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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways.

The RNLI was founded on 4 March 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, with Royal Patronage from King George IV of Great Britain and Ireland. It was given the prefix 'Royal' and its current name in 1854 by Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland. It has official charity status in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.^[1][2]

The RNLI operates 444 lifeboats (332 are on station, 112 are in the relief fleet), from 235 lifeboat stations around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The RNLI's lifeboats rescued an average of 22 people a day in 2009. RNLI lifeboats launched 9,223 times in 2009, rescuing 8,235 people. The RNLI's lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 139,000 lives since 1824.^[3] RNLI lifeguards placed on selected beaches around England and Wales, aided 15,957 people in 2009. The RNLI Operations department defines 'rescues' and 'lives saved' differently.^[3]

In 2009, the RNLI Lifeguards service was expanded to cover more than 140 beaches.^[4] RNLI lifeguards are paid by the appropriate town or city council, while the RNLI provides their equipment and training. In contrast, most lifeboat crew members are unpaid volunteers. The RNLI is funded by voluntary donations and legacies (together with tax reclaims), and has an annual budget of £147.7 million (€168 million).

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.

History[link]

Memorial in Douglas, Isle of Man, to one of RNLI's earliest rescues: rescuing the sailors from the St George in 1830.

Sir William Hillary came to live on the Isle of Man in 1808. 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 1824.

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.

At the age of 60, Sir William took part in the rescue, in 1830, 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. It was this incident which prompted Sir William to set up a scheme to build The Tower of Refuge on Conister Rock - a project completed in 1832 which stands to this day at the entrance to Douglas Harbour.^[5]

In its first year, the RNLI added 13 boats to the existing 39 independent lifeboats.^[6] By 1908 there were 280 RNLI lifeboats and 17 independents.

In action[link]

Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station has the longest lifeboat slipway in the country. However, due to the age of the slipway, it is no longer used, and the two lifeboats stationed there are launched from the other side of the pier, down the beach.

Severn class lifeboat, Poole Harbour, Dorset. This is the largest class of UK lifeboat, at 17 metres (56 ft) long.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboats & lifeguards have saved over 139,000 lives (as of May 2011).^[7]

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 (Shannon Class) currently in development, with speeds ranging from 17 to 25 knots. It maintains 330 lifeboats based at 235 lifeboat stations. It also has four hovercraft that were introduced in 2002, allowing rescue on mud flats and in river estuaries inaccessible to conventional boats. The crews of the lifeboats are almost entirely volunteers. The 4,600 boat crew members, including over 300 women, are alerted by pagers and attend the lifeboat station when alerted.

The Humber Lifeboat Station at Spurn Point, East Riding of Yorkshire is one of only four lifeboat stations in the UK which are crewed full time (the others being Tower at Waterloo Bridge, Chiswick and Gravesend, all on the River Thames). The crew live in a few houses on Spurn Point, which in bad weather can be cut off from the mainland. The other occupants of Spurn Point are Associated British Ports, who man their Vessel Traffic Service control tower 24 hours a day, 365 days a year along with the lifeboat crew.

Throughout Great Britain and Ireland, ships in distress, or the public reporting an accident, must contact the emergency services:

• by telephoning 999 or 112
• on medium frequency (frequency 2,182 kHz),
• or on VHF radio (channel 16)

The call will then be redirected to HM Coastguard or the Irish Coast Guard, as appropriate.

The Coastguard co-ordinates air-sea rescue and may call on the RNLI (or other lifeboats) or their own land-based rescue personnel or rescue helicopters to take part. Air-Sea rescue helicopters are provided by CHC Helicopter,^[8] the R.A.F., the Royal Navy, the Marine & Coastguard Agency (HM Coastguard), and the Irish Air Corps.

