Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station The Southend-on-Sea lifeboat station is a lifeboat station at Southend-on-Sea in the English county of Essex, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Because of the large tidal range and extensive drying foreshore at Southend, the lifeboat station uses two boathouses. One of these is situated at the head (outer end) of the long Southend Pier, and houses an Atlantic 75 class lifeboat and a smaller D class lifeboat, both of which are launched by davit into the deep water adjoining the pier. The other boathouse is situated adjacent to the inshore end of the pier,
Southend-on-Sea Lifeboat Station 1968, the Thames estuary was covered by three similar slipway launched 46ft 9in Watsons stationed on seaside piers at Clacton on Sea, Southend on Sea and Margate. Clacton's Watson was replaced by a 37ft in 1968 and the following year a new lifeboat station was opened at Sheerness on the opposite side of the Thames estuary to Southend. By the late 1960s, inflatable inshore lifeboats were in use at Southend to provide assistance to the increasing number of pleasure craft. In 1974, Sheerness was allocated a fast boat and two years later Southend's all weather Watson class lifeboat was withdrawn