In 1825, just one year after its founding by
Sir William Hillary Bt., the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) decided to establish
Gibraltar Point Lifeboat Station, at
Gibraltar Point in
Lincolnshire. This stretch of the British coastline has many shoals and constantly changing sandbanks, many of which lie between the town and the East Dudgeon Lightship. A boathouse was constructed, and a 24-foot non-self-righting lifeboat was provided, built by William Plenty of
Newbury, Berkshire, at a cost of £130. In 1827, management of the station was passed to the newly created Lincolnshire Coast Shipwreck Association (LCSA), which was founded on 31 July. On 20 January 1830, the
sloop Thomas and Mary of
Wells-next-the-Sea ran aground on the Skegness Middle Sand. Some difficulty was encountered launching the Gibraltar Point lifeboat into the rough conditions, not helped by a broken carriage wheel. Two crewmen aboard the
Thomas and Mary were lost, but the rest were rescued by the lifeboat. Following the wreck of the
Thomas and Mary in 1830, it was decided to relocate the lifeboat to Skegness. The lifeboat station at Gibraltar Point was closed, and the boathouse was dismantled. A new station was created at Skegness, just to the north, with the boathouse being reconstructed among the sand dunes, at a location now called Lifeboat Avenue. The cost of removing the boathouse was £28.00 By 1863, the lifeboats of the LCSA, , , , and Skegness, were all becoming worn out, and in need of replacement. Larger self-righting lifeboats were now available, but all locations would then need a bigger boathouse, all beyond the finances of the LCSA. At a meeting of Rev. J. Arlington of the LCSA, and Capt. John Ward, RNLI Inspector of Lifeboats, it was agreed that, effective from January 1864, the responsibility and replacement of the four lifeboats and boathouses would be undertaken by the RNLI. The total cost was £2,054-15-9d, with £600 coming from the LCSA. Skegness would receive a 30-foot (8-oared) self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, which would be named
Herbert Ingram. A new boathouse was constructed on South Parade, close to the clock tower. In 1882, William Everington retired from his position of Honorary Secretary, which he held since the takeover by the RNLI. He was succeeded by Charles Fred Grantham, aged just 22, who would hold the position for the next 40 years. On 9 November 1912, the Norwegian
brig Azha suffered heavy storm damage off the Humber estuary. Waterlogged and helpless, she drifted south for four days. Her crew were close to death when she was spotted, having run aground on the Skegness Middle Sand. The
Samuel Lewis (ON 554), the station's last pulling and sailing lifeboat, was launched to assist. Despite the severe weather, the lifeboat managed to get alongside the
Azha and take off her crew. The brig was breaking up and was abandoned. The Coxswain and Second Coxswain were awarded silver medals and given written thanks by
King Haakon VII of Norway. On 20 May 2016, the Skegness Inshore lifeboat, RNLB
Peterborough Beer Festival IV (D-739) was taking part in a search for a missing person, when a fire started on board, which spread rapidly. After issuing a
mayday, the crew abandoned the vessel, swimming to shore, while the lifeboat sank. The RNLI started recovery operations, but the damage was severe. In May 2017, lifeboat 13-17
Joel and April Grunnill (ON 1324) officially replaced the lifeboat
Lincolnshire Poacher. The new lifeboat cost £2.2 million. She was launched at the All-weather Lifeboat Centre at Poole on 9 September 2016, delivered to Skegness on 28 January 2017, and officially named on 27 May 2017. Funding came from the legacy of Joel Grunnill, and a donation from his cousin April Grunnill, both of whom had been volunteers with the station. In 2019, lifeboat
The Holland Family (D-842) was donated by Robert Holland, in honour of his parents and wider family, who have been long-term volunteers at the station. ==Notable rescues ==