Revealed: First pictures of new London station for RNLI’s busiest crew
A new lifeboat station for the RNLI’s busiest crew has today floated under the iconic Tower bridge to its permanent home.
Crew from the station are currently operating from HMS PRESIDENT – the Royal Naval Reserve’s training facility in London - as they await their brand-new station.
Their previous station – which had parts of its pontoon dating back to the Victorian era - was floated away from its home on Victoria Embankment in January.
New figures released by the RNLI reveal that the Tower lifeboat crew had launched more times than any other station in 2022 and had their busiest year to date.
Last year the crew at Tower launched 734 times - and saved 21 lives.
It is expected the crew will be fully operational from the new station by the end of April.
The age and design of the old station had meant it had become unfit for purpose for such a busy crew – it will now be used by Thames Marine Services as one of six electrical charging facilities.
The new station will have vital new additions for the crew including a more private space for casualty care, out of public view.
Tower Lifeboat Station Manager Kevin Maynard said: ‘We are looking forward to our new much needed facilities which will mean we can continue the service we are known for, for many years to come.
‘The crew are so excited to see their new station arrive and excited to continue our life saving work from this new modern base.
‘We’d also like to thank HMS PRESIDENT who are supporting us in the meantime as this has allowed us to continue being on service.’
The new station has been made possible thanks to generous donations including £3.5million from the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officer’s Association following the sale of the Naval Club in Mayfair.
For more information and pictures please contact [email protected] / 07724801305
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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