Since its inception, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has provided lifeboats to lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Once past their operation life, the boats have mostly been sold by the RNLI and purchased for domestic use, marine businesses for usage such as further sea lifesaving functions, diving, fishing and pleasure trips or to maritime lifesaving institutions from other countries to continue a lifesaving role. Some lifeboats of particular historic note have been preserved in museums.
The Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) was founded in March 1824. [1] The RNIPLS provided lifeboats to local committees, the Coastguard and harbour authorities. The Duke of Northumberland financed a competition for a standard design of a lifeboat. The winner was William Plenty, of Newbury, Berkshire. These "pulling boats" (rowing) were between 18 and 26 feet in length and were powered by between 4 and 10 oars. They had cork in their hull and shaped air-cases fore and aft. [2] Their double-ended designs could operate a rudder from either end, so there was no need to turn.
The RNIPLS suffered from lack of funds and poor organization. Following the loss of the RNIPLS lifeboat Providence and 20 of her crew of 24 in the mouth of the river Tyne in December 1849, the need for reorganisation was recognised. Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, then First Lord of the Admiralty, took control. Richard Lewis was appointed secretary. The RNIPLS was replaced by the RNLI. Plenty's design was retired and a new design was introduced. These were larger, self-righting boats. They had a narrow beam, were 34 or 35 feet long with higher end-boxes containing the air-cases and were tested to self-right when capsized.
Later lifeboats were increased in length and were optionally powered by sail. Motors were introduced in the early 1900s. They had a greater range, facilitating the merging of lifeboat stations. Innovation in the design of lifeboats is continuous.
In 1962 the need for inshore lifeboats (ILB) was recognised. A French design was adopted, this was an inflatable of 16 foot length and a 40 hp engine with a speed of 20 knots and introduced as the D Class. It was faster than conventional lifeboats, at that time, could traverse shallow waters, go alongside persons in the water without harming them, and the running costs were much less than conventional lifeboats. In 1972 a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was developed at Atlantic College in South Wales and introduced as the B Class Atlantic 21.
The RNLI operated 431 lifeboats in 2022. [3]
Class | In service |
---|---|
Mersey | 11 |
Severn | 41 |
Shannon | 40 |
Tamar | 27 |
Trent | 33 |
A-class IRB | 3 |
B-class ILB | 122 |
D-class ILB | 143 |
E-class ILB | 4 |
H-class hovercaft | 7 |
A number of other craft are also in operation including personal watercraft, boarding boats and Y-class tenders.
The Severn-class are undergoing life extension [4] and the Mersey-class are being replaced by newly-built Shannons.
Early lifeboats were powered by oars and most, except a few very early ones had sails.
The RNLI launched its first steam-powered lifeboat in 1889, but by 1905 was experimenting with petrol-engined boats. The first ones were based on pulling and sailing designs and had a single engine but retained sails. Boats with two engines started to appear in 1923 and diesel-engined boats in 1939.
Class | Op. No. prefix | Entered service | Total built | Length | Displacement (tons) | Speed (knots) | Range (nmi) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barnett | – | 1923 | 37 | 51 to 60 ft (16 to 18 m) | 28 to 40 | 9.5 | 300 |
Clyde | 70 | 1965 | 3 | 70 to 71 ft (21 to 22 m) | 78 to 85 | 11.5 | 1,700 |
Fast Alfoat | – | 1930 | 1 | 64 ft (20 m) | 18 | ||
Harbour [Note 2] | – | 1938 | 1 | 28 ft (8.5 m) | |||
Liverpool [Note 3] | – | 1931 | 60 | 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m) | 6 to 8 | 7.5 | 70 to 120 |
Norfolk and Suffolk [Note 4] | – | 1921 | 3 | 46 ft 6 in (14.17 m) | 14 to 17 | 8 | 115 |
Oakley | 37 | 1958 | 31 | 37 ft (11 m) [Note 5] | 12 | 8 | 140 |
Ramsgate [Note 6] | – | 1925 | 3 | 48 ft (15 m) | 21 to 23 | 8 | |
Rother | 37 | 1972 | 11 | 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) | 13 | 8 | 140 |
Self-righting [Note 7] | – | 1908 | 48 | 35 to 42 ft (11 to 13 m) | 5+ | 8 | |
Solent | 48 | 1969 | 11 | 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m) | 27 | 9.5 | 240 |
Steam (hydro jet) [11] | – | 1889 | 3 | 50 to 55 ft (15 to 17 m) | 31 | ||
