Chiswick Lifeboat Station

Lifeboat station in Chiswick, west London, on the River Thames

Chiswick Lifeboat Station

RNLI lifeboat station by Chiswick Pier

Location in Greater London

General information
Type| RNLI Lifeboat Station
Address| The Pier House, Corney Reach,
Town or city| Chiswick, London, W4 2UG
Country| United Kingdom
Coordinates| 51°28′56″N 0°15′06″W﻿ / ﻿51.48222°N 0.25167°W﻿ / 51.48222; -0.25167
Opened| 2002
Owner|  Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Website
Chiswick RNLI Lifeboat Station

Chiswick Lifeboat Station is located on the north bank of the River Thames at Corney Reach, Chiswick, in west London.

It is one of the newest lifeboat stations operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), established in 2002. It is notable for being one of the first stations to cover a stretch of river, rather than estuarial waters or the sea.

Chiswick RNLI lifeboats E-08 and E-09

Two E-class lifeboats, Dougie and Donna B (E-08) and Brawn Challenge (E-09), are principally located at Chiswick, both on station since 2012.[1]

## History

[edit]

The inquiry set up after the collision in 1989 between the Marchioness and the dredger Bowbelle, that resulted in the loss of 51 lives, recommended a dedicated search and rescue presence on the Thames.

The government approached the RNLI, who agreed to provide a rescue service that covered the tidal Thames, between Teddington and the sea.

Locations were approved for stations at Teddington, Chiswick, Tower (located at Victoria Embankment next to Waterloo Bridge), and at Gravesend. All four stations became operational at the beginning of 2002.[2][3][4]

Chelsea Pensioner (E-003) on call

Chiswick Lifeboat Station commenced service on 2 January 2002, and operated initially with two temporary B-class (Atlantic 75) Inshore lifeboats. An E-class Tiger Marine fast response boat was soon placed on service, and was named Chelsea Pensioner (E-003) at a ceremony held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on 19 July 2002. A second E-class lifeboat Joan and Kenneth Bellamy (E-006) also arrived on service at Chiswick in 2002.[4][5]

Demand for the services of the Thames lifeboats proved to be much higher than originally anticipated. In 2002, their first year of operation, Thames lifeboats were called out over 800 times, accounting for 10% of the total number of call-outs, or "shouts", for the whole of the RNLI nationwide. Within two months of opening, Chiswick became, and has continued to be, the UK's second busiest lifeboat station after Tower Lifeboat Station in Central London. Between 2002 and mid-2018, Chiswick was called to 3,387 incidents and rescued more than 1,620 people.[6][7]

In 2012, three new E-class lifeboat Mark II lifeboats, E-07, E-08 and E-09, joined the Thames fleet at served at both Chiswick and Tower stations. Chelsea Pensioner (E-003) was retired in 2015, followed in 2018 by Joan and Kenneth Bellamy (E-006). With a new larger E-class lifeboat Mark III lifeboat arriving at Tower in 2019, Chiswick became the principal station for Dougie and Donna B (E-08), and Brawn Challenge (E-09).[8]

## Crew

[edit]

The Chiswick station is staffed continuously to provide an immediate response, and is coordinated by the Coastguard. The crew is drawn from both full-time staff, and a pool of about 50 volunteers.[7]

## New station

[edit]

The Pavilion, Riverside Quarter

In late 2023, the RNLI acquired the former marketing building in Wandsworth Riverside Quarter, approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) downstream from the current Chiswick station. This will replace the station at Chiswick, which is no longer large enough for operational requirements. Planning permission has since been granted for change of use, and the building is being converted to be the new lifeboat station, expected to become operational in 2025.[9]

## Chiswick lifeboats

[edit]

Op. No.[a] | Name  | On Station[5] | Class  | Comments

|
|
|
|

B-767  | Maritime Nation | 2002  | B-class (Atlantic 75) |
B-734  | Amy Constance | 2002–2004  | B-class (Atlantic 75) |
E-003  | Chelsea Pensioner | 2002–2015  | E-class (Mk I) |
E-006  | Joan and Kenneth Bellamy | 2002–2018  | E-class (Mk II) |
E-005 | Legacy | 2018–2021  | E-class (Mk II) |
E-08  | Dougie and Donna B | 2012–  | E-class (Mk II) | [10]
E-09  | Brawn Challenge | 2012–  | E-class (Mk II) | [11]

1. ^ Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

## See also

[edit]

* List of RNLI stations
* List of former RNLI stations
* Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. p. 101.
2. ^ RNLI. "2002: Lifeboats on the Thames". Retrieved 17 January 2021.
3. ^ Lister, Sam (3 January 2002). "First Thames Lifeboats Launched". The Times. p. 9.
4. ^ a b RNLI. "Chiswick's station history". Retrieved 17 January 2021.
5. ^ a b Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 82–83, 101.
6. ^ Proto, Laura (27 January 2016). "RNLI crews rescue 245 people from the River Thames in just one year". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
7. ^ a b Larter, Grahame; Dobinson, Isabel (13 August 2018). "Meet the Chiswick lifeboat crew who have attended 150 call-outs so far this year". My London. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
8. ^ Leonard & Denton 2025, p. 101.
9. ^ Clarke, David (4 November 2024). "The RNLI launches an appeal for Chiswick Lifeboat to move to better facilities". RNLI. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
10. ^ "Chiswick Lifeboat Named by Olympic Rowing Champion". WimbledonSW19.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
11. ^ "Ross Brawn names RNLI lifeboat". Motorboat & Yachting. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.

## External links

[edit]

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