Short answer: On 19 December 1981 the Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne went to the aid of the coaster Union Star in hurricane-force winds off the coast of west Cornwall. All eight lifeboat crew, from Mousehole and nearby, were lost. A memorial garden stands beside the old lifeboat station at Penlee Point, half a mile before Mousehole, and every 19 December the village's Christmas lights are dimmed in their memory.
Every visitor to Mousehole in December notices the lights. Fewer know why, on one night, they go dark.
On the night of 19 December 1981, the coaster Union Star lost power in hurricane-force winds off the south Cornish coast. The Penlee lifeboat, the Solomon Browne, launched from Penlee Point to help. Her eight crew were lost, along with everyone aboard the Union Star. The lifeboat's crew came from Mousehole and the surrounding community.
The Penlee Lifeboat Memorial Garden is beside the old Penlee boathouse at Penlee Point, about half a mile before Mousehole on the coast road from Newlyn. It's a small, quiet garden. The boathouse itself only opens on set open days.
It's on the flat seafront walk from Penzance, so it's easy to stop on the way in. Penzance to Mousehole.
Since 1981, the harbour lights have been switched off or dimmed on the evening of 19 December in memory of the crew. Sources describe it differently, some as an hour from 8pm to 9pm, others as many lights staying off for the night, so if you want to be there, check the Mousehole Harbour Lights announcements nearer the time. In 2026, 19 December is a Saturday.
The disaster is within living memory in Mousehole, and many families were directly affected. The anniversary is a quiet evening in the village, not part of the Christmas spectacle.
Mousehole lights 2026 · Tom Bawcock's Eve, 23 December · the Mousehole guide.
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