Fleetwood Lifeboat Station
| All-Weather Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Inshore Lifeboat | |
| Launch Method | Moored afloat |
| Address | The Esplanade, Fleetwood, Lancashire, FY7 6BL |
| Telephone | 01253 874000 |
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
At the mouth of the River Wyre, on the north of the Fylde, Fleetwood runs a Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat moored afloat and a D-class, covering Morecambe Bay and the Irish Sea fishing grounds. A lifeboat has served the port since 1859, and its crews hold thirteen gallantry medals.
In response to a letter from the local coastguard, Captain Edward Wasey, the RNLI agreed to place a lifeboat at Fleetwood in 1858; the first boat arrived on station in March 1859, with John Fox as coxswain and Wasey as honorary secretary. The request proved timely: in 1860 alone, the lifeboat was involved in three medal-winning services.
As a busy railway port and steamer terminus — with sailings to the Isle of Man, Belfast and beyond — Fleetwood was an important station from the start. Its crews answered the fishing fleet and coastal shipping of Morecambe Bay through gale after gale, winning a long succession of Silver Medals.
The station closed briefly between 1930 and 1933 for a rebuild, then received its first motor lifeboat. The all-weather boat now lies afloat, a Shannon-class lifeboat funded by a legacy and named after a young RAF pilot killed in the Second World War; a D-class works alongside, launched by davit.
