Royal National Lifeboat Institution - in Action

In Action

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboats & lifeguards have saved over 139,000 lives (as of May 2011).

The RNLI operates two classes of inshore lifeboats, inflatable boats and RIBs of 25–40 knots, and five classes of all-weather motor life boats, with another (Shannon Class) currently in development, with speeds ranging from 17 to 25 knots. It maintains 330 lifeboats based at 236 lifeboat stations. It also has four hovercraft that were 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 and attend the lifeboat station when alerted.

Throughout Great Britain and Ireland, ships in distress, or the public reporting an accident, must contact the emergency services:

• by telephoning 999 or 112
• on medium frequency (frequency 2,182 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 air-sea rescue and may call on the RNLI (or other independent lifeboats) or their own land-based rescue personnel or rescue helicopters to take part. Air-Sea rescue helicopters are provided by CHC Helicopter, the R.A.F., 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.