Celebrating 200 years of the RNLI

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) officially celebrates its 200th birthday on 4 March.

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The charity, founded by Isle of Man resident Sir William Hillary, has saved more than 144,000 lives in its remarkable 200-year history, with some particularly notable rescues.

The RNLI’s biggest single rescue was on 17 March 1907, when the 12,000-tonne liner SS Suevic hit the Menheere Reef near Lizard Point in Cornwall in a strong gale and dense fog. RNLI lifeboat volunteers then rescued 456 passengers, including 70 babies.

For sailors, the 1979 Fastnet race is particularly poignant. Some 13 RNLI lifeboats set out in hurricane conditions to rescue the many missing yachts of the 303 fleet, towing in at least 20 yachts and landing survivors. There was no GPS, no terrestrial navigation, and with many vessels with no radio communications, it meant locating those in trouble was extremely difficult. Five boats were lost, 15 sailors drowned and three of the rescuers also lost their lives.