Civil Service lifeboats

Civil Service lifeboats are a group of lifeboats belonging to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which have been funded by The Lifeboat Fund. They usually have the Civil Service designation and number included in the name, such as RNLB E-001 Public Servant (Civil Service No. 44), which was on service at Tower lifeboat station on the Thames between 2002 and 2012.

RNLB 14-06 Windsor Runner (Civil Service No. 42)

Since it was formed, The Lifeboat Fund has donated over £26 million to the RNLI, making it the most regular and significant donor for the institution. Civil servants across the UK organise fundraising collections and promote the lifesaving work of the RNLI. All money raised by the fund goes directly to support the RNLI.

The Lifeboat Fund is an official charity, formerly CISPOTEL, established in 1866 by civil servants, and is run by the Civil Service. It raises funds through donations from both serving and retired employees, from Royal Mail and BT staff, and from legacies.

In addition to providing (so far) 55 lifeboats of all different class types, the money is also put towards training, purchasing kit, and refurbishing lifeboat stations, most recently providing a £400,000 contribution to the new Tower lifeboat station and pontoon on the Thames.[1][2]

Numbering

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The first 29 lifeboats share the designation (Civil Service) and numbers 1–11. When a boat was replaced, the new boat would receive the number from the previous boat, and often carry the same name. In the 1950s, this was changed, so that the boats were consecutively numbered, starting with Greater London II (Civil Service No. 30).

Fleet

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ON[a] Op. No.[b] Name C.S.No. [3] Class In service [4] Station Comments
Civil Service (No. 1) 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1866–1878 Wexford [Note 1]
301 Civil Service No. 1 No. 1 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1878–1897 Wexford No. 2 [Note 2]
415 Civil Service No. 1 No. 1 40-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1898–1925 Margate No. 2
688 The Lord Southborough No. 1 45ft Watson 1925–1951
1951–1955
Margate
Relief fleet
Charles Dibdin No. 2 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1875–1888 Tynemouth [5]
204 Charles Dibdin No. 2 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1889–1905 Tynemouth
552 Charles Dibdin No. 2 43-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1905–1932 North Deal
762 Charles Dibdin No. 2 41ft Watson 1933–1959 Walmer
284 Civil Service No. 3 No. 3 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1877–1899 Portpatrick
437 Civil Service No. 3 No. 3 37-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1900–1922
1922–1924
1924–1926
1926–1927
Portpatrick
Relief fleet
Montrose
Relief fleet
704 Greater London No. 3 Ramsgate 1928–1941
1941–1943
1943–1945
1945–1955
1955–1957
Southend-on-Sea
Relief fleet
Yarmouth
Southend-on-Sea
Relief fleet
34 Civil Service No. 4 No. 4 40-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1884–1895 Walmer [Note 3]
394 Civil Service No. 4 No. 4 40-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1897–1912 Walmer [Note 4]
756 Civil Service No. 4 No. 4 35ft 6in Self-righting motor 1932–1948 Whitehills [Note 5]
867 Lady Scott No. 4 46ft 9in Watson 1949–1981
1981–1986
Portrush
Relief fleet
80 Civil Service No. 5 No. 5 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1886–1905 Maryport
544 Civil Service No. 5 No. 5 38ft Watson 1905–1931 Maryport
753 Civil Service No. 5 No. 5 45ft 6in Watson 1932–1950
1950–1956
1956–1958
Donaghadee
Port St Mary
Relief fleet
273 Civil Service No. 6 No. 6 42-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1890–1895 Douglas No. 2 [Note 6]
384 Civil Service No. 6 No. 6 42-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1896–1924 Douglas
784 Civil Service No. 6,
Swn-Y-Mor
No. 6 46ft Watson 1936–1963
1964–1967
1967–1972
St Davids
Eyemouth
Relief fleet
289 Civil Service No. 7 No. 7 42-foot Self-righting (P&S) 1890–1895 Kingstown No. 2 [Note 7]
409 Dunleary No. 7 45ft Watson 1898–1913 Kingstown No. 2
658 Dunleary No. 7 45ft Watson 1919–1938
1938–1939
Kingstown
Relief fleet
[Note 8]
828 The Princess Royal No. 7 46ft Watson 1939–1968
1968–1969
1969–1976
Hartlepool
Humber No. 2
Relief fleet
853 Winston Churchill No. 8 46ft 9in Watson 1948–1979
1979–1982
Blyth
Relief fleet
884 St Cybi No. 9 Barnett 1950–1980
1981–1986
Holyhead
Relief fleet
897 St. Andrew No. 10 41ft Watson 1952–1959
1959–1961
1961–1968
1968–1973
1973–1976
1976–1977
1977–1982
Whitehills
Relief fleet
Girvan
Arklow
Relief fleet
Girvan
Relief fleet
888 North Foreland No. 11 46ft 9in Watson 1951–1978
1978–1981
Margate
Relief fleet
921 Greater London II No. 30 46ft 9in Watson 1955–1976
1977–1989
Southend-on-Sea
Beaumaris
920 Dunnet Head No. 31 47ft Watson 1956 Thurso [Note 9]
940 Pentland No. 31 47ft Watson 1957–1970
1970–1974
1974–1985
1986–1990
Thurso
Relief fleet
The Mumbles
Workington
[Note 10]
948 Charles Dibdin No. 32 42ft Watson 1959–1975
1975–1977
1977–1979
1979–1982
1982–1988
Walmer
Relief fleet
Eastbourne
Aldeburgh
Relief fleet
952 Duke of Cornwall No. 33 Barnett 1960–1984
1984
1984–1989
Lizard-Cadgwith
Padstow
Relief fleet
971 Joseph Soar No. 34 47ft Watson 1963–1985
1986–1988
1988–1990
St Davids
Dunbar
Shoreham Harbour
987 70-001 Charles H. Barrett No. 35 Clyde 1966–1968
1968–1975
1975–1988
Trials
Clovelly
Relief fleet
1026 44-008 Eric Seal No. 36 Waveney 1974–1996 Eyemouth Eric Seal
1037 54-03 Edward Bridges No. 37 Arun 1975–1994 Torbay
1046 37-33 Silver Jubilee No. 38 Rother 1978–1991
1991–1993
Margate
Relief fleet
B-527 Percy Garon No Number B-class (Atlantic 21) 1976–1986
1986–1996
1996
1996–1998
1998
Southend-on-Sea
Relief fleet
Red Bay
Relief fleet
Arran (Lamlash)
[Note 11][6]
1070 52-16 Richard Evans No. 39 Arun 1981–2000
2000–2003
Portrush
Relief fleet
1095 47-004 St Cybi II No. 40 Tyne 1985–1997
1997–2006
Holyhead
Relief fleet
1167 12-009 The Princess Royal No. 41 Mersey 1990–2015
2015–2016
St Ives
Relief fleet
1204 14-06 Windsor Runner No. 42 Trent 1995–2004
2004–2008
2008
2008–
Blyth
Relief fleet
Dunbar
Relief fleet
1237 17-17 Fraser Flyer No. 43 Severn 1999– Relief fleet
E-001 Public Servant No. 44 E-class Mk1 2002–2012 Tower
H-003 The Hunstanton Flyer No. 45 Hovercraft 2003– Hunstanton
D-654 Angel of Holyhead No. 46 D-class (IB1) 2005–2016
2017–
Holyhead
Boarding Boat (BB-654)
D-655 Guardian Angel No. 47 D-class (IB1) 2005–2015
2015–
Relief fleet
Training
B-806 Mudeford Servant No. 48 B-class (Atlantic 85) 2006– Mudeford
D-697 Stranraer Saviour No. 49 D-class (IB1) 2008–2019
2019–
Stranraer
Boarding Boat (BB-697)
B-826 Sgt. Bob Martin No. 50 B-class (Atlantic 85) 2008– Poole
B-837 Charles Dibdin No. 51 B-class (Atlantic 85) 2009– New Brighton
D-738 David Roulston No. 52 D-class (IB1) 2010–2022
2022–
Portrush
Relief fleet
1353 13-46 Duke of Edinburgh No. 53 Shannon 2023– Wells-next-the-Sea
D-868 Mr Eric Sharpe No. 54 D-class (IB1) 2022– Cromer [7]
  1. ^ ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
  2. ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

