Sunderland History
1800 The first lifeboat was placed on the north side of the River Wear.
Between 1808 and 1912 there have been various stations at seven different sites on both sides of the river.
1856 A Silver Medal was awarded to Joseph Hodgson for saving lives over a period of 12 years.
1858 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain W Davison for long service.
1865 The RNLI took over the original station.
1871 The RNLI took over the local lifeboat society and their three lifeboats. A boathouse was built at the South Outlet.
1882 A gas explosion wrecked the watch house of the No.3 boathouse. The Coxswain had both legs broken and another man had to have a foot amputated.
1891 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain R Thompson for general services.
1905 The South Outlet lifeboat house was destroyed by fire on 25 July.
1911 Sunderland's first motor lifeboat, J McConnell Hussey, was the first experimental motor lifeboat in the Institution's fleet. She was built originally in 1893 as a self-righting pulling and sailing lifeboat, and in 1904 she was converted into a motor lifeboat with a speed of six knots.
1928 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.
1953 A 150th commemorative Vellum was presented to the station.
1966 An inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat at Roker.
1984 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Helmsman Michael Tighe and a Vellum service certificate was presented to Crew Member Alan Dixon for rescuing a sailboarder in difficulties.
1987 A Framed Letter of Thanks was presented to Coxswain Anthony Lee when he rescued two men from the missing fishing vessel Sea Fox after a four hour search.
1990 A Waveney class lifeboat was placed on service.
1994 A new D class lifeboat was placed on service.
1995 Framed Letters of Thanks were awarded to Crew Members David Graham, Gerard McGill and Ian Donkin for rescuing three boys stranded on a ledge half way up a cliff in a small cove to the west of Marsden Rock.
1997 A Trent class lifeboat was placed on service on 28 March.
1998 A new ILB boathouse was completed in May.
1999 Framed Letters of Thanks were presented to Helmsman Michael Cowe and Crew Members Martin Barry and Brian Clark-Barkess for a service on 20 December 1998 to a fisherman who had been swept into the sea at Hendon Tanks.
2000 A Bicentenary Vellum was presented to the station.
2002 A new launching ramp was completed.
2003 The new D class lifeboat, D-608 Helen & Ian Tytler, was placed on service on 24 November.
2004 Following a Coast Review a decision was made by the Trustee Committee to withdraw the Trent class all weather lifeboat and replace it with an inshore B class lifeboat to work alongside the existing station D class inshore lifeboat.
A relief B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat, B-705 Vera Skilton, was placed on service on 16 August.
The Atlantic 75, B-762 Jack and Joyce Burcombe, was placed on service in November.
2007 The new Atlantic 85 lifeboat Wolseley was placed on service.
Station honours
At Sunderland lifeboat station the following awards have been made:
Framed Letter of Thanks 7
Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 1
Silver Medal 3
