Since its inception, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has provided lifeboats to lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Once past their operation life, the boats have mostly been sold by the RNLI and purchased for domestic use, marine businesses for usage such as further sea lifesaving functions, diving, fishing and pleasure trips or to maritime lifesaving institutions from other countries to continue a lifesaving role. Some lifeboats of particular historic note have been preserved in museums.
thumb|Girvan harbour and lifeboatthumb|left|An 1863 tubular lifeboat from New Brighton, Merseyside
The Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) was founded in March 1824.[1] The RNIPLS provided lifeboats to local committees, the Coastguard and harbour authorities. The Duke of Northumberland financed a competition for a standard design of a lifeboat. The winner was William Plenty, of Newbury, Berkshire. These "pulling boats" (rowing) were between 18 and 26 feet in length and were powered by between 4 and 10 oars. They had cork in their hull and shaped air-cases fore and aft.[2] Their double-ended designs could operate a rudder from either end, so there was no need to turn.
The RNIPLS suffered from lack of funds and poor organization. Following the loss of the RNIPLS lifeboat Providence and 20 of her crew of 24 in the mouth of the river Tyne in December 1849, the need for reorganisation was recognised. Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, then First Lord of the Admiralty, took control. Richard Lewis was appointed secretary. The RNIPLS was replaced by the RNLI. Plenty's design was retired and a new design was introduced. These were larger, self-righting boats. They had a narrow beam, were 34 or 35 feet long with higher end-boxes containing the air-cases and were tested to self-right when capsized.
Later lifeboats were increased in length and were optionally powered by sail. Motors were introduced in the early 1900s. They had a greater range, facilitating the merging of lifeboat stations. Innovation in the design of lifeboats is continuous.
In 1962 the need for inshore lifeboats (ILB) was recognised. A French design was adopted, this was an inflatable of 16 foot length and a 40 hp engine with a speed of 20 knots and introduced as the D Class. It was faster than conventional lifeboats, at that time, could traverse shallow waters, go alongside persons in the water without harming them, and the running costs were much less than conventional lifeboats. In 1972 a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) was developed at Atlantic College in South Wales and introduced as the B Class Atlantic 21.
thumb|Severn-class RNLI Spirit of Guernsey at St Peter PortThe RNLI operated 431 lifeboats in 2022.[3]
| Class | In service | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | ||
| 41 | ||
| 40 | ||
| 27 | ||
| 33 | ||
| IRB | 3 | |
| ILB | 122 | |
| ILB | 143 | |
| ILB | 4 | |
| hovercaft | 7 |
The are undergoing life extension[4] and the are being replaced by newly-built s.
The first lifeboats were powered by oars and most, except a few very early ones, had sails. A few were rebuilt with petrol engines after 1904.
| Class | Build period | Total built | Typical length | Self-righting | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | Yes | Winner of the RNLI's design competition in 1851, the design was quickly developed into the .[5] | ||||
| 3 | No | Designed for the Norfolk Shipwreck Association at Cromer before they became part of the RNLI in 1857. Also used at several other nearby stations and the RNLI built three replacements for them to a similar design. | ||||
| 1790–1804 | 23 | No | The first widely-adopted lifeboats were based on Henry Greathead's Original design. They were double-ended and fitted with cork buoyancy aids. At least one remained in service for 40 years to be withdrawn by the RNLI. They are sometimes referred to as the 'North Country lifeboat'. | |||
| Liverpool | 1892–1916 | 40 | No | |||
| 1860–1918 | 44 | No | A sailing lifeboat designed to operate further from shore and around the sandbanks common off East Anglia. It was broader than the self-righting types which made it less likely to capsize. | |||
| 1825–1850 | 29 | No | A small lifeboat based on a whaleboat. | |||
| 1851–1916 | 500+ | Yes | A lighter boat developed from the design in 1851. This was the standard RNLI boat for most of the second half of the nineteenth century and evolved over time. Being so widely used they were often referred to simply as 'self-righters'.[6] | |||
| No | One of the institution's first standard designs. | |||||
| 1856–1896 | 5 | No | A tubular design with a slatted floor suspended between two tubes that were joined together at either end. They saw service at and . | |||
| 1900–1918 | 17 | Yes | A variation of the self-righting design. | |||
| 1892–1915 | 42 | 38 to 45 ft | No | |||
| 1869–1910 | 5 | Yes | A small boat built for and . |
The RNLI launched its first steam-powered lifeboat in 1889, but by 1905 was experimenting with petrol-engined boats. The first ones were based on pulling and sailing designs and had a single engine but retained sails. Boats with two engines started to appear in 1923 and diesel-engined boats in 1939.
