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Launch a Memory

Add your loved one’s name to a lifeboat on London’s River Thames and save lives with our busiest crews
ADD YOUR LOVED ONE’S NAME

Honour someone special on a Launch a Memory lifeboat that will cover the riverside instead of the seaside. The brand-new E class lifeboat, and your loved one, will save lives on London’s busy River Thames.

Tower lifeboat crew on the River Thames in an E class lifeboat with Tower Bridge in the background.

RNLI/Harrison Bates

Be part of our 25-year story on the Thames

2027 will mark 25 years of RNLI lifeboats on the River Thames. By adding your loved one’s name, you’ll both be part of our lifesaving legacy on the Thames for many more years to come.

ADD YOUR LOVED ONE’S NAME

A special lifeboat

An aerial photo of an E class lifeboat and its crew on the River Thames. It is leaving a wake of white water behind it.

The new E class lifeboat E-12 has been funded by the incredibly generous legacy of Brian Bonnard. It will be named Jules Alexander Venebales Bonnard in honour of Brian's father, who was a London firefighter during the First and Second World Wars.

An aerial photo of an E class lifeboat and its crew on the River Thames. It is leaving a wake of white water behind it.

How Launch a Memory works

  1. 1

    Add a name

    Honour someone special by adding their name to the lifeboat. You can add up to 10 names using our easy online form. The suggested donation is £75/€75 per name.
  2. 2

    Your certificate

    Within 2-3 working days of adding a name, we’ll email you a personalised certificate for each name you’ve added.
  3. 3

    Email and web updates

    You’ll receive an email every 2 months over the next year with the latest news about the lifeboat. You can also check the lifeboat's web page for updates.
  4. 4

    Final check of names

    If any names don’t meet our guidelines, we'll contact you with any suggested changes.
  5. 5

    Decals are created

    The decals bearing all the beloved names will be created by our in-house team, ready to be added to the lifeboat in summer 2027.
  6. 6

    Poole event weekend

    A chance to buy tickets to see the Thames lifeboat up close at the All-weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole, Dorset.

    Note: All timings are dependent on operational constraints and are subject to change.

Saving lives on the Thames

An E class lifeboat and its crew on the River Thames at Wandsworth Riverside Pier.

Wandsworth Lifeboat Station

Crew at the new Wandsworth Riverside Lifeboat Station (formerly Chiswick) cover a 12-mile stretch of the River Thames, from Richmond Lock to Battersea Power Station. The station was relocated to provide better facilities for our crew.
Tower Lifeboat Station on the River Thames with traffic on the river and Blackfriars Bridge and the iconic London cityscape in the background.

Tower Lifeboat Station

Based in the heart of London by Waterloo Bridge, Tower is the busiest of all the RNLI’s 238 lifeboat stations. The crew cover around 16 miles of the River Thames, from Battersea to Barking Creek.
Gravesend Lifeboat Station and its floating pontoon on the River Thames at sunset.

Gravesend Lifeboat Station

Gravesend lifeboat crew cover around 26 miles of the tidal River Thames, from the Thames Flood Barrier at Woolwich to Holehaven Creek at Canvey Island - a stretch that includes South London, Kent and Essex.
Teddington RNLI's D class lifeboat being launched down the slipway by tractor and trailer. Three crew members are in the lifeboat and one is driving the tractor.

Teddington Lifeboat Station

While the new E class won’t serve Teddington Lifeboat Station, the station remains a valued part of the River Thames and its history. The crew cover a 5-mile stretch, from Molesey Lock to Teddington Lock, with a smaller D class lifeboat.
Close-up, side profile of two RNLI E class crew members in crew kit. The female crew member is driving the lifeboat on the River Thames in London.

Photo: RNLI/Laura Lewis

A different lifeboat, the same brave crew

Since 2002, our brave crews have helped to make the tidal River Thames a safer place for everyone to enjoy and work on. The number of emergencies on the river is so high that Tower, Wandsworth Riverside (formerly Chiswick) and Gravesend lifeboat stations each have a 24-hour, full-time crew made up of volunteers and paid staff who are ready to launch at a moment’s notice.

ADD YOUR LOVED ONE’S NAME
Two crew members at the helm of an E class lifeboat on the River Thames. Two panels show how names will appear on the Thames Launch a Memory lifeboat.

A unique class of lifeboat

With a top speed of 40 knots, the E class is the fastest RNLI lifeboat, which is crucial to saving people from the heavy river traffic, submerged debris and cold temperatures. Waterjets make the E class more agile, more versatile and safer in the fast-flowing currents too.

Names will appear on panels around the centre console, as shown, and on the engine cover, instead of within the lifeboat number: E-12.

ADD YOUR LOVED ONE’S NAME
A framed Launch a Memory certificate on a small round table with a vase of beautiful flowers and a lit candle.

Your certificate

When you Launch a Memory, you'll automatically receive a memorial certificate by email in the name of your loved one.

