Rescue at sea

The first self-righting lifeboat is born at South Shields, on the East coast of England at the end of the 18^th century. She will be the ancestor of modern lifeboats, which perpetuate the devotion of sailors saving other sailors, lost, wrecked, exposed to sea misfortunes.

In 1824, the "Royal Institution for the preservation of life from shipwreck" became the Royal National Lifeboat Institution is founded after an appeal to British nation published by Sir William Hillary, from Douglas, Isle of Man. The RNLI will absorb then local stations and 308 lifeboats are running in 1895.

At the beginning, the small means of savers are formed of rowing boats of 34 to 35 feet (10,66 m) in length, 9 ' 6'' (2,9 m) beam, with a limited range. The boats are launched from carriage off a sea. This kind of boat, source of several rescues, has several defaults: a heavy straight keel, a narrow beam which make the boat instable when overturned.

ROBERT & ELLEN ROBSON a self-righting Dungeness Class buiilt in 1918. 10 rowers.
	Vincent Wilkinson Kirk Ella is a 34 feet in service from 1888 to 1912, followed by Arthur Lionel (1912-1929), last non-powered craft used as lifeboat.
Guernsey owns a lifeboat as early as 1803 and the RNLI takes over the responsability from States of Guernsey in 1861. Until the end of the 19^th century, pulling lifeboats are engaged.
	At Douglas, isle of Man, True Blue, a 10 oars, serves from 1824 to 1851 and Manchester & Salford, a 10 oars of 32 feet, from 1868 to 1887.
Rescue in France
The first lifeboats are from British design : insubmersibles thanks to air caissons, with spontaneous redress (two boxes in form of donkey back) and automatic draining of water by valves. The ships will be improved, particularly by yards in Le Havre: Augustin Normand has built about 135 boats in about one century.

In France, The Société Centrale de Sauvetage des Naufragés (Central Society of Wrecked Saving) is founded on 12 February 1865. In 1873, grant-grant-nephew of Buffon is at the origin of the Société des Hospitaliers Sauveteurs Bretons. The both societies join together in 1968 to form the Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer.

In 1967 the Société Centrale de Sauvetage owns 58 motor boats. In 2007 the SNSM fleet is composed of: 40 canots tous-temps (offshore lifeboat) 34 1st class launches 68 2nd class launches 33 3rd class launches, which are replaced by new 2nd class launches about 450 inflatables with outboard motor
		Pierre Loti, built in 1973, equipped of 2 Diesel engines of 265 hp reaches a speed of 14.5 knots. She is based at St Jean de Luz until being replaced in September 99.

SNS076 PRESIDENT JACQUES HURET is part of 17.60 m all weather boats.			SNS 060 VILLE DE PARIS is en service at the SNSM station from the island of Sein between 1980 and 2016. She is the first in the series. started in 1980 of all-weather boats of 17.60 m, with a hull in polyester and glass-resin composite (CVR), insubmersible boat and self-righting.

Amiral de Tourville, canot tout temps SNS 086 Length 15.5m beam 4.39 m , displacement : 18 tons, speed 18 knots.			Built in February 1988, SNS064 PRESIDENTS JOSEPH OULHEN is assigned to Aberwrac’h station.


The all-weather, wooden double-hull, unsinkable and self-emptying, PATRON FRANCIS MORIN was in service on the island of Ouestant from 1960 to 1995. Restored, it is used for trips.
Rescue overseas

Nouméa station, open in 2004, gathers about fifty volunteers and surveys the most extended zone of SNSM stations, depuis l'île des Pins to La Foa. The station is responsible for a longer stretch of coastline than any other branch of SNSM, running from the Isle of Pines up to La Foa. Other rescue stations are planned to ensure coverage of the entire New Caledonia coastline and the new station at Koumac will soon be operational. CROIX DU SUD is a second class boat, 10,5 m long, built at chantiers Ernest Sibiril at Carantec (Britanny, France).



SNS 159 JARO II -commissioned on 1 April 2010 - has special equipment for the cold, such as insulation and heating systems. .

VITAMAR III is an aluminium monohull built in 2019 on the “Transmetal Industries” shipyard. Her main tasks are the coastal maintenance, buoyage,combating marine pollution, preserving the environment, offshore checks and fire-fighting.
Rescue in Europe...

The Sociedad de Salvamento y Seguridad Marítima (literally: Maritime Safety and Rescue Society), also known as SASEMAR or Salvamento Marítimo, is a sea search and rescue agency. In the units maritime, there are four multipurpose vessels, twelve tugboats heights, four rapid reaction boats and thirty-nine small boats. One of the two 56 m boats long: LUZ DE MAR in service in the Strait of Gibraltar and MIGUEL DE CERVANTES in the Canary Islands and a tugboat of the Maetzu's Maria's class.


