Kinghorn Lifeboat Station is located at St James Place, Kinghorn, a town and seaside resort on the northern shore of the Firth of Forth, on the Fife peninsula, on the east coast of Scotland.
A lifeboat station was established at Kinghorn by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1965.[1]
The station currently operates a B-class (Atlantic 85) Inshore lifeboat, Tommy Niven (B-836), on station since 2009.[2]
History
Kinghorn Lifeboat station was established in 1965 by the RNLI, to help provide more cover in the Firth of Forth, as leisure craft became more prevalent in the area at that time. Initially a small shed structure made from Hardun wood[3] was built which housed a D-class lifeboat which operated in summer months only. The boat was launched by hand across Kinghorn beach.[4] The first launch of the boat in 1965 saw the crew deliver letters to residents of Inchkeith and Inchcolm to inform them of the station being built.[5]
In 1982 a new pre-cast boathouse was built to replace the previous wooden structure.[3] On 10 June 1985 the station received a new twin-engine C-class (Zodiac Grand Raid IV) with the registration mark (C-514). This boat was also accompanied with a sea-going tractor to assist launching.[3][4]
In 1987 the station was altered in order to fit the launching trolley equipment inside the boathouse to aid fast launch times.[3]
In 1995 the station was upgraded significantly with a new two-storey building erected which had lifeboat crew quarters, as well as an operation centre and visitor shop. At the same time a launch ramp and concrete slipway was installed. On 29 June that year, an Atlantic 21-class lifeboat was brought into temporary service, soon being replaced with an Atlantic 75-class Frederick Robertson, with registration (B-720), on 12 December.[3][4][5]
Current service
The Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Tommy Niven (B-836), was brought into service on 22 October 2009. The boat bears the name of a benefactor who left a bequest to the RNLI.[3]
In 2019 a balloon in the shape of the fictional superhero character Iron Man was mistaken for a person in the water off Kirkcaldy. The Kinghorn lifeboat was scrambled and spent an hour searching for the missing person. A local Subaru car dealership later admitted to accidentally allowing the balloon to blow away and made a donation to the station.[6]
The station holds an annual sponsored Loony Dook in January and an open day during the summer to raise funds for the running of the facility.[7][8][9]
Kinghorn lifeboats
| Op. No.[a] | Name | On Station[10] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-64 | Unnamed | 1965 | D-class (Dunlop) | |
| D-68 | Unnamed | 1965–1967 | D-class (Dunlop) | |
| D-65 | Unnamed | 1967 | D-class (Dunlop) | |
| D-123 | Unnamed | 1968–1976 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-245 | Alick Mackay | 1976–1985 | D-class (Zodiac III) | |
| C-514 | Unnamed | 1985–1995 | C-class (Zodiac Grand Raid IV) | |
| B-533 | Unnamed | 1995 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-720 | Frederick Robertson | 1995–2009 | B-class (Atlantic 75) | |
| B-836 | Tommy Niven | 2009– | B-class (Atlantic 85) |
Launch and recovery tractors
| Op. No.[a] | Reg. No. | Type | On Station[10] | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TW12 | D508 RUJ | Talus MB-764 County | 1987–1994 | |
| TW10 | VEL 99X | Talus MB-764 County | 1994–1998 | |
| TW06 | VRU 611S | Talus MB-764 County | 1998–2003 | |
| TW40 | P472 CUJ | Talus MB-764 County | 2003–2011 | |
| TW04 | TEL 705R | Talus MB-764 County | 2011–2012 | |
| TW03 | RLJ 367R | Talus MB-764 County | 2012–2014 | |
| TW04 | TEL 705R | Talus MB-764 County | 2014–2017 | |
| TW03 | RLJ 367R | Talus MB-764 County | 2017–2022 | |
| TW32 | L161 LAW | Talus MB-764 County | 2022– |
See also
References
- ^ "Kinghorn's Station history". Kinghorn Lifeboat Station. RNLI. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
- ^ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 84.
- ^ a b c d e f "Station history | RNLI". rnli.org. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ a b c "Kinghorn Lifeboat Station: Station History". www.kinghorn.org.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Kinghorn Lifeboat Station: First Lifeboat". www.kinghorn.org.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ Brown, Angie (15 August 2019). "Iron Man balloon sparks rescue alert". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "Loony dookers in Kinghorn raise £1,295 for the RNLI". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "Kinghorn RNLI host annual open day this weekend". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "Head to Kinghorn On New Year's Day for the Loony Dook!". www.fifetoday.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ a b Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 80–84, 87–90, 11.