The NSSR

The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (Norwegian: Redningsselskapet or Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning) was founded on 9 July 1891 with the sole purpose of saving lives and property at sea.

Since its inception over 6,300 individuals and 3,400 vessels have been rescued and over half a million people have been assisted by the rescue boats and crews of the NSSR.

Today the NSSR has 50 rescue boats on standby. Half of which operate with a permanent crew, while the others are run by volunteers. The rescue boats are designated by an RS number with RS1 being the first in service and RS160 being launched in 2015.

The boats have evolved over time. RS1 “Colin Archer” was a wooden sailboat based in Oslo and was just under 14 meters in length. RS160 “Horn Blower” also based in Oslo is 17 meters long and is capable of 42 knots.

The boats in between varied greatly in size, shape, material and speed. Large or small; steel, aluminium or wood; and fast or slow their purpose remain true to the mission of the NSSR – to save lives and property at sea.