The German society is founded at Kiel on 29 May 1865

BREMEN, 16.17 m long , is built in 1931 for Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Retung Schiffbrüchiger (DGzRS) and decommissioned in 1953.		GEORG BREUSSING, in service from 1963 to July 88, is anchored at Emden Museum		WILHELM KAISEN is a 44 m long lifeboat built in 1978 and scrapped in May 2017



From July 1996, the 23.1 metres long lifeboat named HERMANN RUDOLF MEYER is stationed at Bremerhaven

ARKONA, in service in 1992,. is stationed in Warnemünde and secures, among other things, the busy shipping routes to the Rostock seaports.

BERLIN is christened for the 120 years of DGzRS L: 27.50m B: 6.53m D: 2.10m Displ.: 103tons 8 crew 3,194 BHP (3 engines, 3 Propulsers) 24 knots		Trunk to collect donations		Built in aluminium in 1995, MINDEN is one of 7 lifeboats long of 23,5 m lauched between 1980 and 1991
In Italy, the coast-guards are in charge of search and rescue: here is the CP 828 boat.

BRUNO GREGORETTI (CP920) is a multi-purpose ship built for the Italian Coast Guard in charge of search and rescue operations in Mediterranean Sea.			CP 828. entered in service in September 2011. 12,95 m long, she has a range of 150 nm at 31 knots.
		The Royal Dutch League for Lifesaving is founded in 1824. SUZANNA, a 20.75 m long boat, reaches a speed of 10.6 knots and has a range of 1500 miles.
In 1893, Colin Archer, famous naval architect, built the first Norwegian lifeboat, conceived for rough conditions, with 4 servers. She is in service until 1933.


The 50th lifeboat of NSSR, OSLOSKOYTA, is built in 1940 : 58' long, she is motorised by two diesel.			Based in Oslo, SKOMVAER III, built in 1986, is 19.61 m long. and ùay reach 27 knots;
		In 1975, the 12th international lifeboat conference occurs in Finland: MERIKOKKO, historic ship of Suomen Meripelastusseura, founded in 1897, is sailing from 1938. NILLO SAARINEN 48 m long and built in 1961, stands at Raahe in the gulf of Finland.

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society is a non-governmental Swedish voluntary institution founded in 1907. First equipped with WATSON class boats, it owns today 140 lifeboats on 67 stations. The VICTORIA class with a length overall of 11.8 m, reaches 38 knots and is one of the fastest lifeboats.
		Built in 1956 at the Gdansk yards, R1 stationned at Hel, Poland, near Gdansk.
In Poland, from the port of Gdynia, lifeboats contribute to the safety of navigation in Balticsea.
La RNLI veille sur les côtes du Royaume
In 1887, RNLI appoints a consulting naval architect George Watson who introduces a new kind of boat, a lifeboat 42' long, sail runing and steadier. In 1887, the architect George Watson became a consultant to the RNLI and introduces a new type of vessel, 42' long, moved by sails, more stable. For several decades, lifeboats motorised lifeboats are designed on the cleaned Watson hull and widened by Barnett. A solution to the problem of the overturning of the vessel is brought by the architect Richard Oakley. In the 1950s, he designed a vessel equipped with ballasts which make it possible to return the vessel to the place after capsizing.

J G GRAVES OF SHEFFIELD.built in 1958 is the first of 36 Oakley class boats.. Dimensions : 11.28 x 3.51m.		The station of Aldeburgh experienced an accident on 7 December 1899 with the loss of 7 out of 18 teammates and the ship was replaced by others 44". ".		The Oakley class refers to two types of lifeboats operated by the RNLI between 1958 and 1993: the 37-foot Oakley (11.3 m) and the larger version 48-foot-6-inch (14.8 m)


Free port service cover

In 1991, the RNLI launched the Severn prototype and the "City of London II "the largest lifeboat in the fleet of RNLI, 17, 3 long. She can reach 25 knots

At Jersey, Sarah Brooshoft, a 10 oars of 34', built in 1887, saves 3 crew on Demie de Pas lightship in 1906.

In 1890, the first steam powered lifeboat is launched and in 10 years, the RNLI acquires 5 of them, 50' long , covering greater distances than any pulling or sailing lifeboats. Finaly in 1904 appears at Folkestone the first motor boat, a 38' equipped of a twin-cylinder of 10 hp. After the war, the RNLI modernises the fleet by fitting the sailboats with engines. In 1920, the successor of Watson, James Barnett designs a 60 feet using two engines.
		The Barnett class Queen Victoria served Guernsey from 1929 to 1954 followed by the 52 feet Euphrosyne Kendall -1954-71.
During several decades, motor lifeboats were based on Watson's hull refined and enlarged by Barnett. A solution to the problem of boat stability is given by the architect Richard Oakley. In the 50's, he designs a ballasts equipped lifeboat which would right the boat after a capsize.

