RNLI Station History · South East England
Newhaven Lifeboat Station
© David Hawgood · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Established1803
RNLI From1854
Gallantry Medals19
StatusActive 24/7
| All-Weather Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Inshore Lifeboat | |
| Launch Method | Afloat |
| Address | West Quay, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 9BX |
| Telephone | 01273 514143 |
RNLI Station Histories Guidebook
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RNLI Station Histories Guidebook
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
Guarding one of only two navigable harbours between the Isle of Wight and Dover, Newhaven has run a lifeboat since 1803. A busy ferry port opening straight onto the Channel, it operates a fast Severn-class all-weather lifeboat and has earned nineteen medals for gallantry.
Newhaven’s first lifeboat — a Greathead boat part-funded by Lloyd’s of London — was placed in 1803, but the heavy design was unpopular and the station lapsed; it was re-opened by the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society in 1852 and taken over by the RNLI in 1854. In 1904 Newhaven became the first station to operate a motor-powered lifeboat, on trial.
