Oban’s new lifeboat – the woman behind the name

The vessel is named in memory of the late Elizabeth Watson who died aged 90 in May 2021. Her legacy helped fund the Shannon Class vessel that came on station in Oban in March, on the day the RNLI marked its 200th Anniversary.

Mrs Watson was the only child of William and Annie Campbell. Her father, a Captain in the Merchant Navy, lived near Oban and her mother was from Glenarm in Northern Ireland.

Elizabeth married Robert Edward Creighton Watson from Northern Ireland who was also in the Merchant Navy. Mrs Watson too had a job associated with the sea, working in the drawing office of Belfast’s Harland and Wolff shipyard.

On 29th January 1989 Mr Watson was the second engineer on board the M V Maasgusar which left Houston for Yokohama. There was a gas explosion onboard, with the ship later sighted, on fire, on 14th March 1989 drifting out of control. It sank on 19th March 1989, 200 miles off the coast of Japan with no known survivors.

At Saturday’s ceremony, The Campbell-Watson will be given into the care of the RNLI on behalf of Mrs Watson by her solicitor and executor, Caroline Moorhead. She says Mrs Watson was clear she wanted to help the RNLI in her will:

‘She was a lovely lady, tall and slim, and quietly spoken. Mrs Watson had no children. She was very clear in her instructions that she wanted to make this substantial contribution to the RNLI, and for that gift to be the main focus of her will.

‘When we met the first time, she told me about her father having been in the merchant navy and her association with the sea as a child, and how that continued when she married Mr Watson who later died in tragic circumstances.

‘The RNLI was very close to her heart all her life.’

Elizabeth Watson’s gift covered around two thirds of the cost of the new lifeboat.

Two other generous legacies also funded The Campbell-Watson: from Denis Graham Leach, in memory of his mother, May Leach; and from Jessie Gray MacAdam in memory of her mother, Jessie Gray Perry.

The naming ceremony for The Campbell-Watson will take place at Oban Lifeboat station at 2pm on Saturday 29th June.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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