Steam (screw propeller) | – | 1898 | 3 | 56 ft (17 m) | |||
Steam tug [12] | – | 1901 | 1 | 95 ft 6 in (29.11 m) | 133 | 10 | |
Surf | – | 1936 | 9 | 32 ft (9.8 m) | 4+ | 6.5+ | 40 |
Thames | 50 | 1973 | 2 | 50 ft (15 m) | 24+ | 17.5 | 210 |
Watson | – | 1909 | 213 | 40 to 47 in (1.0 to 1.2 m) | Up to 23 | 8 | 280 |
The advent of lifeboats with a new hull shape in the 1960s allowed them to exceed 10 kn (19 km/h). They eventually became designated as 'all-weather lifeboats' to differentiate them from the inshore lifeboats that were unable to operate in some storm conditions. The first, the Waveney-class, were adapted from an American design. [13]
Class | Op. No. prefix | Entered service | Total built | Length | Displacement (tonnes) | Speed (knots) | Range (nmi) | Crew | Survivor capacity | Launch method |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arun [14] | 52 [Note 8] | 1971 | 46 | 16 m (52 ft) | 33 | 18.5 | 250 | 6 | Afloat | |
Brede [14] | 33 | 1981 | 10 | 10 m (33 ft) | 8.6 | 20 | 140 | 4 | 8 | Afloat |
Keith Nelson | 40 | 1968 | 1 | 12 m (40 ft) | Afloat | |||||
Medina [15] | – | 1981 | 3 [Note 9] | 11 m (35 ft) | 28 | 4 | ||||
Mersey [16] [17] | 12 | 1988 | 38 | 11.6 m (38 ft) | 14 | 17 | 140 | 6 | 43 | Carriage, slipway or afloat |
Severn [16] [18] | 17 | 1996 | 46 | 17.3 m (57 ft) | 42 | 25 | 250 | 7 | 124 | Afloat |
Shannon [19] | 13 | 2013 | 47+ [Note 10] | 13.6 m (45 ft) | 18 | 25 | 250 | 6 | 79 | Carriage, slipway or afloat |
Tamar [16] [20] | 16 | 2005 | 27 | 16.3 m (53 ft) | 32 | 25 | 250 | 7 | 118 | Slipway or afloat |
Trent [16] [21] | 14 | 1994 | 38 | 14.3 m (47 ft) | 28 | 25 | 250 | 6 | 73 | Afloat |
Tyne [16] [14] | 47 | 1982 | 40 | 14.3 m (47 ft) | 24.4 | 18 | 240 | 6 | 20 | Slipway or afloat |
Waveney [13] [14] | 44 | 1964 | 22 | 13.7 m (44.83 ft) | 17 | 15 | 205 | 5 | Afloat |
Lifeboats designed for fast response to incidents close to shore. While there have been many designs since the first inshore rescue boats were introduced in 1963, they are divided into five classes:
Class | Model | Entered service | Total built | Length | Displacement | Speed (knots) | Endurance (hours) | Crew | Survivor capacity | Launch method |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | Boston Whaler | 1985 | 1 | 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in) | 30 | 2–3 | Afloat | |||
A | Hatch | 1967 | 5 | 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in) | 25 | 5 | 2–3 | Afloat | ||
A | McLachlan | 1967 | 10 | 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in) | 22 | 2–3 | Afloat | |||
C | Zodiac IV | 1970 | 30 | 5.33 m (17 ft 6 in) | 26 | 4 | ||||
B | Atlantic 21 [16] | 1970 | 96 | 6.9 m (23 ft) | 1,250 kg (2,750 lb) | 30 | 3 | 3 | 22 | Carriage |
B | Atlantic 75 [16] | 1993 | 97 | 7.3 m (24 ft) | 1,500 kg (3,200 lb) | 34 | 3 | 3 | 23 | Carriage |
B | Atlantic 85 [16] [22] | 2005 | 140+ [Note 11] | 8.4 m (28 ft) | 1,800 kg (4,000 lb) | 35 | 3 | 3-4 | 20 | Carriage, davit or floating boathouse |
D | Avon S650 | 1971 | 4 | 4.9 m (16 ft) | 20 | 3 | 10 | |||
D | Dunlop | 1965 | 11 | 2-3 | ||||||
D | EA16 | 1987 | 257 | 4.9 m (16 ft) | 338 kg (745 lb) | 20 | 3 | 3–4 | Carriage or davit | |
D | Humber | 1981 | 2 | 2-3 | ||||||
D | IB1 [16] [23] | 2001 | 284+ [Note 12] | 5 m (16 ft) | 400 kg (880 lb) | 25 | 3 | 2-3 | 5 | Carriage or davit |
D | RFD 320 | 1966 | 6 | 2-3 | Used as Boarding Boats | |||||
D | RFD PB16 | 1963 | 228 | 4.9 m (16 ft) | 2–3 | Carriage or davit | ||||
D | Zodiac III | 1971 | 64 | 2–3 | Carriage or davit | |||||
E [24] | Mark 1 | 2002 | 6 | 10.5 m (34 ft) | 5,900 kg (13,000 lb) | 40 | 3 | 4 | 20 | Afloat |
E [24] | Mark 2 | 2012 | 3 | 10.5 m (34 ft) | 5,900 kg (13,000 lb) | 40 | 3 | 4 | 20 | Afloat |
E [24] | Mark 3 | 2019 | 1 | 11.05 m (36.3 ft) | 7,780 kg (17,150 lb) | 45 | 3 | 4 | 20 | Afloat |
Example dimensions:
Class | Introduced | Total built | Length | Displacement | Speed | Range/ Endurance | Crew | Survivor Capacity | Launch Type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H hovercraft | 2002–2009 | 7 | 8.0m | 3.86 tonnes | 30 knots | 3 hours | 2-4 | 6 | From transporter or slipway | [25] |
Arancia | 2009– | 3.9m | 165 kg | 26 knots | 20 nmi | 2 | 5-6 | Trailer or trolley | Additional 25 on lifeguarded beaches since 2001. [26] |
The Historic Lifeboat Owners Association has been set up for individuals who own, maintain, crew or have a general interest in historic lifeboats. The association is a community whereby people can share knowledge, experience, information and advise on the subject, organizes social events and historic lifeboat rallies.
