Broughty Ferry Lifeboat Station
| All-Weather Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Inshore Lifeboat | |
| Launch Method | Afloat |
| Address | Fort Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee DD5 2AD |
| Telephone | 01382 779956 |
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
Broughty Ferry guards the mouth of the River Tay at the eastern edge of Dundee. With origins reaching back to 1830 it is recognised as Scotland’s first inshore lifeboat station, and across its history its crews have earned seven RNLI medals for gallantry. The station is also remembered for the deepest tragedy in its past — the loss of the lifeboat Mona and her entire crew of eight in December 1959. Today it operates a Trent-class all-weather lifeboat and a D-class inshore boat.
The first lifeboat on the Tay was placed at Buddon Ness in 1830 by the River Tay Lifeboat and Humane Society, formed after the wreck of the Childe Harold in 1829. A boat was stationed at Broughty Ferry itself in 1859, and both were taken over by the RNLI in 1861. In 1862 the Institution established its station at the foot of Fort Street, where the 32-foot Peake-class Mary Hartley arrived that March.
The little-used Buddon Ness station closed in 1894. Through the late 19th and 20th centuries the station ran self-righting and then motor lifeboats, including the Watson-class Mona from 1935. After the 1959 disaster a relief boat and a new volunteer crew were quickly in place, and the station continued with Watson, Arun and finally Trent-class lifeboats.
The 25-knot Trent 14-31 Elizabeth of Glamis was placed on service in April 2001 and remains the station’s all-weather boat, supported since 2019 by the D-class inshore lifeboat Oor Lifesaver (D-834). Earlier boats had included the grandly named Samuel Shawcross of 1888, provided by the Ancient Order of Foresters and welcomed by an estimated 15,000 spectators, and the much-loved Mona, which in her 24 years on station saved 118 lives before her loss. A memorial plaque unveiled in 1962 keeps the names of the eight Mona crew before the town.