A new step occurs in 1932 with the adoption of diesel engine, with abetter fuel consumption and with a larger range. Mary Stanford, Barnett class boat, saves the crew of the Daunt.lightship in 1936 and serves at Ballycotton from 1930 to 1959.


At Ramsey; Ann and James Richie. Mersey. class 1991			Douglas station: Sir William Hillary is a fast Tyne class lifeboat: launched from slipway, she is built in steel, 14m30 long, she has a range of 240 miles at 17.6 knots. .

Ruby-Clery, Mersey class lifeboat based at Peel, In 1988, RNLI introduces the first fast slipway launched lifeboat ; 11m77 long, 4 m beam, built in aluminium or in composite, with a crew of 6, Mersey class may run at 16 knots.

Port-Erin station: Rigid inflatable ATLANTIC 21. in service in 1992.			Port St Mary station Gough Ritchie II Trent class


Arun class (16m55 long, 230 miles of range, 6 crew, 18 knots) Sir William Arnold -73-97- more than 600 missions.			Gough Ritchie, numbered 54-06, is a 54 feet version where the 2 turbo-diesel Caterpillar with twin 6 cylinders of 460 hp allow a maximal speed of 19 knots and a range of 250 miles at 17,5 knots. She carries a 3.9 m inflatable dingy with a 15 hp outboard motor . Launched 166 times, saving 63 lives, Gough Ritchie continues her carrier in Chile.
Coming in the RNLI fleet in 1964, issued of an American prototype, 22 Waveney class boats will enter in service ;

44-019 Louis Marchesi of Round Table, stationned at Newhaven from 77 to 85 (lauched 289 times, 134 lifes saved), in Alderney from 86 to 94 then at Exmouth (94-96)			Thomas James King, numbered 44-013, is a Waveney class equiped of 2 260 hp General Motors. St Hélier station from 1974 to 1982.

Arun (16m55 long, 230 miles range, 6 crew, 18 knots) Sir William Arnold -73-97- realised more than 600 missions.			Gough Ritchie, numbered 54-06, is a 54 feet lifeboat where 2 turbo-diesel Caterpillar 460 hp give a maximum speed of 19 knots. Launched 166 times, Gough Ritchie sails in Chile

Sir William Hillary is a fast Tyne class lifeboat: carriage-launched, she is built in steel, 14m30 long, she has a range of 240 miles at 17.6 knots.			Alexander Coutanche, other Tyne class, is stationned at St Helier.


Sir Gough Ritchie II is the 26th 14m Trent (hence her identification 14-26) of 26,5 tons, built in fibre reinforced composite in a sandwich monocoque structure, driven by two turbo-diesel Man V10 of 800 hp. She is based at Port St Mary, a station established in 1896.			Launched in 1995, the 17-meters Spirit of Guernsey, Severn class, reaches a speed of 25.8 knots with a 1200 hp engine.
Search and rescue in South Africa, in South America

In South Africa, in 1966, on 4 fishing ships only one come back to homeport. In 1967, the South African Inshore Rescue Service (SAISRS) was founded and renamed National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). More than 1 000 volounteers are on 49 bases

SPIRIT of ROTARY is a 12 m long wooden hull boat ; her two engines of 485 hp each give a maximal speed of 25 knots. IShe operates for NSRI at Hout Bay station.

CAPITAN FRANCISCO ALVAREZ is the former RNLI GREATER LONDON, a Ramsgate class built in 1928, used by Asociación Honoraria de Salvamentos Marítimos y Fluviales from 1957 to 1983.

CAPITÁN CHRISTIANSEN. built in 1928 was based at Walton and Frinton station. She was one of the ships used in the Dunkirk evacuation and returned to Ramsgate with on board 142 troops. She was bought by Chile in 1955.


Other life safety meansmay be set up: the lighthouses and lightships the weather-ships, including FRANCE II, anchored today at La Rochelle museum the high-seas tugs, the true lorries of the high seas. the ambulance-boats the Société des Oeuvres de Mer (founded by doctor Charcot) and the fishing supply sailing ships. So to be followed...here

Sources :
Rescue from water by E.J. Hogan, published by the Ship stamp society
Maritime Life & Traditions n°16
Several sites of RNLI stations
Guernsey Post

SNSM NOUMEA STATION (Patrick Gillet): BP 251, 98845 Nouméa Cedex and www.snsm.org

Have a look at Lifeboats in maximaphily

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created on 19 November 2002
updated on 10 October 2005
updated on 15 February 2006
updated on 31 August 2007
updated on 30 March 2009
updated on 26 March 2025

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