| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Operator | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| In service | 1887-1902 |
| Homeport | Bembridge, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Lifeboat |
| Propulsion | Oars |
RNLB Queen Victoria is an historic shore-based lifeboat, built in 1887, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and now preserved at The Shipwreck Centre, Arreton, Isle of Wight. [1] [2]
A rowing boat, Queen Victoria operated from Bembridge on the Isle of Wight from 1887 to 1902. [2] It was then purchased by one of its crew, who converted it for use as a houseboat. [2]
In 1989 Martin Woodward, then coxswain of the Bembridge lifeboat, purchased Queen Victoria [2] and, after several years of fundraising, the boat was finally restored in 1998, [1] at the Classic Boat Museum, in East Cowes. [2]
The boat is now under the stewardship of the Isle of Wight Historic Lifeboat Trust, a registered charity, and is seaworthy. [2]
1999 it was taken to the BBC Television Centre in London to appear on the BBC television programme Blue Peter , to mark the RNLI's 175th anniversary. [3]
