Civil Service Lifeboats

Civil Service lifeboats are a group of lifeboats belonging to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution which have been funded by The Lifeboat Fund. They usually have the Civil Service designation and number included in the name, such as RNLB E-001 ''Public Servant (Civil Service No. 44)'', which was on service at lifeboat station on the Thames between 2002 and 2012.

Since it was formed, The Lifeboat Fund has donated over £26 million to the RNLI, making it the most regular and significant donor for the institution. Civil servants across the UK organise fundraising collections and promote the lifesaving work of the RNLI. All money raised by the fund goes directly to support the RNLI.

The Lifeboat Fund is an official charity, formerly CISPOTEL, established in 1866 by civil servants, and is run by the Civil Service. It raises funds through donations from both serving and retired employees, from Royal Mail and BT staff, and from legacies.

In addition to providing (so far) 55 lifeboats of all different class types, the money is also put towards training, purchasing kit, and refurbishing lifeboat stations, most recently providing a £400,000 contribution to the new lifeboat station and pontoon on the Thames.

Numbering

The first 29 lifeboats share the designation ''(Civil Service)'' and numbers 1–11. When a boat was replaced, the new boat would receive the number from the previous boat, and often carry the same name.
In the 1950s, this was changed, so that the boats were consecutively numbered, starting with ''Greater London II (Civil Service No. 30)''.

Fleet

Notes

See also

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

References

{{reflist

External links

Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
Organizations established in 1824
Charities based in the United Kingdom
Civil Service (United Kingdom)
Sea rescue