Dover Lifeboat Station

Dover Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station[1] located in the town of Dover in the English county of Kent.[2] The station first opened in 1837, coming under the RNLI’s control in 1855.[3]

Dover Lifeboat Station
Dover Lifeboat Station
Crosswall Quay
General information
TypeRNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationDover Lifeboat Station, Cross Wall Quay, Union Street, CT17 9BN
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°7′5.83″N 1°18′38.49″E
Opened1855 (RNLI)
OwnerRoyal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Dover Lifeboat Station website

Among the awards won by Dover's crews over the years are 19 RNLI medals for bravery, 6 silver and 13 bronze, the last being awarded in 1998.[4]

History

The first rescue service at Dover was called the Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution which was established in September 1837.[5] Its former boathouse at the Dover Western Docks has been designated a Grade II listed building, along with the adjacent clock tower.[6]

First closure

From its inception until the First World War, the Dover station operated using rowing and sailing lifeboats. In September 1914, following the outbreak of war, the station was forced to close due to difficulties manning the lifeboat safely. The station re-opened in 1919, with a new steam lifeboat called James Stevens No. 3. Built in 1898 this single propeller lifeboat, one of only six steam driven lifeboats, was designed to be ready to steam immediately, at all times. However, the lifeboat still took at least 20 minutes to get up to steam and required a large technical crew to keep her fired up. It was launched only five times before the station was closed again in 1922.[7]

Camber (East Docks) station

With increased shipping and the advent of air traffic, the RNLI realised that a lifeboat station in Dover would again be required,[7] and in 1929 a new boathouse was opened in the Eastern Docks at Camber.[8] The re-opened station was supplied with a new faster lifeboat. The Sir William Hillary (ON 725),[7] named after the founder of the RNLI, arrived on station in 1930 and was powered by twin 375 horsepower petrol engines with a top speed of 17.25 Knots. This was almost twice the speed of the rest of the RNLI’s fleet of lifeboats, most of which were capable of 9 Knots.[7] The Dover station operated from this location until the Second World War. At the time of the Dunkirk evacuation the Sir William Hillary was away having a refit and overhaul. The relief lifeboat Agnes Cross remained at Dover until 1941, when the station closed again for the duration of the War.[4]

Post-War re-opening

In 1947 the Dover station began operations again, re-locating to the former Motor Torpedo Boat pens in the East Docks area.[7] The rapid expansion of the Dover ferry terminal in the 1980s saw the lifeboat station move again, to the Tug Haven situated in the inner harbour across from the Cross Wall Quay.

1990s to present
RNLB City of London (ON 1220)

In the late 1990s, work began on a new station built on Cross Wall Quay. Construction was completed in 2000 and the station began operating in August 2001. The current lifeboat is a Severn-class[9] lifeboat called City of London II (ON 1220) [10] which has been on station since 1997 and is the seventeenth lifeboat to be stationed at Dover.

Fleet
Dates in service Class ON Op. No. Name Comments
1837–1853 37 ft Self-Righter (12 oar, Pulling & Sailing) Unnamed Operated by Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution.
1853–1857 28 ft Self-Righter (6 oar, Pulling & Sailing) Unnamed Operated by Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution.
1857–1864 28 ft Self-Righter (6 oar, Pulling & Sailing) Unnamed
1864–1878 32 ft Self-Righter (10 oar, Pulling & Sailing) Royal Wiltshire
1878–1888 Self-Righter (Pulling & Sailing) Henry William Pickersgill
1888–1901 37 ft Self-Righter (12 oar, Pulling & Sailing) ON 197 Lewis Morice
1901–1914 37 ft Self-Righter (12 oar, Pulling & Sailing) ON 461 Mary Hamer Hoyle
Station closed due to WWI
1919–1922 Steam-class ON 420 James Stevens No. 3
Station closed
1930–1940 Self-Righter ON 725 Sir William Hillary
1940–1941 Self-Righter ON 633 Agnes Cross Relief lifeboat while Sir William Hillary was being refitted.
Station closed due to WWII
1949–1967 Barnett-class ON 860 Southern Africa
1967–1997 Waveney-class ON 1003 44-004 Faithful Forrester
1997–present Severn-class ON 1220 17-09 City of London II

References
  1. "Dover Lifeboat Station". Official Dover RNLI website. RNLI. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  2. OS Explorer Map 138 – Dover, Folkestone & Hythe.Published: Ordnance Survey – Southampton. ISBN 978 0 319 2351 26.
  3. Heroes All! – The story of the RNLI. Author: Beilby, Alec. Publisher: 1992, Patrick Stephens Ltd – Part of the Haynes Publishing Group.Work: Chapter 18 – The Lifeboat Stations – Part 2 The Kent Stations, Dover, Pages 164. ISBN 1 85260 419 0
  4. "Dover Lifeboat Station: History". Official Dover RNLI website. RNLI. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  5. Reference to the Date of Formation of the Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution publisher:The Dover Society retrieved 17 September 2013
  6. List Entry – Clock Tower and Former Boat House retrieved 17 September 2013
  7. Mayday Mayday – The History of Coastal Rescue in Britain and Ireland. Authors;Farrington, Karen – Constable, Nick.Publisher: Collins 2011. Work: Chapter: 4 – South, page: 99 – Dover Lifeboat Station. ISBN 978 0 00 744338 3
  8. "Eastern Docks – to 1945". Reference to the re-opening of the lifeboat station at Camber in 1929. Dover Historian web site. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  9. "Severn Class Lifeboat". Technical specifications of Severn Class Lifeboats. RNLI web site. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  10. "Severn Class 17 mt". List of Severn Class lifeboats including City of London. NavyNuts web site. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
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