Burnham on Crouch RNLI is celebrating 60 years

The River Crouch begins life from springs in Little Burstead, it meanders its way through Wickford, Battlesbridge and South Woodham Ferrers until it meets the North Sea at Holliwell Point. The River Crouch has a navigational length of 17.5 miles.

The river has for many years been used by fishermen, commercial operations and pleasure crafts. During 1964 the RNLI noticed an increase in people using the river and established an inshore lifeboat station which was opened in 1966. The first lifeboat which was operated from the newly established lifeboat station was a D class, the boat was unnamed D-95, followed by the D-335, pictured above outside the original lifeboat station.

The original lifeboat station was within the grounds of Royal Corinthian Yacht Club. Launching the charity's D class boat was difficult and time consuming, it was pushed over the sea wall via the slipway and into the water. The lifeboat station operated during the summer months only, the facilities sadly didn’t allow for an expansion of the operation beyond the summer. The marina in Burnham- on-Crouch was constructed in 1989. The RNLI saw benefits of moving the lifeboat operation to a purpose-built building within the marina.

During 1996, construction of the purpose-built RNLI building was completed. The move to the marina allowed expansion of the lifeboat station where the assets could be housed within floating boat houses allowing for a faster response time and 24 hour access to the river.

The Susan Peacock was the first of Burnham-on-Crouch’s Atlantic 75 which arrived in October 1996, closely followed by the D class Ernest and Rose Chapman in 1997.

Ian Scott SAR Commander at Burnham-on-Crouch Lifeboat station said:

‘I was lucky enough to join the Burnham-on-Crouch crew in 1996 just as preparations started for the station to relocate from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club to Burnham Yacht Harbour and the arrival of the Atlantic 75 adding to the existing D class.

'In the early years, the D class was restricted to daylight hours in the summer only. Now with navigation lights and GPS it can go out all the time and the Atlantic speeds up response times (especially with the floating boathouse) and extends our coverage beyond the mouth of the river in rougher conditions.

'There have been a lot of changes since joining the volunteer crew with the boats and equipment improving massively – who would believe we shared PPE back then!

'The training has got more and more thorough, partly because new crew are joining with less marine experience than before, but also to meet modern standards.

'Having been rescued by Burnham-on-Crouch’s D class in 1993, I have been fortunate to be able to give something back and help save the lives of others at sea over the last 30 years.’

Currently Burnham-on-Crouch RNLI is home to Tony and Robert Britt the Atlantic 85 and the David and Barbara Chapman the D class. Both of which have been kindly donated to the charity and are housed on the water within the two floating boat houses. The station is manned exclusively by volunteers who live or work in and around the town and surrounding areas.

Both the charity’s lifeboats are regularly seen on the water, training and responding to emergencies. Running a lifesaving operation takes dedication, commitment and support from all the volunteers and the wider community.

The lifeboat station is always looking for volunteers to strengthen their shore, boat and fundraising roles.

Notes to Editors:

During 2026 the RNLI celebrates 60 years of operation on the River Crouch.

RNLI has a purpose-built building situated in the Burnham on Crouch Marina.

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For more information, please contact Nicola Fletcher, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected]

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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