On 19 January 1881, the Whitby lifeboat Robert Whitworth under the command of Coxswain Henry Freeman was called to a ship, the Visitor, in distress off Robin Hoods Bay. Weather conditions made it impossible to launch from Whitby, so the lifeboat was pulled overland to ‘Bay’ in a blinding snowstorm by men and horses, to launch from there. 

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Due to the violence of the sea that day, two attempts had to be made to reach the crew of the wreck. The second attempt proved successful, and the crew were rescued from the ship’s lifeboat in which they had taken refuge.