What happens to old RNLI lifeboats?
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Over the years we've operated many different classes of lifeboat, regularly updating our fleet as technology advances.
But what happens to old lifeboats once they've finished serving at RNLI stations? This video explores the varied lives of our ex-lifeboats across the world.
If you're interested in purchasing an ex-service Mersey class or Trent class lifeboat, please email our Asset Sales Manager Adrian via adrian_frogley@rnli.org.uk.
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The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, lifeboat crews around the UK and Ireland are ready to launch to help those in need. Whether you're stuck on a sinking ship, cut off by a rapidly rising tide, or in the water and close to drowning, RNLI crew members will drop everything to come to your rescue. 95% of RNLI lifeboat crews and station staff are volunteers.
But it’s not just lifeboats. RNLI lifeguards patrol 248 beaches across the UK and Channel Islands, keeping people safe, providing safety advice and rescuing those in trouble. Education volunteers visit schools and swimming clubs to help teach the next generation how to enjoy the water safely. And volunteer fundraisers and shop workers give up their time to generate vital funds. The RNLI is also working to help communities around the world that are most at risk of drowning.
If you spot someone in trouble in the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.
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Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity registered in England and Wales (209603), Scotland (SC037736), the Republic of Ireland (20003326), the Bailiwick of Jersey (14), the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and Alderney of West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ
I'm currently cox on one of the arun class lifeboats in Iceland. My station has a Atlantic 75 also and we also had an old D class. They are still working on saving lives.
I'll bet you get some wild seas off Iceland. I've seen the Severns in the nastiest of conditions and I'm sure the mighty Arun will do its best to keep you safe, great to hear they are still out there.
Brilliant to hear! Greetings from the UK and Ireland
My dad made the Arun class boats, good to see they are still active
Always wanted to buy a boat to live aboard, If I have the money buying an ex lifeboat would be awesome!
Hope you manage to save up!
I live in one
There is two for sale in Dublin.
Mersey class. 30 odd foot.
Less than £100,000.
uk.boats.com/power-boats/1993-lifeboat-mersey-class-7205782/
Here you go.
£75,000.
Nothing to do with me.
I just saw the add.
Found a vid on UA-cam.
Saw your comment.
Glued the two ends together.
In The Netherlands there is an association called "Nautische Vereniging Oude Reddings Glorie" (Nautical Association of Old Rescue Glory) of which many private owners of former lifeboats are members. Many lifeboats are still in more or less operational condition. Even a few ex-RNLI lifeboats are part of the fleet. For instance the Georg Urie Scott and the Arun 5201.
That sounds brilliant Ton!
I want an old launch tractor, two would be better, three would make me smile.
Don’t know how I would use them, but they are amazing.
Would also need somewhere to keep them😂
Hi Christopher, do contact our Asset Sales Manager Adrian via adrian_frogley@rnli.org.uk if you're interested!
What happens to the crews when they finish service? Do they get sold off too? I can imagine lifeboat crews enjoying life in Greece, The West Indies, or South America! 😉😀
Not Coton-In-The-Elms 🤣
They sure deserve some beach time after all the dedication and effort they put in
The crews are all volunteers. They don’t retire they just stop volunteering. :)
@@Mahalo_83 A lovely place. Please send the locals my regards.
I recently saved 44-004 'faithful forrester', an ex RNLI Waveney class lifeboat from the scrap yard. I'm currently restoring her now in Australia, follow my channel to see her come back to life! I'm finally getting around to editing all the footage after getting her back in the water. She has had a pretty wild history!
Great videos and a lovely boat, looking forward to seeing more of them, and when she's fit maybe some of you punching through some of those notorious bar crossings :-)
@@johnsm100 Thanks mate! glad you enjoyed! Plenty more coming soon 😁
And here I was asking myself "I wonder if there any in OZ?" Subscribed
@RNLI Have you ever had to rescue one of them?
Not aware of a shout to an ex-lifeboat but anything can happen at sea of course.
Saved my ass in a 30mph headwind and 5 m swell, whilst I was paddling my sea kayak into the same headwind for 30 minutes. I have never felt so much at home as I did that morning. When I have the money I will transfer my life into a lifeboat...
So happy to hear we were able to help you Barrie. We'd love to hear the full story if you'd be will to share it with us via our website rnli.social/3aW724F.
Do a video next on what happens when a volunteer RNLI is retired. Are they sold off too? 😜😂
😂
Twin Detroit diesels firing up in a Tyne class at 3am make the heart sing
I would like a life boat for fishing out of 😂
Why not!
I found an old lifeboat moored at Saul Junction Marina in Gloucester. RNLB Dorothy and Philip Constant. I tagged the RNLI in a picture of her on my Instagram page and they replied telling me she was a 'Watson Class lifeboat that went on service in 1963 at Shoreham before moving to Oban and then in to our relief fleet in the 80's, finally being sold in 1988.' A nice piece of history sat on my local canal :)
It warms my heart to know that they aren't just scrapped but are bringing joy or still saving lives in other places. Thank you.
