South Broads Lifeboat Station

South Broads Lifeboat Station
Suffolk
General information
Status	Closed
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Location	Lowestoft, Suffolk
Country	England
Coordinates	52°28′38.37″N1°42′32.90″E / 52.4773250°N 1.7091389°E / 52.4773250; 1.7091389
Opened	2001
Closed	November 2011
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution

South Broads Lifeboat Station was located at Oulton Broad, which refers to both the lake, the southernmost area of open water in the Broads system, and the suburb, to the east of the town of Lowestoft, in the English county of Suffolk. ^[1]

A lifeboat station was established at Oulton Broad in 2001 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). ^[2]

After just 10 years of operation, South Broads Lifeboat station was closed. ^[3]

History

South Broads Lifeboat Station was established as part of a pilot project, to place lifeboats on Inshore waterways. The station covered the southern area of The Broads network, an area of over 100 square miles (260 km²) of inland waterways including the River Waveney. Another station was established at the same time at Lough Erne. ^[4]

The station primarily operated the D-class (EA16) Inshore lifeboat. The first one on station was named The Stanley Taylor (D-438), and had initially served at Tenby between 1993 and 2001. The lifeboat was the gift of Mrs Georgina Taylor, in memory of her late husband. ^{[5] [6]}

Closure

The RNLI decided to close the station in January 2011 after a review, which recommended that lifesaving across The Broads would be more effectively covered from Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Lifeboat Station. Following the closure in November 2011, the station's D-class (IB1) Jean Ryall (D-714) and XP-class lifeboats were added to the RNLI relief fleet, and its 4x4 vehicle transferred to Great Yarmouth and Gorleston. In the 10 years of operation, the station performed 194 rescues. ^[7]

South Broads lifeboats

D-class

Op. No. [a]	Name	On Station [8]	Class	Comments
D-438	The Stanley Taylor	2001–2004	D-class (EA16)
D-449	Humphry and Nora Tollemanche II	2004–2005	D-class (EA16)
D-493	Isabella Mary	2005	D-class (EA16)
D-486	Eleanor and Catherine	2006–2007	D-class (EA16)
D-492	Lawnflite	2006–2007	D-class (EA16)
D-514	Lord Kitchener	2007–2010	D-class (EA16)
D-714	Jean Ryall	2010–2011	D-class (IB1)

Arancia-class

Op. No. [a]	Name	On Station [9]	Class	Comments
A-10	Unnamed	2003	Arancia-class	Trials

XP-class

Op. No. [a]	Name	On Station	Class	Comments
XP-5	The Blob	2001–2004	XP-class
XP-33	The Blob Mk. 2	2004–2005	XP-class
XP-42	Broads ILB2	2005–2008	XP-class
XP-45	The Blob Mk. 3	2008–2011	XP-class

1. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

See also

• List of RNLI stations
• List of former RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

References

1. Explorer Map OL40 – The Broads, Ordnance Survey, 2010-01-22.
2. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 117.
3. RNLI closes South Broads lifeboat station at Oulton Broad, BBC news website, 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2014-03-15.
4. "Full steam ahead for new initiatives" (PDF). The Lifeboat. 58 (558): 2. Winter 2001. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
5. "The Stanley Taylor" (PDF). The Lifeboat. 53 (526): 125. Winter 1993. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
6. Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 93.
7. "Coast review". The Lifeboat. 61 (598): 4. Winter 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
8. Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 93–97.
9. Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 102.