Notes

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  1. ^ Not numbered, but it was the first Civil Service funded lifeboat. Later named Harriott Forteath at Whitby
  2. ^ Later named Helen Blake at Fethard
  3. ^ Damaged beyond repair, 1895
  4. ^ Later in Reserve fleet to 1919, and at Selsey as Reserve No. 3, and then as James William and Caroline Courteney at Fowey
  5. ^ Damaged beyond repair, 1948
  6. ^ Wrecked, 1895
  7. ^ Damaged beyond repair, 1895
  8. ^ Transferred to Lytham St Annes in 1939, Renamed Dunleary without Civil Service No.7 designation
  9. ^ Dunnet Head (Civil Service No. 31) was destroyed by a fire on 10 December 1956 at the boathouse in Thurso, in its first year on service. It was replaced by Pentland (Civil Service No. 31), keeping the same Civil Service number, but this time funded entirely by the RNLI.
  10. ^ Provided by the RNLI to replace Dunnet Head (ON 920)
  11. ^ The 1981 Report of the Civil Service and Post Office Lifeboat Fund has Percy Garon listed as No 39. However, 52-16 Richard Evans was designated No. 39 in 1981, Percy Garon now designated (Civil Service) with no number.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Lifeboat Fund and the RNLI". RNLI. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. ^ "The Lifeboat Fund". Civil Service LF. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  3. ^ "125 years of CISPOTEL support for the RNLI" (PDF). CISPOTEL. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  4. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
  5. ^ "The Civil Service Life-Boats". The Lifeboat. 28 (312). November 1932. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Annual Report of the Civil Service and Post Office Lifeboat Fund" (PDF). Civil Service. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  7. ^ Parker, Clare. "Cromer RNLI's new inshore lifeboat named during special ceremony". The Lifeboat Fund. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
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