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Red Bay Lifeboat Station

Photo of Red Bay Lifeboat Station

One of nine lifeboat stations in Northern Ireland and providing search and rescue rescue cover for part of the Antrim coast, Red Bay has been operating an inshore lifeboat for over 30 years. The station has a B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat.

This station is classed as a Discover station. ​Our crews from Discover stations are equally welcoming to visitors but many of these stations were built before visitors were considered. These stations normally open their boathouse doors during the summer months. 

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Recent launches from this station

Date Time
13/05/2013 18:53
10/05/2013 20:55
10/05/2013 20:55
10/05/2013 20:52
10/05/2013 20:49
10/05/2013 20:49
01/01/2013 13:53
01/01/2013 13:50
15/12/2012 14:04
07/11/2012 13:31

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Station location

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Forecasts for Red Bay Lifeboat Station

Station address:

Red Bay Lifeboat Station
Coast Road
Cushendall
Ballymena
Northern Ireland
BT44 0QW

Station telephone:

028 2177 1483

Station opening times:

By appointment only

Accessibility:

Parking
Disabled Parking
Disabled Access

Visitor contact:

Alan Murphy

Visitor contact telephone:

077 5451 0531

Appledore ILB crew members. Left to right, Martin Davis, Gary Stanbury and Andrew HalletSpecific crew member details for this lifeboat station are not available here at the moment.

More than 4,800 lifeboat crew members around the UK and RoI drop everything when their pagers go off, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Only 1 in 10 crew members has a professional maritime occupation. Men and women of all ages and all walks of life crew the RNLI lifeboats around our coasts and waterways.

  • Portrush and Red Bay RNLI lifeboats host joint emergency exercise in Ballycastle

    Portrush and Red Bay RNLI lifeboats host joint emergency exercise in Ballycastle

  • Red Bay and Larne RNLI hold joint exercise with Royal Navy helicopter off North Antrim coast

    Red Bay and Larne RNLI hold joint exercise with Royal Navy helicopter off North Antrim coast

  • Red Bay RNLI in 10 hour callout to man trapped under rocks off Antrim coast

    Red Bay RNLI in 10 hour callout to man trapped under rocks off Antrim coast

  • Red Bay RNLI tow 26ft vessel to safety

    Red Bay RNLI tow 26ft vessel to safety

  • Red Bay RNLI lifeboat crew provide first aid to collapsed man at Fair Head

    Red Bay RNLI lifeboat crew provide first aid to collapsed man at Fair Head

  • RNLI lifeboats and lifeguards answer 413 calls for help in Northern Ireland in 2

    Bangor RNLI

  • New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles

    New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles-2

  • New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles

    New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles-3

  • New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles

    New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles-1

  • New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles

    New RNLI lifeboat arrives on Antrim coast as Red Bay welcomes Geoffrey Charles

  • Red Bay RNLI rescue brother and sister off Fair Head Rocks in County Antrim

    Red Bay RNLI rescue brother and sister off Fair Head Rocks in County Antrim

  • RNLI lifeboats launch to rescue six from grounded yacht off Antrim coast

    RNLI lifeboats launch to rescue six from grounded yacht off Antrim coast

  • Red Bay and Portrush RNLI in joint rescue off North Antrim Coast

    Red Bay and Portrush RNLI in joint rescue off North Antrim Coast

  • Northern Ireland Co-operatives give it some wellie on RNLI SOS day

    Northern Ireland Co-operatives give it some wellie on RNLI SOS day-2

  • Northern Ireland Co-operatives give it some wellie on RNLI SOS day

    Northern Ireland Co-operatives give it some wellie on RNLI SOS day-1

  • Northern Ireland Co-operatives give it some wellie on RNLI SOS day

    Northern Ireland Co-operatives give it some wellie on RNLI SOS day

  • Six RNLI crews involved in live maritime exercise

    Exercise Diamond on Belfast Lough

  • Six RNLI crews involved in live maritime exercise

    Exercise Diamond

  • Red Bay RNLI saves swimmer in difficulty

    Red Bay RNLI

  • Image of Red Bay’s Atlantic 85. Photo: Colin Watson

    Red Bay’s Atlantic 85. Photo: Colin Watson

  • Exercise Diamond


Image of lifeboat



Lifeboat name:
Geoffrey Charles

Lifeboat class: B class

Read more about the B class

1972
D class lifeboat placed at Red Bay, Co Antrim, for evaluation.

1973
Permanent inshore lifeboat station established by Executive Committee 14 March.

1987
D class lifeboat withdrawn and replaced with a C class lifeboat on 26 June.

1991
A collective Framed Letter of Appreciation signed by the Chairman of the Institution was presented to Mr D McCollam, the Deputy Launching Authority and crew members Tom McLaughlin, Patrick McLaughlin, Donald McAlister, Liam McCollam, Joe Ferris, Peter McLaughlin, Andrew McAlister, Niall McCambridge, Patrick McCambridge, James Farrell and Joe Burns for giving their services to the civil authorities during the floods at Cushendall and Ballycastle on 28 October 1990.  After being briefed at 0540 on the extent of the flooding, the lifeboat crew, in two 16ft fibre glass open boats, teamed up with fire crews from the Fire Brigade and in two groups searched the flooded area of the town.  Weather conditions were poor with an easterly Force 6 wind and rain.  Rescue operations continued throughout the day until 1600 assisting many people cut off by the water in their homes and farmers whose livestock were stranded in the fields.

1995
New boathouse constructed.  It includes housing for the lifeboat and launching vehicle, a changing/drying room, workshop, fuel store, shower and toilets, a crew/training room, galley and store.

1995
In order to provide adequate launching and recovery of the lifeboat it was necessary to carry out the widening and re-grading of the slipway.

1996
The C class lifeboat withdrawn and replaced by an Atlantic 21 class on 10 June.

The Atlantic 21 class lifeboat withdrawn and replaced by an Atlantic 75 class lifeboat B728 which was placed on service on 3 September.

2000
New office for SHS completed.

2003
The Thanks on Vellum accorded to Helmsman Thomas McLaughlin for his actions when the Red Bay inshore lifeboat brought in the yacht Chloe and landed her elderly crew of two on the afternoon of 8 September 2002.  The service was conducted in Force 6/7 winds and rough seas. 

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