The biggest rescue in the RNLI's history was 17 March 1907 when the 12,000 tonne liner SS Suevic hit the Maenheere Reef near Lizard Point in Cornwall. In a strong gale and dense fog, RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescued 456 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. Six silver RNLI medals were later awarded, two to Suevic crew members.^[9]

Lifeboats[link]

The RNLI station, at Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales

The RNLI has two main categories of lifeboat:

All-weather boats

Large boats that weigh in excess of 40 tonnes, boasting twin 1250 hp engines, capable of travelling at speeds of 25 knots and with a 250 mile operational range between refueling and costing a total £2 million to manufacture

Inshore lifeboats

Smaller boats that operate closer to the shore than all-weather boats and are able to operate in shallower waters and closer to cliffs.

Losses[link]

Over the years, many members of boat and launching crews have been killed during, or died as a result of, lifeboat operations.

• 1810 - Hoylake lifeboat crew had gone to the aid of the ship Traveller, which had been driven aground in the River Mersey. The Lifeboat capsized in heavy seas. Eight volunteer lifeboatmen drowned (pre-RNLI).
• 1821 - Sandycove lifeboat crew assisting the brig Ellen of Liverpool. Four volunteer lifeboatmen drowned (pre-RNLI).
• 1859 - Aldeburgh lifeboat capsized on service in December with the loss of three of her crew of fifteen.
• 1871 - Bridlington lifeboat RNLB Harbinger was lost with six lives in the Great Gale of 1871.
• 1880 - The Wells-next-the-Sea lifeboat Eliza Adams went to the aid of the stricken brig Ocean Queen in heavy seas. The lifeboat capsized and eleven of her thirteen crew were drowned. (See Wells lifeboat disaster).
• 1885 - Caister Lifeboat, the yawl Zephyr struck a sunken wreck as she responded to a distress call from a schooner on the Barber Sands. Eight of the fifteen crewmen were lost: John Burton, Frederick Haylett, Joseph Haylett, George Hodds, James King, William Knowles, John Riches and Joseph Sutton.
• 1886 - St Anne's, Lytham and Southport lifeboats went to the assistance of a German barque, the Mexico in trouble in heavy seas. The St Anne's and Southport boats were lost with twenty-seven lifeboatmen. (See Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster).
• 1889 - Portrush Lifeboat (The Robert and Agnes Blair) went to the aid of the schooner "Dryad" and capsized off the coast off Portballintrae with the loss of three of the thirteen crew on board.
• 1895 - Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) lifeboat capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the stricken SS Palme. All fifteen lifeboatmen were lost. (See Kingstown Lifeboat Disaster).
• 1899 - Aldeburgh The lifeboat Aldeburgh capsized with the loss of seven of the eighteen man crew.
• 1901 - Nine members of the Caister-on-Sea lifeboat were drowned when their lifeboat Beauchamp overturned in heavy seas. Asked why they had persisted in their rescue attempts the retired coxswain was reported as saying "Caister men never turn back". (see 1901 Caister Lifeboat Disaster).
• 1914 - Nine members of the crew of the Fethard-on-Sea lifeboat crew were drowned when their boat capsized. They were attempting to reach the stricken steamer Mexico which was going down off the Co Wexford coast.
• 1918 - Two members of the Fraserburgh lifeboat were drowned when their lifeboat Lady Rothes capsized when on service to H.M. Drifter Eminent.
• 1928 - The Rye Harbour lifeboat disaster, in which the Mary Stanford was capsized and seventeen men lost their lives.
• 1947 - The eight crew of the Mumbles lifeboat died attempting to rescue the crew of SS Samtampa off south Wales, on 23 April 1947. A total of forty-five lives were lost.
• 1953 - On 9 February six of the seven crew of the Fraserburgh lifeboat lost their lives when the lifeboat capsized while escorting fishing boats into the harbour.
• 1953 - six of the seven crew of the Arbroath lifeboat Robert Lindsay drowned when the boat capsized outside Arbroath Harbour just before dawn on 27 October 1953.
• 1959 - All eight crew of the Broughty Ferry lifeboat Mona died while attempting to rescue the North Carr Lightship
• 1962 - After rescuing the five crew members of the Coble Economy on 17 November, the Seaham lifeboat capsized on its way back to the shore. All five lifeboat crewmen died, only one crewman from the Economy survived.
• 1969 - On 17 March, the Longhope lifeboat - the T.G.B. - went to the aid of the Liberian vessel Irene. The lifeboat capsized with the loss of her crew of eight.
• 1970 - On 21 January, the Fraserburgh lifeboat - the Duchess of Kent, while on service to the Danish fishing vessel Opal, capsized with the loss of five of her crew of six
• 1981 - The Penlee lifeboat Solomon Browne was lost, with all eight crew, going to the aid of the freighter Union Star. A total of sixteen lives were lost - there were no survivors and only eight bodies were recovered. (See Penlee lifeboat disaster).