| Class | prefix | Entered service | Total built | Length | Displacement (tons) | Speed (knots) | data-sort-type=number | Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 1923 | 37 | 9.5 | 300 | |||||
| 70 | 1965 | 3 | 78 to 85 | 11.5 | 1,700 | ||||
| [7] [8] | – | 1930 | 1 | 18 | |||||
| [9] | – | 1938 | 1 | ||||||
| [10] | – | 1931 | 60 | 6 to 8 | 7.5 | ||||
| [11] | – | 1921 | 3 | 14 to 17 | 8 | 115 | |||
| 37 | 1958 | 31 | [12] | 12 | 8 | 140 | |||
| [13] | – | 1925 | 3 | 21 to 23 | 8 | ||||
| 37 | 1972 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 140 | ||||
| Self-righting[14] | – | 1908 | 48 | 5+ | 8 | ||||
| 48 | 1969 | 11 | 27 | 9.5 | 240 | ||||
| Steam (hydro jet) | – | 1889 | 3 | 31 | |||||
| Steam (screw propeller) | – | 1898 | 3 | ||||||
| Steam tug[15] | – | 1901 | 1 | 133 | 10 | ||||
| – | 1936 | 9 | 4+ | 6.5+ | 40 | ||||
| 50 | 1973 | 2 | 24+ | 17.5 | 210 | ||||
| – | 1909 | 213 | data-sort-value="23" | Up to 23 | 8 | 280 |
The advent of lifeboats with a new hull shape in the 1960s allowed them to exceed . They eventually became designated as 'all-weather lifeboats' to differentiate them from the inshore lifeboats that were unable to operate in some storm conditions. The first, the, were adapted from an American design.[16]
| Class | prefix | Entered service | Total built | Length | Displacement (tonnes) | Speed (knots) | Range | Crew | Survivor capacity | Launch method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [17] | 52[18] | 1971 | 46 | 18.5 | 250 | 6 | Afloat | ||||
| 33 | 1981 | 10 | 20 | 140 | 4 | 8 | Afloat | ||||
| 40 | 1968 | 1 | Afloat | ||||||||
| [19] | – | 1981 | 3[20] | 28 | 4 | ||||||
| [21] [22] | 12 | 1988 | 38 | 14 | 17 | 140 | 6 | 43 | Carriage, slipway or afloat | ||
| [23] | 17 | 1996 | 46 | 42 | 25 | 250 | 7 | 124 | Afloat | ||
| [24] | 13 | 2013 | 47+ [25] | 18 | 25 | 250 | 6 | 79 | Carriage, slipway or afloat | ||
| [26] | 16 | 2005 | 27 | 32 | 25 | 250 | 7 | 118 | Slipway or afloat | ||
| [27] | 14 | 1994 | 38 | 28 | 25 | 250 | 6 | 73 | Afloat | ||
| 47 | 1982 | 40 | 24.4 | 18 | 240 | 6 | 20 | Slipway or afloat | |||
| 44 | 1964 | 22 | 15 | 205 | 5 | Afloat |
Lifeboats designed for fast response to incidents close to shore. While there have been many designs since the first inshore rescue boats were introduced in 1963, they are divided into five classes:
| Class | Model | Entered service | Total built | Length | data-sort-type=number | Displacement | Speed (knots) | Endurance (hours) | Crew | Survivor capacity | Launch method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1985 | 1 | 30 | 2–3 | Afloat | ||||||
| A | 1967 | 5 | 25 | 5 | 2–3 | Afloat | |||||
| A | 1967 | 10 | 22 | 2–3 | Afloat | ||||||
| C | Zodiac IV | 1970 | 30 | 26 | 4 | ||||||
| B | 1970 | 96 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 22 | Carriage | ||||
| B | 1993 | 97 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 23 | Carriage | ||||
| B | [28] | 2005 | 140+ [29] | 35 | 3 | 3-4 | 20 | Carriage, davit or floating boathouse | |||
| D | Avon S650 | 1971 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 10 | |||||
| D | Dunlop | 1965 | 11 | 2-3 | |||||||
| D | EA16 | 1987 | 257 | 20 | 3 | 3–4 | Carriage or davit | ||||
| D | Humber | 1981 | 2 | 2-3 | |||||||
| D | IB1[30] | 2001 | 284+ [31] | 25 | 3 | 2-3 | 5 | Carriage or davit | |||
| D | RFD 320 | 1966 | 6 | 2-3 | Used as Boarding Boats | ||||||
| D | RFD PB16 | 1963 | 228 | 2–3 | Carriage or davit | ||||||
| D | Zodiac III | 1971 | 64 | 2–3 | Carriage or davit | ||||||
| [32] | Mark 1 | 2002 | 6 | 40 | 3 | 4 | 20 | Afloat | |||
| Mark 2 | 2012 | 3 | 40 | 3 | 4 | 20 | Afloat | ||||
| Mark 3 | 2019 | 1 | 45 | 3 | 4 | 20 | Afloat |
| Class | Type | Entered service | Total built | Length | Weight / Displacement | Speed (knots) | Endurance (hours) | Crew | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflatable rescue boat | 2001 | 78+ | 165 kg | 8 | 2 | 25 used by on lifeguard units, 3 deployed at lifeboat stations.[33] | ||||
| BB | Boarding boat | [34] | ||||||||
| Hovercraft | 2002 | 7 | 3.86 tonnes | 30 | 3 | 2-4 | [35] | |||
| RWC | Rescue water craft | 2001 | 1 | Fast craft used by lifeguard units. | ||||||
| X | Inflatable rescue boat | Unmotored boat normally carried on board Tyne-class lifeboats but is an option on the and . | ||||||||
| Inflatable rescue boat | 61 kg | 10 or 25 | 2 | 2 | A small powered boat which is normally carried on board the Trent-class lifeboats. | |||||
| Inflatable rescue boat | 25 | 2 | Small powered boat normally found on board and lifeboats. |
The Historic Lifeboat Owners Association has been set up for individuals who own, maintain, crew or have a general interest in historic lifeboats. The association is a community whereby people can share knowledge, experience, information and advise on the subject, organizes social events and historic lifeboat rallies.
At the beginning of each summer an ex-lifeboat rally is held at Fowey in Cornwall whereby owners bring their boats and display them to the public; this event is organized by Fowey RNLI and is an opportunity to raise funds for the RNLI. Rallies have also been held in Falmouth, Belfast, Glasgow, Poole and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.