200 years of livesaving for HM Coastguard
The UK Coastguard is marking its 200th birthday this year, having been formed in 1822 to help combat smuggling.
Coastguards across the four nations that it serves – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – cast traditional throwlines into the sea as a symbol of the service’s ongoing work.
Today Her Majesty’s Coastguard co-ordinates rescues and other activities from one main centre centre in Hampshire, nine maritime rescue coordination centres around the coast and one maritime rescue ‘sub-centre’.
There are 310 Coastguard rescue teams, made up of 3,500 volunteers, using 10 search and rescue helicopter bases.
The Coastguard responded to more than 33,000 incidents in 2020 and its marine surveyors carried out almost 4,500 surveys on UK and non-UK registered ships. The service’s duties have broadened and during the pandemic, coastguards supported the UK’s National Health Service, they attended the G7 summit meeting and COP26 in 2021 and they have responded to flooding and other national emergencies.
HM Coastguard provides training to search and rescue authorities around the world and shares knowledge on a mutual basis with others. It is a key player with the International Maritime Organization and o ers insight into the practical application of SOLAS (The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea).