A difficulty with launching from the harbour site was the shallow angle of the underlying geological strata. The sand beaches at Tenby were a hazard due to the speed of the tide, and an obstacle to overcome while dragging a 2-ton lifeboat from the harbour. When in 1905 the boat was replaced with a larger and heavier one, a new boathouse and roller slipway were built on the north side of Castle Hill. It was constructed using the new screw-piles that had been created for the foundations in deep sand of Victorian era pleasure piers. The lifeboat was then usable in all weathers and states of tide. It later became a public access way, with the ferry boat to Caldey Island using the slipway as a disembarkation point for tourists. Due to the legal status of foreshore in the UK, the ground on which these lifeboat stations are built has been leased from the Crown Estate. [3]
In 1923, the first motor-powered lifeboat came on station. The lifeboat operated throughout World War II, in part due to the three squadrons of Royal Air Force Short Sunderland flying boats operating from Milford Haven. In 1952 the station was awarded an RNLI Vellum for 100 years of service.
1972-onwards: dual-boat station
From 1972, the station became a dual-boat station with an inshore D-class (EA16) lifeboat stationed within Tenby Harbour. In 1976, a new ILB boathouse was built on the north side of the harbour to house the boat and a tractor. On 6 September 1986, the Tyne-class lifeboat RFA Sir Galahad came on station. Named after the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Round Table-class landing ship logistics which was sunk subsequent to being damaged during the Falklands War, it became the last boat to use the original boathouse. By the time the station was awarded its 150 years Vellum by the RNLI in 2002, another new lifeboat house was planned.
Having obtained an extended lease from the Crown Estate, the RNLI obtained planning permission from the council to build a new lifeboat station on the site of the demolished Victorian era pleasure pier. [4] Due to access restrictions via the North Castle cliff, the £5.5million lifeboat station was built from the sea. [4] Only a supply of concrete was approved to be transported by road through the town. [4] Construction, commissioning works and acceptance were completed in March 2005. [5]
Tenby received the first of the new Tamar-class lifeboats, the Haydn Miller, which came on station for training in March 2006. [6] While the crew were still under training, the boat had a successful callout in April 2006. . [7]
After being refused planning permission to demolish the old Grade II listed lifeboat station, [3] which had been extended twice to accommodate larger lifeboats, [5] the RNLI eventually sold it into private hands. The new owner agreed the purchase of the freehold from the Crown Estate, and converted it into a four bedroom property. [3] [8] Development of the property was covered by Channel 4 for an episode of Grand Designs , and finished in 2011. [9] [10]
In early 2022, the RNLI received planning permission for the 1905 Grade II Listed former RNLI All-Weather Lifeboat House on Castle Beach, to be converted into a new home for the Tenby Inshore Lifeboat, with crew facilities. [11]
The Tamar-class lifeboat is 16-02 Haydn Miller (ON 1282), named after the farmer who left £3M to the RNLI in his will. The D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat is called Kathleen Ann (D-858).
The building was reopened on the 8 October 2022, at the same time as the naming ceremony of the new D-class (IB1) Inshore Lifeboat Kathleen Ann (D-858) [12]
Royal National Lifeboat Institution 
