Lady MacRobert: Montrose lifeboat that went on saving lives in South America

RNLB Lady MacRobert, a Solent-class all-weather lifeboat, served at RNLI Montrose Lifeboat Station for 17 years. Built for the station thanks to an incredibly generous donation from The MacRobert Trust, she was officially placed on service in 1973 and named on 27 August that year by Princess Alexandra. During her time at Montrose, she launched countless times to assist those in difficulty off the Angus coast.

In April 1989 she was withdrawn from station service when the new Tyne-class lifeboat, RNLB Moonbeam, took up duty (formally named on 1 July 1989).

Rather than retiring immediately, Lady MacRobert continued within the RNLI fleet as a relief lifeboat between 1989 and 1993. In this role she provided vital cover at stations across the UK and Ireland while their own all-weather lifeboats were away for refit or repairs.

In March 1994, after more than two decades with the RNLI, Lady MacRobert was sold for continued search and rescue service overseas. She was transferred to ADES (Asociación de Embarcaciones de Salvamento) in Uruguay and re-registered as ADES 12.

There, the former Montrose lifeboat began protecting those at sea along the South American coastline, continuing the lifesaving work she had carried out for many years in Scotland.

From 1994 onwards she remained in active search and rescue service. As of March 2020, she was reported still operational with ADES and was believed to be among the last remaining Solent-class lifeboats still serving in an active SAR role.

For those who remember seeing Lady MacRobert launch from Montrose harbour, it is remarkable to know that decades later she was still answering calls for help thousands of miles away.

While her status beyond 2020 is not widely documented in publicly available sources, her long working life is a reminder that Montrose’s former lifeboat went on to serve many more crews and communities overseas.

From Angus to Uruguay, Lady MacRobert’s story reflects a lasting commitment to saving lives at sea - a legacy the people of Montrose can still take pride in today.

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.

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