Don’t forget giving lifts to Islamic scrounge and loafers.
Soy de Uruguay y una de esas lanchas presta servicios en ades en punta del este
I remember the old Lizard Lifeboat being in the playground at Lands End along with an old fishing boat before health & safety got it closed off. They were death traps but still fun.
Blyth independent lifeboat use a Tyne class
I don’t think I was meant to get emotional watching this... but I did
I went on a scuba diving holiday in Hjalteyri, Iceland, with Strytan Divecenter, in 2017. The dive boat was an Atlantic 21 previously stationed at Appledore (Manchester & District XXXII).
I think there's a old RNLI Boat baytree garden centre lincolnshire, it a bit run down now but can be saved and would love to see someone save it if it were to go on sale. It's an old Oakley-Class 37/48 Foot
In a garden centre?! That's some garden ornament
@@rnli yer, lol. If I had the money I would buy it and renovate it to its former glory. Its very weird were stuff can be found, its near Boston and Skegness and she's a lovely vessel
Here's the best pick I could get off it that has a link. www.lifeboatsonline.com/Images/giffile/RNLI_37-14_MaryPulman_NigelHole_BaytreeGardenCentre_Spalding_14.05.16_LOL.jpg
We've looked it up and it's Kirkcudbright's former Oakley class lifeboat
@@rnli thats amazing, so far from its home, thanks for telling me that as I've always wondered were it come from. Its nice to have the back story to a bit of history. Thank you 🙂
No problem. It was one of the 37ft Oakleys and served from 1965-1989.
An ex-Severn class would be my dream. Whatever replaces that in the future will have to be one mighty machine!
I would think an Arun is almost as good - quite a lot of space but don't think about the fuel bills !
It will need to be very good indeed, we have to convince Frank that Safehaven needs to do a lifeboat.
You are going to have to wait a long time for an ex-Severn, RNLI policy is to rebuild them with new engines & the integrated crew management system from the Shannon. In addition I think they will have the sprung seats from the Shannon. Hope they keep the White & Blue boat hooks as a reminder of the days of pulling (oared) lifeboats. Most classes except the D Class still have the coloured boat hooks or paddles.
I want one. Trent.
If I had the money I would love to have tracked down and bought the old Tyne-class Lord Saltoun 47-025 wherever she is these days, assuming still exists. A launch tractor and carriage as well as they could certainly be put to good use where I live hauling up small local fishing boats for refit.
Had the dream of converting an ex RNLI Lifeboat to a motor cruiser many moons ago after a weeks trip in a friends converted ex RAF ASR launch. Never came to fruition though, bank manager was not in favour of a loan for the project.
That's a shame Tony
The Arun at 0:36 isn’t an old RNLI boat. It’s a stretched 60’ version, several of which were built by Halmatic specifically for the Greek coastguard.
I came across 12-000 in Westport, IRL back in January 2020. Very cool to see the first Mersey! I wish I could upload the picture here.
I could be wrong, but I believe that there's one at Bristol harbourside, near the Matthew
John Scott Cowper did a circumnavigation via the Nortwest passage with an ex Watson class named Mabel E Holland.
Great story!
I think an old Holyhead lifeboat visits Howth every summer.
How often when and where are the boats sold . Can anyone attend the auction, or do you have to put your name down, and wait for a vessel to be available
I did see an ex Solent class boat (I think) for sale for £10,000 as a project that had been used as a drug smuggler between Holland and Scotland. Where do they normally go for sale?
Hi Martin, we're not aware of that story. The last Solent Class was sold by us in 1994. We prioritise search and rescue organisations, but the boats are also sold to private owners. Boats have been sold all over the globe including New Zealand, Canada, China, South America to name a few.
The Gemini Explorer was one of the Clyde Cruising lifeboats designed to be at sea most of the time with a permanent crew. While this is used in Europe the experiment was not a success in the UK and this class of boats is often forgotten. However despite them not being a success they actually achieved a fairly high number of rescues quite a lot while on passage from the South West of England to Scotland.
Prior to being the Gemini Explorer, I worked her her when she was the Fishery Protection vessel 'John V Storey'. This was her first role after the RNLI sold her and she was converted/refitted in Ramsgate. Good times.
This is one of my stations old lifeboats
The 'Gemini Explorer' used to be called 'City Of Bristol'. It was built in 1974 and served at Clovelly Lifeboat station between 1975 and 1988. It was of only 3 Clyde class lifeboats and had a different wheelhouse to the other 2 making it the only one of a kind RNLI lifeboat in recent history. The name plates are still at Clovelly lifeboat station and are suspended over the table in the meeting room.
