Dart Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Dartmouth,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

in England. The present station was opened in 2007 although an earlier

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

was stationed in the town from 1878 to 1896. It operates a D class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).

History

Dartmouth is a small port on the west side of the natural harbour formed by the

River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth. Name Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...

. In the 1860s the

Dartmouth and Torbay Railway The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway. Most of the line is now operated as th ...

established more quays on the opposite bank at

Kingswear Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth. It lies within ...

. The RNLI approved that Dartmouth Lifeboat Station be established at Dartmouth in July 1876 but it was 1878 before a lifeboat arrived. During the summer the lifeboat was kept in a boat house at Sand Quay, but during the winter it was kept afloat in Warfleet Creek where it was quicker to respond to any ships in distress. It would prove difficult for the rowing lifeboat to leave the estuary of the Dart if the wind was blowing from the sea unless a tug was able to help. The station was closed in 1896 and during all that time just one effective service was provided. That was on 20 September 1887 when the crew attended a trawler near

Castle. The boat house is now used by the Dartmouth Amateur Rowing Club. In 2007 a new lifeboat was sent to Dartmouth, although the new station was to be named the Dart Lifeboat Station after the river, rather than the town. A temporary building with five years planning agreement was erected in Coronation Park. The lifeboat is kept on a carriage and is towed to the river for launching by a tractor.

Area of operation

The Dart ILB has a maximum speed of and can operate for three hours. It covers the

and the nearby south Devon coast. Adjacent lifeboats – both ILBs and All Weather Boats – are at

Torbay Lifeboat Station Torbay Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Brixham, Devon in England. Brixham Lifeboat Station was opened in 1866 but since 1924 has been known as 'Torbay'. Since 2005 it h ...

to the East, and

Salcombe Lifeboat Station Salcombe Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Salcombe, Devon in England. The first Lifeboat (rescue), lifeboat was stationed in the town in 1869. The Salcombe Lifeboat has tw ...

to the West.

Lifeboats

'ON' is the RNLI's sequential Official Number; 'Op. No.' is the operational number painted onto the boat.

Dartmouth (1878–1896)

Dart (from 2007)

References

Bibliography

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External links

Dart lifeboat station on the RNLI website

Station website
{{Lifeboat stations in Dorset and South Devon Lifeboat stations in Devon Dartmouth, Devon