St Abbs Lifeboat is an independent voluntary search and rescue lifeboat service based in the village of St Abbs, located on the southeast coast of Scotland in the Scottish Borders.
St Abbs lifeboat station has been operational since 1911, providing search and rescue cover along the rugged Berwickshire coastline and out into the North Sea. Since 2015, it has been operated by an independent charity following the withdrawal of support from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). This means the community and crew are responsible for all aspects of running the station, including governance, fundraising, training, and maintenance. The lifeboat station and lifeboat shop are run entirely by unpaid volunteers, there are no paid employees.
St Abbs Lifeboat Station holds "Declared Facility Status" (DFS), a standard set by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), qualifying the station to participate in the UK Coastguard's Search and Rescue (SAR) service.
The station currently operates the inshore lifeboat, Thomas Tunnock. She is one of the fastest lifeboats in the UK, with a maximum speed of 40 knots.
This enables the crew, who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to respond swiftly to anyone in need of assistance along the Berwickshire coast.