John Gellatly Hyndman, wasn't she one of the old Stronsay lifeboats?
As a child I remember every year Blue Peter ,a programme for children , would raise money for a boat, as a result I still contribute today, live near a station now in Youghal, Cork, Ireland
Thanks for your ongoing support Bill. Blue Peter appeals funded a total of 28 lifeboats at 7 stations!
@@rnli wow, I never knew it was that many boats, great job
The Sir Samuel Kelly is being restored and stored close to the harbour in donaghadee.
We have the Old Selsey lifeboat in our Creek in Lytham. She regularly powers out to sea. Its amazing to see her take off once she has got out of the creek.
Weymouth's old Arun class Tony Vandervell was donated to Finland, I believe, and latterly she seems to have found her way to Russia, she was at Kronstadt last time I saw her
i saw one in Corfu a few years ago .
The clip at 0.59 is the Edward Bridges (54-03) naming ceremony in Brixham.
I worked on ex converted cromer lifeboat in Cannes, France, in 1963.alfred Ellis was the owner.we cruised the côté d Azur then on to the balearic islands. On board was the ex cox'n from cromer who was a local hero.i believe the boat and crew saved around 196 lives during its service.i went on to serve 47 years at sea in both sailing and motor yachts.
This is amazing, thanks for sharing Jacqueline
Two Tyne class RNLB's serving as pilot launches for Montrose Port Authority, Scotland. Hetty Rampton. 47-015 and Hilda Jarrett 47-024.
The Hilda Jarrett was the old Baltimore Lifeboat in west Cork. She was replaced in 2012 by a brand new state of the art Tamar class Lifeboat, the Alan Massey.
I’m surprised they don’t see use as port pilot boats as i’ve always seen similarities between the two types of boats, being a lifeboat they are certainly robust enough but as a pilot boat they wouldn’t need that ultimate performance.
One of the Arun class is right now serving in Tallinn Estonia... Her name is Hebe and if I am correct then before comeing to Tallinn she was in Kemi Finland🙂
Imagine if there was a shout involving an ex-RNLI lifeboat, now in private hands. That'd be rather interesting, especially if it used to be based out of the station that responded!
Amazingly sea-worthy but not comfortable to ride in.
The only retired RNLI boat I have had any association with, was a twin engine boat that a Sea Scout Group in, I think, Wlthamstow had bought. It was based at the Docklands Scout Project headquarters HQTS Lord Amory, next to the only working lock in Docklands. I got a chance to tour this boat while I was a member of the crew of the DSP, many years ago.
I remember three significant facts about her. First, because she was designed to launch down a slipway, the twin props were in 'tunnels. This made going astern virtually impossible! Second, like all RNLI boats, she was designed to be self righting and thus all her systems and electrics were designed to be submerged. Third, as an extension of her self righting capacity, the two diesel engines had anti flood valves on the air intakes and, my favourite, clockwork starter motors! Of course, she also had electric starters for 'normal' use, but both engines had enormous clockwork starters, with enormous windlass keys to wind them up again should they be needed. I don't know what happened to it, because the last time I visited the DSP, she wasn't there any more.
Hello, there's 2 old lifeboats in Swansea Museum South Wales. It's a while since I last saw them, one is open top, and the name on the side is
WILLIAM GAMMON, the other I cannot remember the name. Around our coast, and Gower in a place called Port Eynon one of my Mother's relatives lost their life, in a bad storm, the boat was an open top rowing boat, all hands were lost.
Geoff Lewis, Swansea South Wales UK 🏴
Who wouldn't want an ex RNLI lifeboat? You get a superbly well-designed and constructed vessel that will keep you safe to and possibly beyond the limit of your abilities (in case you do something stupid) in sea states high and rough enough to have Frank Kowalski excited to be out in it. Regrettably few folk can afford a Safehaven as a leisure vessel but a retired RNLI boat is within reach of a lot more people and arguably almost as much fun.
I worked skippering a RIB for a boat trip company off the Isle of Skye this summer. I saw Gemini Explorer a lot and she is being well looked-after!
Brilliant video, i really love the Tyne and the Arun classes 🧑🏻👍🏻⚓
Figured sale to other nations or as pleasure boats makes sense. They're so tough they'd surely have plenty of life in them, probably would last forever. In fact they're so tough and unsinkable I doubt you could scrap or scuttle it even if you wanted to, the fate of most retired vessels.
We were up in Scotland in our Motorhome and needed some water, we noticed a tap outside one of the RNLI offices, so asked if we could fill up, yes, of course, so we filled up and then had a look at what looked like a brand new rescue vessel, there was a guy on deck who asked if we'd like to see inside, you bet, so I and the woman went aboard, turns out it was new the previous week, two huge Volvo engine, it was a work of art how the had everything arranged in a logical position, RNLI, and Children in need are our two charities (you can't support them all) there was a slot in the wall of the office, so it got well fed that day.
