Heritage
Top ten RNLI record breakers
The RNLI has amassed a treasure trove of extraordinary stories and fascinating facts during its 200 years of lifesaving. So it’s no wonder our charity and people have notched up a raft of remarkable achievements along the way too. Here are just ten of our favourite record-breaking facts …
1. Most lives saved in a single RNLI mission: 456
The rescue of Suevic in 1907 holds the record for the largest number of people saved in a single RNLI operation. On 17 March, the 12-tonne steamship ran aground on a rocky reef off Lizard Point in Cornwall. Sixty RNLI volunteers from Cadgwith, Coverack, The Lizard and Porthleven rowed back and forth in a violent gale for 16 hours to rescue the 456 passengers and crew. Not a single life was lost. Six of the rescuers, including two Suevic crew members, were awarded RNLI Silver Medals for their heroic actions.
2. Most RNLI lifeboats involved in one rescue: 13
The Fastnet Race is renowned as one of amateur yachting’s greatest challenges but nothing prepared competitors for the freak storm of 13 August 1979. Violent storm force winds whipped up colossal waves, putting the entire racing fleet in mortal danger. Thirteen lifeboats headed into the fray, rescuing more than 100 people. RNLI crews from Baltimore, Courtmacsherry, Falmouth and St Mary’s were at sea for more than 20 hours each. Lifeboats from Ballycotton, Dunmore East, Lizard-Cadgwith, Padstow, St Ives, Sennen Cove, Angle, Clovelly and Penlee also helped in the massive rescue effort.
3. Longest RNLI rescue mission: 55 hours
One of the longest shouts we know about was by Stromness RNLI in 1930. The fishing trawler Ben Doran was wrecked on Vee Skerries, a group of rocky islands off Shetland. The closest RNLI station at the time was more than 100 miles away in Stromness and its volunteers launched to help. Following a valiant search in gales and rough seas, they realised the fishing crew was lost. With a round trip of 260 miles, at a speed of around 7 knots, the crew were at sea for just over 55 hours.
4. Longest serving lifeboat: The Zetland
Serving for 78 years and helping her crews save more than 500 lives, the Zetland finally retired in 1880. Built in 1802 by pioneering lifeboat builder Henry Greathead, the doubled-ended lifeboat was bought by the people of Redcar and named after the Marquess of Zetland, the local Lord of the Manor. She is the oldest surviving lifeboat in the world and you can see the legendary craft for yourself, lovingly preserved, at the Zetland Lifeboat Museum in Redcar.
5. Busiest RNLI station: Tower
When Tower Lifeboat Station was established in 2002, the crew never imagined they would become the busiest of all the RNLI’s 238 stations – and the first to reach a milestone 10,000 launches (now more than 10,770). Rapid currents, chilly water temperatures and constant heavy traffic make the Thames highly dangerous. Anyone in its waters must be reached in minutes, so a swift response is essential. It’s why the crew are on duty 24/7 and operate the RNLI’s fastest craft: the 40-knot E class lifeboat. That’s two record-breaking facts in one!
6. Most decorated RNLI crew member: Henry Blogg
No other lifeboat crew member has been awarded as many medals as Blogg. He was awarded three Gold and four Silver RNLI Medals for Gallantry – as well as the George Cross and British Empire Medal. Forever humble, he kept them tucked away in a sideboard drawer. The lifesaving legend joined Cromer lifeboat crew in 1894, aged 18. Elected Coxswain in 1909, he continued in the role for another 38 years and retired aged 71 in 1947. During Henry’s 53 years of service, Cromer lifeboats launched 387 times and saved 873 lives.
7. First woman to receive an RNLI medal: Grace Darling
In September 1838, Grace Darling battled violent seas in a tiny rowing boat to save nine people from the wrecked steamship Forfarshire. She received several awards for the rescue, including a Silver Medal for Gallantry from the RNLI – making her the first woman to ever receive an RNLI medal. Grace became one of the Victorian era’s most celebrated heroines and she paved the way for future female lifesavers – like Aileen Jones who, in 2004, became the first female RNLI crew member to receive an RNLI medal.
8. Longest serving lifeguard: Chris Lewis
RNLI Lifeguard Chris Lewis has been keeping people safe on Bournemouth Beach for more than 59 years and holds the Guinness World Record for longest serving lifeguard in the world. He’s been involved in lifesaving since the age of 16 – both as a volunteer and professional lifeguard – and has carried out hundreds of rescues and thousands of patrols. At 74 years old, Chris describes lifeguarding as ‘the best job in the world’ and still smashes the RNLI’s stringent fitness tests every year, seeing them as an excuse to stay fit and healthy.
9. First street collection: Lifeboat Saturday
The first charity street collection ever recorded was for the RNLI on 10 October 1891. Following the Mexico disaster and the loss of 27 lifeboat volunteers, Charles and Marion Macara gathered a team of supporters to organise a Lifeboat Saturday in the centre of Manchester. Thousands of people flocked to the city’s streets to catch a glimpse of something they had never seen before: a lifeboat and its brave volunteer crew. Lifeboat Saturdays spread to other towns and cities, and became annual events – changing the face of community fundraising forever.
10. Most valuable object left to the RNLI: Rare sports car
When Richard Colton passed away in 2015, he left an extraordinary legacy to the RNLI: two of the world’s rarest Ferraris. At auction, the silver 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 sold for £1.93M and the 1960 red Ferrari 250 GT SWB sold for an incredible £6.6M – making it the most valuable item to be left to the RNLI in living memory. The proceeds have made a real lifesaving difference: funding two Shannon class lifeboats and their launch and recovery systems, and boosting the build of a lifeboat station.
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