New Lifeboat Station and New Lifeboat
planned for The Lizard

The RNLI plans to build a new lifeboat station for The Lizard. The purpose built facility will eventually replace the existing building at Kilcobben Cove, and will house a new Tamar class all weather lifeboat.

The present lifeboat station was built in 1961 at a cost of £90,000 and has provided shelter for the Tyne class lifeboat, David Robinson, for the last 20 years. It will be removed and a new boathouse will be constructed in its place.

Phillip Burgess, RNLI Coxswain at The Lizard, says he and his volunteer crew are delighted at the news:

‘It shows the RNLI’s commitment to providing safety cover around The Lizard for many years to come. Over 149 years lifeboats have launched on 581 emergency call outs from various stations around The Lizard, and saved 1,140 lives. We cover England’s most southerly point and one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. More than 400 ships a day move up and down the channel and past Lizard Point and it’s important that we maintain key lifeboat stations along this stretch of coastline.’

‘A classic illustration of why it’s important to have a lifeboat station here was the incident involving the MSC Napoli. We launched to her in atrocious conditions and were at sea for nearly 7 hours in gale force winds and rough seas. We headed for the vessel and her crew who had taken to a ships lifeboat, and would have had to rescue them if a helicopter crew from RNAS Culdrose had not been available.’

The new building is likely to cost the RNLI around £6 million, which will be met from the many generous donations made to the charity. This is a huge figure but it will prove value for money. In the past, the size of a lifeboat station was taken into account when designing new lifeboats, but today the lifeboat and its life saving role are paramount. Therefore, as in the case of the new Tamar, the lifeboat role has come first.

UPDATE MARCH 2010
At last! It’s all go at the cove…

No, this is not our new lifeboat station, but the first signs that a new era is beginning at Kilcobben Cove… these cabins will be our temporary station at the back of the car park during the building of our new boathouse and offices down in Kilcobben Cove.

Download full update as a "PDF" here...

A local appeal has been launched to raise funds towards the £2.7 million needed to buy the new Tamar class lifeboat, which has now been allocated to the lifeboat station by the RNLI Trustees.

Adam Littlejohn, RNLI Shoreworks Divisional Manager for the south, says the project will present a major civil engineering and building challenge:

‘The nature of the exposed Cornish coastline means we will have to build a station that will stand in the sea, and be at the mercy of the elements. We have no choice but to build at Kilcobben Cove where the lifeboat is provided just enough shelter to be able to launch in almost all conditions.’

‘Much of the work will have to be done from seaward using a large jack-up barge but we have gleaned valuable experience from several recent similar projects, including Padstow that will now benefit The Lizard. We will be hosting a public meeting when our plans are complete, to answer queries, and we will be providing regular updates on the station website and in a special notice board outside the winch house above the cove.’

101 years ago this year (17 March) The Lizard lifeboat was one of four lifeboats to race to the assistance of passengers onboard the SS Suevic, a White Star liner that hit rocks off The Lizard Point. Four rowing lifeboats safely rescued 456 people and the incident remains the RNLI’s biggest ever rescue.