Roll of honour[link]

A postage stamp was issued in 1974 to mark the 150th anniversary of the RNLI.
This depiction of the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Lightship by the Ballycotton lifeboat RNLB Mary Stanford was chosen as the image to be represented on that postage stamp
Oil painting by B. F. Gribble

Lifeboat crewmen have been awarded medals for their bravery. The RNLI awards three classes of medal; Gold, Silver and Bronze. To date the number of medals awarded are:

• Gold: 150
• Silver: 1564
• Bronze: 793 (only issued since 1917).

One of the most notable recipients is Henry Blogg, of the Cromer lifeboat crew, who was awarded the RNLI gold medal three times (and the silver four times). He also received the George Cross and the British Empire Medal. He is known as "The Greatest of all Lifeboatmen".

The youngest recipient of an RNLI medal was eleven-year-old Frederick Carter who, along with sixteen-year-old Frank Perry, was awarded a Silver Medal for a rescue at Weymouth in 1890.

The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum is also given for notable acts.

One lifeboat received an award. For the Daunt lightship rescue in 1936, the RNLB Mary Stanford and her entire crew were decorated.^[10]

Grace Darling was 22 years old when she risked her life in an open boat to help the survivors of the wrecked SS Forfarshire on 7 September 1838. With her father, she rowed for over a mile through raging seas to reach them.^[11]

Famous lifeboat-saviours[link]

• Henry Freeman of Whitby, coxwain for 22 years
• Grace Darling, daughter of lighthouse keeper, rescued survivors with a rowing boat
• Henry Blogg, coxwain of Cromer for 37 years, retired at age of 71
• Henry "Shrimp" Davies, coxwain of the Cromer Lifeboat with 45 years service
• James Haylett, coxwain of Caister-on-Sea

Headquarters[link]

The Lifeboat College, Poole

The headquarters of the RNLI are in Poole, Dorset. The RNLI site is located adjacent to the Holes Bay in Poole Harbour. It includes RNLI HQ, lifeboat maintenance and repair facilities, the Lifeboat Support Centre and the National Training Centre, the Lifeboat College. The support centre and college were opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.^[12] Specialist training facilities include a wave and capsize pool, a fire simulator, a bridge simulator and an engineering workshop.^[13]

A new headquarters for the RNLI Ireland was officially opened at Airside in Swords, north County Dublin, in June 2006 by Her Excellency President Mary McAleese. The Chairman of the Executive Committee of the RNLI, Admiral Sir Jock Slater, R.N., a former British First Sea Lord, was in attendance at this Irish Presidential ceremony.

Gallery[link]

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See also[link]

• List of RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
• HM Coastguard
• Irish Coast Guard
• International Lifeboat Federation
• Commissioners of Irish Lights (the C.I.L.)

History

• Historic RNLI Lifeboats
• Chatham Historic Dockyard — the home of Lifeboat a museum of the RNLI with seventeen historic vessels
• National Memorial Arboretum - home to a memorial dedicated to those who have served in the RNLI

Similar organisations of other nations==

• Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij - Dutch equivalent
• Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer - French equivalent
• Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger - the German equivalent
• Redningsselskapet - Norwegian equivalent
• Svenska Sällskapet för Räddning af Skeppsbrutne - the Swedish equivalent

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal National Lifeboat Institution

• Official website
• Lifeboat stations at the Open Directory Project
• RNLI YouTube channel