The invention belongs to the technical field of ultrasonic inspection of safe end weld joints of a main pipeline of a reactor pressure vessel of a nuclear power station, and in particular relates to a lifting operation method of an ultrasonic inspection tool of a reactor pressure vessel adapter. The lifting operation method includes the following steps: (1) tool preparing; (2) inspection tool inversion in air; (3) steady lifting in air; (4) turning leveling in water, to be more specific, the inspection tool is put into a reactor pressure vessel water tank by a nuclear island ring crane, and the inspection tool turns upward under the action of buoyancy; (5) inspection tool placing, to be more specific, the inspection tool is put downward to the center position of the adapter by use of a hand-pulled chain block, a free end of a rope tool for binding the inspection tool is bound to a shore anchor point; (6) inspection tool entering, to be more specific, the inspection tool is sent into the inside of the adapter along the adapter axe by a movement temporary bridge and the nuclear island ring crane until a centering rod of the inspection tool is contacted with the pressure vessel wall; (7) inspection tool positioning in the adapter and inspection standard determination; and (8) inspection tool separation.