RNLI Lifeboat Stations

Porthdinllaen Lifeboat Station. Photo: RNLI

The RNLI provide 24-hour search and rescue service operates from 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland.

These include four along the River Thames: Chiswick, Gravesend, Teddington and Tower.

Five inland lifeboat stations at Carrybridge, Enniskillen, Loch Ness, Lough Derg and Lough Ree.

Every lifeboat station has different needs depending on its location and without the right shore facilities, lifeboat crews cannot operate effectively.

Changes to lifeboat cover, new classes of lifeboats and the needs of the volunteer crews lead to improvements, and even rebuilds, of lifeboat stations. And so the RNLI continually review the supporting infrastructure to keep pace with the coastal ebb and flow.

The RNLI generally have around 125 projects ongoing at any one time dedicated to the upkeep and maintenance of lifeboat stations and other properties to ensure they’re kept fit for use for as long as possible.

The RNLI complete approximately 25 of them each year and these works account for some 10% of the RNLI's annual running costs.

RNLI Lifeboat Stations in the Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland

Aranmore Lifeboat Station. Photo: Barry Moule

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) currently operate 46 stations around the Irish coastline as well as major inland waterways.

The types of boats provided at each station and the launching methods vary depending on local needs. If more than one boat is provided they are sometimes stationed in separate buildings at different locations in the same town. RNLI boats serving Irish stations currently fall into two groups:

All weather lifeboats (ALBs): Mersey, Severn, Shannon, Tamar and Trent.
Inshore lifeboats (ILBs): D Class (IB1), Atlantic 85 and Rescue Water Craft (RWC).

Recovery of Shannon class lifeboat at Clogherhead. Photo: RNLI/Pat Browne

The principal launching methods are:

Carriage – an ALB or ILB is pushed into the water on a carriage by a tractor
Davit – an ILB is lowered into the water by a crane
Launchway – an ILB is pushed into the water on a carriage by hand
Moored afloat – an ALB or ILB is kept in the water alongside the lifeboat station or nearby, in which case a small boarding boat is provided so that the crew can reach it.
Slipway – an ALB slides down a slipway straight into the water.

Station	Lifeboat Types	Launch Method	Number & Name	Launching Equipment
Portrush	Severn Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Slipway	17-30 William Gordon Burr (Y-238) D-871 Ken Blair	BB-901 Winch W-077
Red Bay	Trent Class Atlantic 85	Moored Afloat Carriage	14-32 Corinne Whiteley (XP02) B-843 Geoffrey Charles	BB-706 & TA99 TW30
Larne	Trent Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Carriage	14-30 Dr. John McSparran (XP24) D-783 Terry	LR62 LR65
Bangor	Atlantic 85	Carriage	B-805 Jessie Hillyard	TA94
Donaghadee	Trent Class	Moored Afloat	14-36 Saxon (XP19)	LR92
Portaferry	Atlantic 85	Atlantic 85	B-833 Blue Peter V	TA117
Newcastle	Mersey Class D Class (IB1)	Carriage Carriage	12-20 Leonard Kent D-775 Eliza	T118 TT11
Kilkeel	Atlantic 85	Davit	B-812 Frank William Walton	Davit DA-024 Winch W-075
Clogherhead	Shannon Class	Carriage	13-31 Michael O'Brien	SC-T17
Skerries	Atlantic 85	Carriage	B-866 Louis Simson	TW07
Howth	Trent Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Slipway	14-33 Roy Barker III (XP40) D-796 Aideen Cresswell	Winch W-079
Dun Laoghaire	Trent Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Slipway	14-05 Anna Livia (XP25) D-865 Joval	BB-903 Winch W-076

Lifeboats listed in GREEN are temporarily on station.

Kilkeel Lifeboat Station. Photo: Pat Nolan

Station	Lifeboat Types	Launch Method	Number & Name	Launching Equipment
Wicklow	Shannon Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Carriage	13-27 Joanna and Henry Williams D-806 Dennis-Audrey	TA116 & TA46
Arklow	Trent Class	Moored Afloat	14-19 Ger Tigchelaar (XP34)
Courtown	D Class (IB1)	Slipway	D-846 Frank	TA114
Wexford	D Class (IB1)	Carriage	D-782 Alfred William Newman	TA113
Rosslare Harbour	Severn Class	Moored Afloat	17-43 Donald and Barbara Broadhead (Y168)	BB-694
Kilmore Quay	Tamar Class	Moored Afloat	16-18 Killarney (Y216)
Fethard	D Class (IB1)	Carriage	D-819 Naomh Dubhan	LR67
Dumore East	Shannon Class	Moored Afloat	13-41 William and Agnes Wray
Tramore	D Class (IB1)	Carriage	D-781 Isabella Purchase	TT15
Helvick Head	Atlantic 85	Slipway	B-873 Robert Armstrong	TA119
Youghal	Atlantic 85	Carriage	B-890 Gordon and Phil	TW42
Ballycotton	Trent Class	Moored Afloat	14-25 Austin Lidbury (XP47)	BB-905 & BB669 Winch W-048

