History of St Helier Station

1825 Gold Medals were awarded to Francis De St Croix, Jean De St Croix, Philip De St Croix and a Silver Medal to Philip Nicolle for rescuing 13 people from the ship Fanny on 9 January 1825. Five people drowned.

1830 The first lifeboat, funded by the States of Jersey, was kept in a boathouse near the shore at Havre des Pas.

1872 Silver Medals were awarded to Charles Blampied, John Bouchard and Elias Whitley for rescuing 18 crew from the ship Isabella Northcote.

1884 The RNLI established a lifeboat station after the one on Alderney closed.

1896 A new boathouse was built in London Bay.

1937 The station's first motor lifeboat was placed on service.

1940 During the German occupation of Jersey in 1940-1945 the station was not under the RNLI's control; it was reported that the lifeboat, with a crew of German guards, had rescued 35 people.

1948 A new lifeboat, the first to have a deck cabin, was sent to the station and placed on moorings in the harbour. A German-built bunker on Albert Pier was taken over and converted for the crew.

1949 A Gold Medal was awarded to Coxswain Thomas King and Bronze Medals to Crew Members Philip Butel, Kenneth Gubbey, David Robert Talbot, Charles George King, Reginald John Nicolle, George Stapley and Honorary Secretary Lionel Percival Stevens for a service to the yacht Maurice Georges. The lifeboat had searched unsuccessfully for eight hours for a military aircraft that had come down. On the way back to her station a wireless message was received that the yacht was amongst the rocks of the Demie De Pas. A successful search located the yacht, which was then towed, with the four crew, back to the station after nine hours at sea.

1950 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Acting Coxswain Silver Le Riche for rescuing three crew from the ketch Hannah in November 1949.

1951 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Edward Larbalestier for saving the yacht Santa Maria and her three crew.

1953 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain Edward Larbalestier for rescuing the 11 crew from the motor vessel Brockley Combe.

1967 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to acting Coxswain Eric Grandin for rescuing four men from the yacht Kraken aground on Dogs Nest Reef.

1973 A Silver Medal and the Maud Smith Bequest, for the bravest act of lifesaving carried out in 1973, were awarded to Coxswain Michael Berry for rescuing six people from the yacht Bacchus. The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to the remainder of the lifeboat crew.

1975 HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, named the new lifeboat Thomas James King after the former coxswain and gold medallist (1949).

1983 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Michael Berry for rescuing the crew of two from the yacht Festina Lente III shortly before she was wrecked on 14 December 1982.

A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Michael Edward Berry for rescuing the three crew from the yacht Cythara on September 3^rd 1983. The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum were accorded to the remainder of the crew.

A Centenary Vellum was presented to the station.

1989 The Tyne class lifeboat, ON-1157 Alexander Coutanche, was placed on service.

1993 A new shore facility was built on Albert Pier providing improved crew facilities.

1995 The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Coxswain Robert Vezier for rescuing 55 of the 307 people onboard the passenger catamaran Saint Malo, which had struck a submerged object and was sinking in rough seas off the Corbiere lighthouse on 17 April.

2005  An inshore lifeboat (ILB) was co-located with the Tyne class lifeboat. The B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat,Eve Pank, was placed on service.

2007 The new Atlantic 85 lifeboat David Page was placed on service.

2009 The new Tamar class George Sullivan was placed on service.

2022 The new Atlantic 85 lifeboat The Spirit of St Helier was placed on service. She was tasked to assist a broken down vessel near the harbour entrance moments after the successful sea trial. What a great christening for her to Jersey!

Station honours

At St Helier lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum
Bronze Medal 9
Silver Medal 7
Gold Medal 4