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Royal National Lifeboat Institution
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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the British Isles, as well as inshore. It was founded on 4 March 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, adopting the present name in 1854. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. Since 1980, lifeboat rescues have doubled; the RNLI rescues an average of 22 people each day.
The charity also employs lifeguards on beaches in southwest England, south Wales and Norfolk.
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The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the British Isles, as well as inshore. It was founded on 4 March 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, adopting the present name in 1854. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. Since 1980, lifeboat rescues have doubled; the RNLI rescues an average of 22 people each day.
The charity also employs lifeguards on beaches in southwest England, south Wales and Norfolk. In 2008, this service was expanded to cover over 100 beaches. The RNLI is funded entirely by voluntary donations and legacies (together with tax reclaims), and has an annual budget of £130 million.
History
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 but on appealing to the more philanthropic members of London society, the plans were adopted 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.
In its first year, the RNLI added 12 boats to the existing 39 independent lifeboats. By 1908 there were 280 RNLI lifeboats and 17 independents.
In action
Since the RNLI was founded, its lifeboats have saved over 137,000 lives (as of November 2006).
The RNLI operates five classes of inshore lifeboats, both inflatable boats and RIBs, of 20-40 knots (37-74 km/h), and six classes of all-weather motor life boats with maximum speeds of 16-25 knots (30-46 km/h). It maintains 332 lifeboats based at 233 lifeboat stations. It also has four hovercraft, 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 backed up by maroons 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 Lifeboat Station at Waterloo Bridge,Chiswick Station and the Gravesend, Kent Station, 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 Ireland and Great Britain, ships in distress or the public reporting an accident must contact the Emergency services:
- by telephoning 999 or 112
- on MF radio (frequency 2182 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 rescue at sea 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 the Royal Air Force, 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.
Lifeboats
Main category: Classes of RNLI lifeboats.
The RNLI has two main categories of lifeboat:
- All weather boats - Large boats that are capable of high speed in extreme weather conditions and have a large range.
- 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
Over the years, many members of boat and launching crews have been killed during or died as a result of lifeboat operations.
- 1821 - Sandycove while assisting the brig Ellen of Liverpool. Four volunteer lifeboatmen drowned (pre-RNLI)
- 1859 - Aldeburgh lifeboat capsized on service in December with the loss of 3 of her crew of 15.
- 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 11 of her 13 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. 8 of the 15 crewmen were lost: John Burton, Joseph Sutton, George Hodds, Frederick Haylett, Joseph Haylett, John Riches, James King & William Knowles.
- 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 27 lifeboatmen. (See Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster).
- 1895 - Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) lifeboat was capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the stricken SS Palme. All fifteen lifeboatmen were lost. (See Kingstown Lifeboat Disaster).
- 1899 - In one of the RNLI's most legendary feats, the Lynmouth lifeboat Louisa was hauled overland over Exmoor for over 10 hours to Porlock to go to the aid of a ship. On arrival she was launched immediately and stood by the stricken ship until daybreak, when a tug arrived.
- 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.
- 1928 - The Rye Harbour lifeboat disaster, in which the Mary Stanford was capsized and 17 men lost their lives.
- 1947 - 8 crew of the Mumbles lifeboat died attempting to rescue the crew of SS Samtampa off south Wales, on 23 April 1947. A total of 45 lives were lost.
- 1953 - On 9 February six crew of the Fraserburgh lifeboat lost their lives when the lifeboat capsized whilst 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 8 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 the 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 entire crew of eight.
- 1970 - On 21 January, the Fraserburgh lifeboat - the Dutchess 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 16 lives were lost - there were no survivors and only 8 bodies were recovered. (See Penlee lifeboat disaster).
Roll of honour
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 (Bronze 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.
Famous lifeboat-saviours
Headquarters
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 Queen Elizabeth II in 2004. Specialist training facilities include a wave and capsize pool, a fire simulator, a bridge simulator and a live engineering workshop.
See also
Classes of RNLI lifeboats
Gallery
External links
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