Lifeboats listed in GREEN are temporarily on station.

Relief Trent Class Lifeboat 14-32 Corinne Whiteley at Ballycotton Lifeboat Station. Photo: Pat Nolan

Station	Lifeboat Types	Launch Method	Number & Name	Launching Equipment
Crosshaven	Atlantic 85	Davit	B-892 John and Janet	Davit DA-026
Kinsale	Atlantic 85	Moored Afloat	B-909 Miss Sally Anne Baggy II - Never Fear, Baggy's Here	Davit DA-036
Courtmacsherry Habour	Trent Class	Moored Afloat	14-07 Frederick Storey Cockburn (XP41)	BB-904 & BB-654 Winch W-078
Baltimore	Tamar Class Atlantic 85	Moored Afloat Slipway	16-25 Alan Massey (Y244) B-910 Rita Daphne Smyth	Winch W-062
Castletownbere	Severn Class	Moored Afloat	17-44 Annette Hutton (Y191)
Union Hall	Atlantic 85	Carraige	B-924 Christine and Raymond Fielding	TA88
Valentia	Severn Class	Moored Afloat	17-07 John and Margaret Doig (Y223)	BB-676 & TA130
Fenit	Trent Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Moored Afloat	14-27 Robert Hywell Jones Williams (XP14) D-860 Lizzie	TR-T1625 & TA70
Kilrush	Atlantic 85	Carriage	B-844 Edith Louise Eastwick	TW08
Lough Derg	Atlantic 85	Moored Afloat	B-911 Jane Spier
Lough Ree	Atlantic 75	Carriage	B-920 Tara Scougall	TA52
Aran Islands	Severn Class	Moored Afloat	17-06 David Kirkaldy (Y224)
Galway	Atlantic 85	Davit	B-853 Binny	Davit DA-038

Lifeboats listed in GREEN are temporarily on station.

Severn Class 17-44 Annette Hutton at Castletownbere Lifeboat Station. Photo: RNLI

Station	Lifeboat Types	Launch Method	Number & Name	Launching Equipment
Clifden	Shannon Class Atlantic 85	Moored Afloat Carriage	13-43 St Christopher B-869 Joyce King	BB-068 & TA121 TW39
Achill Island	Trent Class	Moored Afloat	14-28 Sam and Ada Moody (XP27)	BB-070 & TA69
Ballyglass	Severn Class D Class (IB1)	Moored Afloat Carriage	17-15 Bryan and Gordon (Y229) D-823 Celia Mary	BB-066 Winch W-042 & LR73
Sligo Bay	Atlantic 85	Carriage	D-888 Sheila & Dennis Tongue	TA109
Bundoran	Atlantic 85	Carriage	B-834 William Henry Liddington	TW24H
Enniskillen	Atlantic 85 Rescue Water Craft (RWC)	Carriage Carriage	B-912 John and Jean Lewis RWC-054	TA133 H240
Carrybridge	Atlantic 85 Rescue Water Craft (RWC)	Carriage	B-904 Douglas, Euen and Kay Richards RWC-052	TA132 H239
Arranmore	Severn Class	Moored Afloat	17-22 Myrtle Maud (Y157)	BB-067 & BB682 & LR100
Lough Swilly	Shannon Class Atlantic 85	Moored Afloat Carriage	13-08 Derek Bullivant B-819 Minnie and Ernest George Barry	BB-069 TW31

Lifeboats listed in GREEN are temporarily on station.

Lough Swilly Lifeboat Station. Photo: Pat Nolan

Lifeboats Under Construction

All-weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole. Photo: Nathan Williams

The following is a list of new lifeboats that are to be assigned to lifeboat stations in the North and South of Ireland by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Please note assignments may be subject to change.

Named	Number	Class	Station	Due