Girvan Lifeboat Station

Girvan Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat at Girvan in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It opened in 1877 and today operates an all-weather lifeboat.

History
There were few lifeboats in south west Scotland in the 1850s but the RNLI had stationed one at Ayr in 1859. In 1865 decided that Girvan would also be a good place for a lifeboat. There were many fishermen who would be able to provide a crew, and a road close to the coast both north and south of the town would allow it to be transported to other places where it could be launched when required. The new boat was paid for by Alexander Kay, an insurance broker in Glasgow, and a boathouse was built on land donated by the Duchesse de Coigny.

The boathouse was rebuilt in 1910. Soon after that the RNLI began to provide motor lifeboats and it was Girvan's turn in 1931, the new boat being inaugurated on 16 May 1931. The pulling and sailing lifeboats stationed here since 1865 had saved 55 lives in that time. The motor lifeboat could cover a larger area more efficiently and so the station at Ayr closed the following year.

A new facility on a different site was provided in 1993. The new lifeboat that took up station at the same time was paid for and named Sylvia Burrell who had died the previous year but had long been a supporter of the RNLI and had knitted nearly 400 pairs of mittens for lifeboat crews.



Girvan lifeboats
'ON' is the Official Number used in RNLI records from 1884. 'Op. No.' is the Operational Number displayed on the boat.