On this day in 1989, the nation would wake up to the news of a tragic accident on the the River Thames. The Marchioness pleasure boat sank after colliding with a dredger and 51 people sadly lost their lives. Following the recommendations of the inquiry into the disaster, the RNLI’s rescue service began on the Thames in January 2002, with lifeboats stationed at Teddington, Chiswick, Tower (Waterloo Bridge) and Gravesend. | RNLI