The Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn was launched in 1933 as Shoreham's fifth lifeboat. The vessel's cost of £6,500 was covered by a private legacy and public collections. To accommodate the lifeboat, a new boathouse and slipway were constructed, enabling launches independent of tidal conditions.

During her thirty years of active service, the Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn was launched 244 times and credited with saving 143 lives. Following this period, she served an additional ten years on the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) reserve fleet.

The lifeboat participated in three evacuation trips from the beaches of Dunkirk to Dover during World War II. Unlike RNLI vessels, naval crews did not maintain detailed logs of these operations. Anecdotal accounts describe a naval officer who protected his crew from shrapnel and strafing by constructing a makeshift wheelhouse from steel plate.

On 16 November 1941, the lifeboat was dispatched to assist the President Briand, a minesweeper threatened by a strong south wind off Shoreham. The lifeboat's coxswain was transferred aboard the President Briand, while the SS Goole, a blockship, attempted to tow the vessel. As the wind escalated to gale force, the Goole encountered difficulties. The lifeboat endeavored to tow both ships, but the towlines parted. After multiple attempts alongside, the lifeboat successfully evacuated all twenty-one men, including her own coxswain. The vessel returned to harbour after eleven hours in heavy, breaking seas. For his leadership during this operation, acting coxswain James Upperton was awarded a silver medal for gallantry, and Henry Philcox, the motor mechanic, received a bronze medal.

On 8 August 1948, the Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn undertook another notable rescue during a strong south-westerly gale off the Sussex coast. The lifeboat pursued a yacht for fourteen miles to Newhaven, utilizing sails to supplement engine power. Despite heavy seas washing over the vessel just 500 yards offshore, the lifeboat skillfully entered the surf and rescued five individuals—three men, two women, and a boy—from the yacht.

In 1973, T.B. Lawrence purchased the Rosa Woodd and Phyllis Lunn, then located at Bangor near Belfast. The vessel was renamed Dowager and reportedly converted into a cruising yacht.