At the beginning of each summer an ex-lifeboat rally is held at Fowey in Cornwall whereby owners bring their boats and display them to the public; this event is organized by Fowey RNLI and is an opportunity to raise funds for the RNLI. Rallies have also been held in Falmouth, Belfast, Glasgow, Poole and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways.
A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are inflated with air to a high pressure so as to give the sides resilient rigidity along the boat's topsides. The design is stable, light, fast and seaworthy. The inflated collar acts as a life jacket, ensuring that the vessel retains its buoyancy, even if the boat is taking on water. The RIB is an evolutionary development of the inflatable boat with a rubberized fabric bottom that is stiffened with flat boards within the collar to form the deck or floor of the boat.
The Severn class is the largest lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The class, which is 17.3 metres long, was introduced in to service in 1996. It is named after the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. The lifeboats are stationed at 35 locations around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland and can provide coverage up to 125 nmi (232 km) out to sea.
Mersey-class lifeboats are All-weather lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from stations around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, with three former RNLI boats operated by ADES Uruguay, and one by Bote Salvavidas de Valparaiso, Chile. They are capable of operating at up to 17 knots (31 km/h) and can be launched from a carriage or by slipway.
The D-class (EA16) lifeboat is a class of inflatable boat operated since 1987 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has been replaced operationally by the D-class (IB1), but many are still used as part of the relief fleet, as boarding boats for the larger classes of lifeboat and by the RNLI Flood Rescue Team.
The D-class (IB1) lifeboats are inflatable boats serving in the RNLI inshore lifeboat (ILB) fleet as well as a number of Independent Lifeboats around the UK and Ireland. Although they are known as the "IB1" at times, they are the latest development of the D-class lifeboat and as such are mainly referred to as a "D-class".
The Y-class lifeboat is a class of small inflatable rescue boat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Arancia-class inshore rescue craft is a class of small inflatable rescue boat (IRB) operated by, among others, Surf Lifesaving Great Britain, Surf Life Saving Association of Wales and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-inflatable combination-hulled vessels.
Atlantic College Lifeboat Station was an inshore lifeboat station based at the United World College of the Atlantic on the coast of South Wales, responsible for rescues in the challenging waters of the Bristol Channel.
Falmouth Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Falmouth, Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The first lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1867 and the present station was opened in 1993. It operates a Severn Class all-weather Lifeboat (ALB) and an Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Newhaven Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Newhaven in the English county of East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The original station was established in 1803 and taken over by the RNLI in 1854.
Eastbourne Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station in the town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. Founded two years before the RNLI was established, the station has operated continuously since 1822 and its lifeboats have been responsible for saving over 700 lives. There are two active lifeboat stations in Eastbourne, an all-weather station with the Trent-class 14-02 Esme Anderson at Sovereign Harbour and the D-class (IB1) The David H (D-876) at the inshore lifeboat station a couple of miles to the west at Fisherman's Green. An older lifeboat station, west of Eastbourne Pier, is now used as an RNLI museum.
The D-class lifeboat was a sub-class of 4 inflatable boats operated as part of the D-class between 1971 and 1986 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was superseded by the D-class lifeboat.
Barmouth Lifeboat Station is located in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach river in Gwynedd, Wales. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828.
Boulmer Lifeboat Station is a former Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which was located at the village of Boulmer in the county of Northumberland.
Tynemouth Lifeboat Station is located on the River Tyne, at Fish Quay, North Shields, in the county of Tyne and Wear.
Cullercoats Lifeboat Station is located on the north side of Cullercoats Harbour, in the town of Cullercoats, North Tyneside, in the county of Tyne and Wear.
Seahouses Lifeboat Station is located in the village of Seahouses, in the county of Northumberland.