Gravesend Lifeboat Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gravesend Lifeboat Station
Lifeboat moored at the end of Royal Terrace Pier, Gravesend
General information
Type	RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address	Royal Pier Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2BG
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°26′41″N 0°22′28″E / 51.44473°N 0.37447°E / 51.44473; 0.37447
Opened	2002
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Gravesend's first lifeboat, the Olive Deare, in the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection in Chatham, Kent

The Gravesend Lifeboat Station is located on the Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend, Kent. It sits right on the lower part of the River Thames. This station is quite new for the RNLI. It's special because it helps people on a river, the Thames, not just the sea.

Why Gravesend Got a Lifeboat Station

After a serious accident on the River Thames in 1989, people realized a special rescue service was needed. This service would help anyone in trouble on the river.

So, the government asked the RNLI for help. The RNLI agreed to provide a rescue service. This service would cover the tidal part of the Thames. It would stretch from Teddington all the way to the English Channel.

New Stations for the Thames

Four new lifeboat stations were approved. These were at Teddington, Chiswick, Tower, and Gravesend. All these stations started working in early 2002.

Gravesend Lifeboat Station covers a long part of the river. It goes from the Thames Barrier near Woolwich to the west end of Canvey Island. This area is about 26 miles long!

Gravesend Lifeboat Station's History

The Gravesend Lifeboat Station officially started its service on January 2, 2002. Its first lifeboat was an E-class fast response boat. It was named Olive Laura Deare.

Moving to a Better Spot

In June 2007, the station moved to a new location. It moved to the very end of the Royal Terrace Pier. This spot is right next to where the lifeboat is kept in the water.

Before this, the station was in temporary buildings in a nearby car park. Moving to the pier made things much better for the crew. It also helped them launch the lifeboat even faster when there was an emergency.

A Very Busy Station

Gravesend is one of the busiest lifeboat stations in Kent. It is also among the busiest in the entire British Isles. In its first fifteen years, up to May 2017, the lifeboat launched 1,500 times. During these launches, they rescued 797 people and saved 69 lives.

Newer Lifeboats

In 2008, a new lifeboat arrived at the station. It was a B-class (Atlantic 85) boat. This new boat was named Olive Laura Deare II.

The first Olive Laura Deare lifeboat was then used as a backup boat. In 2012, it became part of the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection. You can see it on display at the Chatham Historic Dockyard. Both boats were named after a person who gave money to the RNLI to pay for them.

The Dedicated Crew

Since it opened in January 2002, the Gravesend station has been staffed 24 hours a day. The crew works in shifts to make sure someone is always ready. This helps them reach 90% of incidents within 15 minutes of getting an alert.

The crew includes both full-time staff members and amazing volunteers. They all work together to keep people safe on the river.

Lifeboats at Gravesend Station

Here are the lifeboats that have served at Gravesend Lifeboat Station: