The 13m Shannon class lifeboats Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood from Hoylake and Barbara Anne from Lytham St Annes, with Atlantic 85 Charles Dibdin (Civil
Service No.51) from New Brighton on the River Mersey on 4 March to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
On 4 March 2024 the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) formally celebrated 200 years of life-saving with a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey. The RNLI has always relied on voluntary contributions and on volunteers to crew the lifeboats and inshore lifeboats, and the service in March was a reflection of the voluntary ethos that has served the organisation ever since 1824.
Over the two centuries the volunteers have carried out thousands of rescues, while the design of lifeboats has changed out of all recognition, as naval architects have worked to produce boats which can cope with the worst of weathers, heading out when others seek shelter, while also keeping their crews safe.