Fife Ness Coastguard Station will close on September 28.
Hopes were dashed that the station would remain operational until the end of March 2013 during crunch talks on Wednesday.
The Coastguard Agency’s head of maritime operations, Keith Oliver, revealed the date at a meeting with staff and union leaders.
Steve Quinn, president of the coastguard section of the Public and Commercial Services Union, who was at the meeting, said: ”The date was unexpected. Staff only found out this morning.
”Of course, we were told the closure would be in this financial year, but we had no idea it was going to be this soon. Obviously we had hoped the station would remain open until nearer the end of the financial year.”
The closure is part of a Government cost-cutting exercise. Coalition ministers hope to save £7.5 million a year by shutting 10 coastguard stations throughout the UK.
Mr Quinn told the Courier that the mood of the staff was ”one of resignation”.
Watch manager Gordon Downard said: “The meeting went on for about four or five hours. There was a range of issues that had to be discussed, not least the impact of the closure on staff.
“There are 12 full-time and two admin staff who are either being transferred to other stations or we can take voluntary redundancy.
“I’ll be taking redundancy and going. I’ve been in the job for 23 years. It’s sad that I have to go off into the sunset but I suppose we all have to move with the times.”
Fife Ness covers 344 miles of coastline from Montrose to the north of England. It is expected that the area’s waters will be watched over by stations in Aberdeen and the north of England beyond September.
PCS Union has suggested the closure of Fife Ness could cost lives and strikes have been scheduled.
Steve Quinn said: “Coastguard cuts would mean the loss of life-saving local knowledge around our coastline. PCS members in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are taking a week-long series of short walkouts against the plans.
“Staff at Fife Ness now know their station will close on September 28, but we’re still encouraging them to take industrial action. PCS will continue to fight for better pay, conditions and pensions for the staff that transfer to other stations.”