UK: Scarborough to Receive Innovative New Class of RNLI Lifeboat

Scarborough will be one of the first lifeboat stations in the country to receive an innovative new class of RNLI lifeboat, the Shannon.

The new £1.5m lifeboat will replace Scarborough’s current RNLI Mersey class lifeboat, Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs , when she comes to the end of her operational life in around three years time. The new lifeboat will be funded by a generous legacy from Frederic William Plaxton, former chairman of Scarborough-based coach building firm Plaxton.

Colin Lawson, Scarborough RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said everyone connected with Scarborough lifeboat station was thrilled to hear that they will be one of the first in the country to operate the new class of lifeboat.

He added: ‘The Shannon is a revolutionary vessel, quite different to our current lifeboat, and the volunteer crew at Scarborough are very much looking forward to receiving her on station. We are so grateful for the generous gift from Mr Plaxton – legacies are a very important source of funding for our charity and without people like Mr Plaxton, the RNLI would be unable to carry out its vital lifesaving role.’

The Shannon has been designed in-house by RNLI naval architects who have harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure the new lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century rescue service and to allow the charity’s volunteer crew to do their lifesaving work as safely as possible in all weather conditions.

The new lifeboat features twin water jets instead of conventional propellers, allowing her to operate in shallow waters and be highly manoeuvrable, giving the crew greater control when alongside other craft and when in confined waters. The water jets also reduce the risk of damage to the lifeboat during launch and recovery, or when intentionally beached.She will be the first RNLI all-weather lifeboat to run on water jets instead of propellers.

The Shannon’s seats are designed to protect the crew members’ spines as much as possible from the forces of the sea in rough weather. Additionally, the Shannon incorporates SIMS (System and Information Management System) which allows the crew to monitor the lifeboat from the safety of their seats, again reducing the likelihood of injury to the volunteer crew members during search and rescue operations.

With a top speed of 25 knots, the Shannon is faster than her predecessor the Mersey, which has a top speed of 17 knots. The introduction of the Shannon will be the first step in enabling the RNLI to fulfil its commitment to ensure that all its operational all-weather lifeboats have a top speed of 25 knots – a crucial factor when lives are at risk.

The Shannon can be launched and recovered from beaches independent of slipways and harbours and a new RNLI tractor and carriage is also being developed to accompany the Shannon.

Like all RNLI all-weather lifeboats, the Shannon is self-righting and will return to an upright position in the event of a capsize during extreme weather or sea conditions. The new class of lifeboat will undergo full sea trials later this year, with the first operational Shannon class lifeboats going on station in 2013.

Mr Plaxton, who was known as Eric, left the RNLI at Scarborough a generous legacy in 1995, administered by the Plaxton Charitable Trust. The legacy was specifically for Scarborough’s next all-weather lifeboat and because at that time Scarborough’s current vessel was relatively new, the funds had to be set aside until the station’s Mersey class came to the end of her operational life and there was a need for a replacement lifeboat. The new lifeboat will be named Frederick William Plaxton in honour of Mr Plaxton’s father, the founder of the family coach building firm.

[mappress]
Source: RNLI, July 7, 2011.