Historic London lifeboat station floated away for last time

The RNLI’s Tower lifeboat station – the busiest lifeboat station in the country – has been floated away from its home on Victoria Embankment.

On Tuesday (24 January 2023), the station was towed across London, passing under the iconic Tower Bridge, watched by onlookers.

The crew will continue their vital lifesaving service by operating out of nearby HMS President – the Royal Naval Reserve’s training facility in London – before a new station is floated into place in April.

The age and design of the station meant it had become unfit for purpose and will now be used by Thames Marine Services as one of six electrical charging facilities.

The floating station had been operational for 16 years – with parts of the pontoon dating back to the Victorian era when it was used by the Metropolitan Police.

Since 2002 the Tower lifeboat crew have launched 9,545 times, saving 355 people across 16 miles of the Thames — just last year (2022), the station had 750 callouts.

Tower lifeboat station manager Kevin Maynard says: “We are looking forward to our new facilities to help us provide the service the people of London deserve to keep them as safe as possible.

“In the meantime, I’d like to reassure people that we are continuing to run our lifesaving service as normal along the Thames – and remember, if they get into trouble to ring 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

The impressive history of the station began following the tragedy of the pleasure boat Marchioness in 1989, in which 51 people lost their lives after a collision with a dredger. An inquiry following the tragedy recommended the need for a dedicated rescue service on the Thames.

Thanks to generous donations – including £3.5m from the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officer’s Association following the sale of the Naval Club in Mayfair – Tower RNLI‘s new station is nearing completion, ready to meet the challenges of keeping London safe for generations to come.