I'm a none swimmer,and really do hope I don't need to use them in the future.👍👍👍
Years ago,I was in Pwllheli in North Wales and there was numerous
old RNLI lifeboats on moorings.I was told that on finishing their days
that they came there for sale.
Dave Williams
The Fisheries Protection have an old lifeboat, painted grey, at Conwy Marina. It has moved around the Marina a few times, but does not seem to go back out to sea.
I'd live aboard an AWL; I wonder if insurance would be cheaper in such a vessel? The Shannon class, what an awesome piece of engineering she is. The Severn with a crane for the dingy would be a nice touch, that said they are all lovely and would make great homes.
What I don't understand is why people buy boats that are less capable than lifeboats. If every boat was built to lifeboat standards surely fewer lifeboats would be called out each year?
Lifeboats are not suited to every purpose a boat might be built for and not all boats need to survive the type of seas, or make as much speed as a lifeboat, boats cost enough money without overbuilding them.
A brand new lifeboat costs around £2 million, so it's not realistic to expect all boat owners to afford a vessel to the specification of our fleet! They are also made specifically for lifesaving and not for general sale.
We have an old one in whitstable harbour and we go kayaking and quite often get quiet close to it nice vessel tho
Sounds super interesting
@@rnli yea I'll have to get some pics
There's an old boat moored in Auckland harbour nz which i believe to be ex rnli.
Is the 3rd clip in abersoch at its old station?
Hi Caleb! It's not Abseroch, but The Mumbles lifeboat station 🙂
Seen a number of them at Chatham Historic Dockyard, are there other places like this?
Hi there, there are a number of museums housing ex-lifeboats. Redcar is home to the oldest surviving lifeboat, the Zetland.
God bless 'em and all who sail in them ..
Could we please have a video of Tyne class lifeboats footage?
Thanks for the suggestion! We'll see what we can do 😃
@@rnli thank you! Take care
What website do you sale them
Hi Joel, if you're interested in purchasing an ex-service Mersey class or Trent class lifeboat, please email our Asset Sales Manager Adrian via adrian_frogley@rnli.org.uk.
Isn't it bad luck to rename a boat?
Brabo campeones 👏👏👏🤘😘
I live in Co Antrim (Northern Ireland). There’s a guy in our local village who uses a ‘retired’ lifeboat for pleasure trips round the bay.
Do you know which class it is Hugh?
@@rnli I know very little about lifeboats (though i'm in awe of the crews) here's a picture of it facebook.com/photo?fbid=10211609382738737&set=a.1365791993443
I thought the RNLI were selling some the Uruguayan Navy?
Hi there, we've sold boats to ADES Uruguay, which is a rescue organisation.
Truly fantastic
Used by people smuggling gangs.
The two ex RNLI lifeboats are stationed beneath the runway of Madeira's Airport
Wow! Would love to see a photo.
@@rnli there's one ashore, looking like it needs some tlc. The other is afloat, I could'nt get close enough to get a photo. The A21 is, I think, down in the marina in Funchal.
Thanks for the info!
Always wondered what happened to the selsey lifeboats, the longest serving station with tyne’s
Believe the City of London is now serving as a search and rescue vessel in China, under the name Hua Ying 388!
RNLI ah thank you, seems like a few tynes went off that way
We have one in Lytham Creek. Regularly go down the Creek, as the tide comes in, with her.
Couldn’t they just sell them
That is precisely what they do ;) They sell them, but as in any sale, there is a buyer too! This video is about where those lifeboats get sold off to, as stated in the video.
I like the Severn class. But they are to young to be retired.
Through our Save Our Severns appeal to hope to extend their service by another 25 years! rnli.social/3ayobRC
@@rnli Donation done :) :)
Thanks so much Alain!
The Severn refurbishment is fitting them with similar electronics and seats to the Shannon. They are also being re-engined but I think this may have been part of a previous project. Last time I was at the All Weather Lifeboat Center there were two new engines waiting to be installed. I am not sure if they were going into the lead 'Save our Severn' or one of the older boats.
Don't buy boats just invest....invest in the RNLI
A&P Falmouth use a Tyne class as a work vessel for the port, loudest boat I've ever heard!
A friend of my father also had an old Arun class that had been converted into a pleasure boat
Thanks for sharing Alex!
This is absolute bull sh.. on behalf of RNLI institutional politics. They don’t allow people to reference anything about RNLI with their second hand lifeboats . Your not allowed to even mention ex lifeboat in anyway if you wanted to use it as a trip boat in uk on an ex lifeboat. You even have to sign a contract preventing you doing so. Unbelievable?? . Shame on you RNLI. It could only help to promote and support the service .
Understandably, there are sale terms and conditions in place to protect the RNLI on sale of our ex-lifeboats. As a charity we are held to the highest of standards.