RNLI Coxswain Lewis Arnold waves Newhaven goodbye

Tuesday 11 March 2025

After six years of leadership Lewis Arnold will say farewell to Newhaven RNLI. The team are sad to see him go but wish him every success. Lewis Arnold continues his RNLI journey as Area Technical Manager and will be volunteering on the crew from his new home along the coast.

Lewis Arnold along side Newhaven RNLI's Severn class ALB — Lewis Arnold

Lewis Arnold came to Newhaven RNLI in 2019 from the RNLI Support Centre, in Poole where he was Operations Manager. As Coxswain Mechanic, Lewis Arnold became responsible for Newhaven’s Severn class All-weather Lifeboat (ALB), the largest lifeboat of the charity’s fleet.

Roger Cohen MBE, Lifeboat Operations Manager, says: ‘From the moment Lewis arrived in Newhaven he immersed himself in building a strong crew and tight ship. Recruitment and training at Newhaven is an impressive and on-going commitment for all the team.’

Lewis Arnold is also an In-shore Lifeboat (ILB) Helm and a Lifeboat Trainer Assessor. He leaves a solid team in Newhaven, which includes a full-time Senior Station Technician and experienced volunteer crew.

‘Work to assist Newhaven RNLI’s successfully awarded two-year trial of a D Class and further development of the crew for the Station’s ILB to become operational in September 2024 has required great energy from Lewis and his team.’

While under Lewis’s direct command, service calls by Newhaven RNLI crew have aided 202 people and are accredited with 25 lives saved.

‘Shouts have been many and varied. Lewis has earned the trust and respect of a dedicated team. His contribution to the lifeboat and its community will be remembered fondly, along with Oscar his faithful Labrador.’

Before joining Newhaven RNLI, Lewis had volunteered with the charity for 17 years. First as Crew and Helm on Portsmouth RNLI’s D Class and Atlantic 85. And Crew, Helm and Commander on Chiswick RNLI’s E Class.

97% of the RNLI’s frontline lifesavers are volunteers, including 5,700 volunteer lifeboat crew members at stations around the UK and Ireland. Without our incredible volunteer lifesavers, the RNLI could not provide a 24/7 lifesaving service.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Newhaven RNLI, established in 1803, covers from Beachy Head to Brighton. It’s a modern afloat station and operates an all-weather Severn class lifeboat and D class in-shore lifeboat.

ALB – All-Weather Lifeboat

ILB – Inshore Lifeboat

D Class – First introduced in 1963, the design of the D Class lifeboat continues to evolve to meet changes in demand and technology. She is highly manoeuvrable and usually operates closer to shore than our all-weather lifeboats. She comes into her own for searches and rescues in the surf, shallow water and confined locations - often close to cliffs, among rocks and even inside caves.

The Coxswain oversees the ALB and is in command when at sea. They are responsible for operations connected with launch of the lifeboat, ensuring the safety of the lifeboat crew onboard.

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For more information please contact Sam Carragher, Lifeboat Press Officer on [email protected] or Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager on 01273 818012 or [email protected] or contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.

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Lewis Arnold in command of Newhaven RNLI's Severn class ALB

Lewis Arnold (right) with volunteer crew Chris Glasspool shakes the hand of Ryan Dermot, a paraglider whose life they saved on Christmas Eve 2021

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity 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 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.

RNLI Coxswain Lewis Arnold waves Newhaven goodbye

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