Royal National Lifeboat Institution
From ManxWiki
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution was the brainchild of island resident Sir William Hillary who lived at Fort Anne, overlooking Douglas Harbour and with a clear view of the treacherous Conister Rock which would become the base for the Tower of Refuge.
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RNLI Background
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. It was founded on 4 March 1824 by Sir William Hillary as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, adopting the present name in 1854.
There are over 230 lifeboat stations strategically placed around the coast of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland together with RNLI Lifeguard units in the South, South West and East coast of the UK. Lifeboat rescues have doubled since 1980 and the RNLI rescues an average of 22 people every day of the year.
With respect to fundraising, the RNLI still relies on voluntary donations and legacies to raise the £130M each year it costs to run the service. Six out of every ten lifeboat launches are thanks to legacies, which still play a vital role in RNLI fundraising.
RNLI volunteers are united by a willingness to commit time and energy to a cause about which they are passionate. It is because so many crew members, shore helpers, fundraisers and others are volunteers that such a high proportion of funds can be spent on first-class lifeboats and equipment.
Locations Map
Station Details
The island has five RNLI stations on the island at Douglas, Ramsey, Peel, Port Erin and Port St. Mary. The former station in Castletown Harbour is now a private residence.
| Station | Address | Lifeboat Type | Name | Image | Launch Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas | Douglas Lifeboat Station, Battery Pier, Douglas. IM1 5BT Tel: 621367 | Tyne | RNLB Sir William Hillary | 
| Slipway |
| Ramsey | Ramsey Lifeboat Station, Queens Promenade, Ramsey. IM8 1BH Tel: 812169 | Mersey | RNLB Ann and James Ritchie | 
| Tractor |
| Port Erin | Port Erin Lifeboat Station, Breakwater Road, Port Erin. Tel: 832154 | B (Atlantic) Class (RIB) | Muriel and Leslie | 
| Trolley |
| Port St. Mary | Port St Mary lifeboat station, Lime Street, Port St. Mary. Tel: 835015 | 1.Trent 2.D Class (RIB) | 1.RNLB Gough Ritchie II 2.Hounslow | 
| 1.Moored Afloat 2. Trolley |
| Peel | Peel Lifeboat Station, The Breakwater, Peel. Tel: 842309 | Mersey | RNLB Ruby Clery |
| Tractor |
Lifeboat Facts and Figures
| Isle of Man Lifeboats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class: | Trent | Tyne | Mersey | B Class | D Class |
| Stationed: | Port St. Mary | Douglas | Ramsey, Peel | Port Erin | Port St. Mary |
| Displacement: | 27.7 tons | 26 tons | 14 tons | . | . |
| Length: | 46 ft 9 in (14.26 m) | 47 ft (14 m) | 38 ft (11.6 m) | 23 ft (7m) | 16 ft (4.9m) |
| Beam: | 16 ft 1 in (4.9 m) | 14 ft 8 in (4.5 m) | 12 ft (3.8 m) | . | . |
| Draught: | 4 ft 3 in (1.3m) | 4 ft 2 in (1.3 m) | 3.3 ft (1.0m) | . | . |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN D2840LE 401 diesel engines, 860hp (641kW) | 2 × DDEC V6 diesels, 2 × GM V6 diesels or 2 × V8 diesels | 2 × Caterpillar 3208 diesel engines, 280hp (210kW) | 2 × 2-stroke outboard engines, 94hp (70kW) each | 1 × Mercury Marine Outboard |
| Speed: | 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h) | 17.6 knots (20.3 mph; 32.6 km/h) | 16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h) | 29 knots (33 mph; 54 km/h) | 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h) |
| Range: | 250 nmi (460 km) | 240 nmi (440 km) | 140 nmi (260 km) | . | . |
| Capacity: | Self Righting 28 Non-Self Righting 102 | Self Righting 20 Non-Self Righting 100 | . | . | . |
| Crew: | 6 | 6 + doctor | 6 | 3 | 3 or 4 |
Rescue Facts and Figures
Copied in part from BYM Marine & Maritime News (14 Oct 2008):"Statistics released today by the RNLI show that during the first six months of 2008, the charity’s volunteer crews on the Isle of Man have rescued more people than ever before. RNLI crews at Peel, Douglas, Port St Mary, Port Erin and Ramsey rescued 56 people between January and June 2008. This represents the greatest number of people rescued during this period since modern-day records began in 1970.
The figure is more than double the number of people rescued during the same period the previous year. In 2007, RNLI lifeboats on the Isle of Man launched 23 times and rescued 25 people."
Videos
PSM Lifeboat and Helicopter
Port St. Mary Crew undergoing Helicopter training with an RAF Sea King from the UK.
Douglas Lifeboat Launch
Ramsey Lifeboat and Crew
A Look Back In Time
Slide show of older Isle of Man lifeboats, and local landmarks associated with Sir William Hillary.
Train One, Save Many
The motto of the RNLI is "Train one, Save many" which reflects the fact that each person that becomes a full RNLI volunteer member has the potential to save the lives of many people.
Gallery
 Port St. Mary Station |
 Port Erin Station |
 Former Castletown Station |
 Port St. Mary Lifeboat Helicopter Training |
 Douglas Lifeboat Helicopter Training |
 Douglas Lifeboat Helicopter Training |
 Douglas Lifeboat Station |
 Douglas Lifeboat Station |
 Peel Lifeboat Station |
RNLI Downloads
The RNLI website provides a quantity of useful downloads giving information on the Institution along with tips on Sea and beach safety, Membership application forms, Donor forms, Maps and movies.
They also have an Education website for Youths, parents and teachers, See External Links below.
Desktop Pager
The RNLI offeers a desktop gadget that connects into their pager system to notify anyone when a launch has recently taken place. Users can select local, area or all 300+ stations. The pager is available for PCs and Macs.
See Also
External Links
- RNLI Website
- RNLI "Shorething" Education website
- Douglas Lifeboat Website
- Port St. Mary Lifeboat Website
- Port Erin Website
- Ramsey Lifeboat Station (RNLI.org.uk)
- Peel Lifeboat Station (RNLI.org.uk)
Categories: Charities | Maritime | Ships
