Our lifeboat stations. On rivers and around the coastline, our lifeboat stations are built to save lives. From the busiest RNLI station, Tower , on the Thames, to the spectacularly situated St Davids in Wales, each lifeboat station is powered by passionate people, and is always ready to rescue.
Our volunteers would love to welcome you to visit the RNLI lifeboat stations. So why not find your nearest lifeboat station and see one for yourself? There are other Lifeboat Services that are independent of the RNLI, available to the coastguards that provide lifesaving lifeboats and lifeboat crews 24 hours a day all year round.
Sir William Hillary came to live on the Isle of Man in Being aware of the treacherous nature of the Irish Sea, with many ships being wrecked around the Manx coast, he drew up plans for a national lifeboat service manned by trained crews. Initially he received little response from the Admiralty. However, on appealing to the more philanthropic members of London society, the plans were adopted and, with the help of two Members of Parliament Thomas Wilson and George Hibbert , the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was founded in Thirty years later the title changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the first of the new lifeboats to be built was stationed at Douglas in recognition of the work of Sir William.
In at the age of 60, Sir William took part in the rescue of the packet St George, which had foundered on Conister Rock at the entrance to Douglas Harbour. He commanded the lifeboat and was washed overboard with others of the lifeboat crew, yet finally everyone aboard the St George was rescued with no loss of life. In its first year, the RNLI added 13 boats to the existing 39 independent lifeboats. By there were RNLI lifeboats and 17 independents.
In a strong gale and dense fog, RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescued passengers, including 70 babies. Crews from The Lizard, Cadgwith, Coverack and Porthleven rowed out repeatedly for 16 hours to rescue all of the people on board.
The RNLI operates three classes of inshore lifeboats, both inflatable boats and RIBs, of 25—40 knots, and five classes of all-weather motor life boats, with another FCB2 currently in development, with speeds ranging from 17 to 25 knots.
It maintains lifeboats based at lifeboat stations. It also has four hovercraft, introduced in , allowing rescue on mud flats and in river estuaries inaccessible to conventional boats. Severn class lifeboat is the largest class of UK lifeboat, at 17 metres 56 ft long. The crews of the lifeboats are almost entirely volunteers.
The 4, boat crew members, including over women, are alerted by pagers and attend the lifeboat station when alerted. The different classes of lifeboat within these categories mean we can reach people in all kinds of situations and locations.
The type of lifeboat a station has depends on geographical features, the kind of rescues the station is involved in and the cover provided by neighbouring lifeboat stations.
All-weather lifeboats ALBs are capable of high speed and can be operated safely in all weather conditions. They are inherently self-righting after a capsize and fitted with navigation, location and communication equipment.
Inshore lifeboats ILBs usually operate closer to shore, in shallower water, near cliffs, rocks and even in caves. We also have inshore rescue hovercraft for areas that are inaccessible to conventional RNLI lifeboats such as mud flats and river estuaries.
RNLI lifeboats are always ready to save lives at sea thanks to the care and attention given to them by station mechanics and our maintenance teams out on the coast and at our all-weather and inshore lifeboat centres. When they require longer repairs or planned services, refits and modifications, they are temporarily replaced by the same class of lifeboat from our relief fleet.
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