firth
Gordon Burrell
David Burrell Aged nine
Donald Burrell, David's father, was the only person to survive the capsize. His account forms part of the history preserved by the East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre.
The long journey home
Lost, found
and restored.
The George Elmy survived the capsize. After inspection and repair she returned to RNLI service as a relief and reserve lifeboat, spending some time at Poole before being sold out of service in 1972 for £600. She later worked as a fishing vessel in several harbours.
In May 2009 she appeared for sale on eBay. The newly formed East Durham Heritage Group secured her with help from local fisherman Tommy Smith, and she arrived back in Seaham on 15 May 2009.
Years of fundraising, research and skilled restoration followed. In June 2013 The George Elmy returned fully restored, entering Seaham Harbour under her own power. More than fifty years after the disaster, the lifeboat had finally come home for good.
Visit The George Elmy today
Her story lives
at the harbour.
The George Elmy is permanently displayed at the volunteer-run East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre in Seaham Harbour Marina. Photographs, documents and artefacts place the lifeboat within the wider maritime, industrial and social history of East Durham.
On special occasions the restored boat is brought outside for display in the marina, remaining safely on land. Event dates vary and are announced by the Centre.
Plan your visit
- Open
- Friday–Sunday, 10:30am–3:30pm
- Winter
- Friday–Sunday, 11am–3pm
- Address
- Seaham Harbour Marina, Seaham, SR7 7EE
- Telephone
- 0191 581 8904
The Centre is run by volunteers, so please confirm opening times before making a special journey.
A rescue remembered
The George Elmy is more than a preserved lifeboat. She carries the courage, loss and determination of a town that brought its history home.
Visiting the Centre is a chance to stand beside the boat herself, learn from the volunteers who preserve her story, and remember the people whose final journey continues to shape Seaham today.
Historical account checked against the RNLI's contemporary report, Seaham Town Council's The George Elmy history and current visitor information from Seaham Harbour Marina.