Dover Lifeboat Station

History

The first rescue service at Dover was called the Dover Humane and Shipwreck Institution which was established in September 1837. This first services former boathouse is at the Western Docks, Dover and along with the clock tower which stands next to it have been designated Grade II listed buildings.

First Closure

From its inception up until the First World War the Dover station operated using rowing and sailing lifeboats. In September 1914 following the outbreak of the war the station was forced to close due to the fact that there were not enough men to man the Lifeboat safely. After the War had finished plans were made to re-open the station. In 1919 the station finally re-opened and was given a new steam lifeboat called James Stevens No. 3. Built in 1898 this lifeboat, one of only six steam driven lifeboats, was designed to be ready to steam, immediately, at all times. Unfortunately the lifeboat still took at least 20 minutes to get up to steam and required a large technical crew to keep her fired up. The lifeboat was driven through the water vie a single propeller. This lifeboat was launched only five times before the station was closed again in 1922.

Camber (East Docks) station

With the increasing numbers of shipping and the advent of private and commercial air traffic the RNLI realised that the need for a lifeboat station in Dover would again be required. In 1929 the lifeboat station re-opened at a new location. The boathouse was now in the Eastern Docks at Camber The re-opened station was also supplied with a new faster lifeboat. The Sir William Hillary (ON 725), named after the founder of the RNLI, arrived on station in 1930 and she was powered by twin 375 horsepower petrol engines with a top speed of 17.25 Knots. This was almost twice the speed of the rest of the RNLI’s fleet of lifeboats most of which were capable of 9 Knots. The Dover station operated from this location until the Second World War. At the time of the Dunkirk evacuation the Sir William Hillary was away having a refit and overhaul. The relief lifeboat Agnes Cross, remained on Dover station until 1941 when station closed down again for the duration of the War.

Post-War re-opening

In 1947 the Dover station began operations again. This time they once again were re-located to what had been used as the Motor Torpedo Boat pens in the East Docks area. The rapid expansion of the Dover ferry terminal in the 1980s saw the lifeboat station moved again. The station was to be located to the Tug Haven situated in the inner harbour across from the Cross Wall Quay.

1990s to present

In the late 1990s work began on a new station which has been built on Cross Wall Quay. The construction work was completed in 2000 and the service from the station began in August 2001. The current lifeboat is a Severn-class lifeboat called City of London (ON 1220) which has been on station since 1997 and is the seventeenth lifeboat to be stationed at Dover.