If you have added the name of someone still in your life to give to them as a gift, perhaps for a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion, you can request a gift version of the certificate by emailing [email protected].

If they'd like to receive email updates too, please ask them to get in touch.

ADD YOUR LOVED ONE’S NAME

Frequently asked questions about Launch a Memory

Here are some answers to the most common questions people ask about Launch a Memory and how it works. Read our full FAQs for more detail and answers to questions not listed here.

We can accept:

  • More than one name per form submission. The online form allows up to 10 individual names to be added in one submission.
  • Middle names - for example 'John David Smith'.
  • Titles - for example 'Captain John Smith'.

We are unable to accept:

  • Joint names - for example 'The Smiths', 'John and Joan Smith' or 'John & Joan Smith'. If your submission includes joint names, we'll get in touch to arrange an alternative solution.
  • Names that include special characters - for example 'John Smith!'
  • Submissions that have additional information such as numbers and locations - for example 'John Smith Thames 1952'.
  • The name of a group or company - for example 'Thames RNLI Swimmers'.

View the full terms and conditions.

On the Thames Launch a Memory lifeboat, the names will be displayed within special panels on the side or top of the centre console, or on the side of the engine cover, as shown in the examples below. Unfortunately, due to the various locations, we cannot accept specific location requests.

Although Launch a Memory was created for supporters to remember loved ones no longer with us, we now have lots of supporters who also add the names of people still with us. We have had supporters add someone's name for a birthday present, anniversary and even a wedding gift!

You are welcome to add:

  • the name of a loved one you miss and wish to remember
  • the name of a special family member or friend who is still with us
  • your name
  • the names of a couple for an anniversary or wedding gift. Please add as two separate names (you will receive two separate certificates).
  • the name of a beloved pet.

Your certificate

If you are donating as a gift for a living loved one, once you have submitted your name, you'll be given the opportunity to request a gift version of the certificate by emailing [email protected].

To produce the decals containing the names, we input all names into software that helps to arrange them within the shapes of the centre console and engine cover panels. Names are flowed in sequentially in the order they are submitted. Some names are then manually moved around to ensure there are no empty gaps, allowing us to maximise space and give everyone an opportunity to add a name to the lifeboat.

Due to the intricacies of this process, it is difficult to accommodate requests to keep names together. We really appreciate your support and understanding.

We have a suggested donation to add a name of £75/€75. This has been based on careful consideration of the resources and costs required, including looking at the average donation amount received during previous campaigns, and surveying previous Launch a Memory donors.

Updates on our Launch a Memory lifeboats

Check out the latest news from our Launch a Memory fleet, adorned with the names of thousands of incredible supporters who are part of every rescue and every life saved.

An E-class lifeboat with three crew members powering through the water.

Thames updates

Read the latest updates on the Thames Launch a Memory lifeboat.
Swanage Launch a Memory Shannon class lifeboat George Thomas Lacy floats on calm seas under the orange glow of sunset

Swanage updates

Read the latest updates on the Swanage Launch a Memory lifeboat.
Exmouth's Shannon Class lifeboat on the sand with crew members

Exmouth updates

Read the latest updates on Exmouth's Launch a Memory lifeboat.
Eric's Legend lifeboat on a calm sea with clear blue sky.

Eric's Legend updates

Read the latest updates on the Launch a Memory relief lifeboat, Eric's Legend . 
The Whitby lifeboat creating spray as it powers through the water.

Whitby Updates

Read the latest updates on the Whitby Launch a Memory lifeboat.
The Anstruther lifeboat creating a wake as it powers along with decorative bunting across the wheelhouse and deck.

Anstruther Updates

Read the latest updates on the Anstruther Launch a Memory lifeboat.
The Wells lifeboat on a calm sea in the sunshine.

Wells updates

Read the latest updates on the Wells Launch a Memory lifeboat.
His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Ross and Cromarty, Mrs Joanie Whiteford, pictured reading His Majesty’s warmest thanks to staff and volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Clifden Updates

Read the latest updates on the Clifden Launch a Memory lifeboat.
Arrival of Invergordon Shannon class lifeboat Agnes A P Barr 13-37 at station. The lifeboat has the names of donors from the Launch a Memory campaign printed on it's decal

Invergordon updates

Read the latest updates on the Invergordon Launch a Memory lifeboat.

For more detail on Launch a Memory, read our terms and conditions

Read our terms and conditions

Bereavement support

If you are struggling and need support, please contact your GP or reach out to a support organisation such as:

Samaritans Ireland or Samaritans UK - call 116 123, 24 hours a day.

Cruse Bereavement Support - call 0808 808 1677.

Mind - call 0300 123 3393 (10am-6pm, Monday-Friday).

Shout

  • In the UK, text SHOUT to 85258 (24 hours).
  • In Ireland, text HELLO to 50808 (24 hours).

If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now. If you’re in the UK and you need help urgently with your mental health, but it’s not an emergency, visit NHS 111 online or call 111.