RNLI press release 11 April 2011
New
class of RNLI lifeboat to be named after the river 'Shannon'
The RNLI has announced that
its latest all-weather class of lifeboat will be called 'The
Shannon'.
It follows in a 45-year tradition of
naming the charity’s lifeboats after rivers or stretches of
water, but it will be the first time that the name of an Irish
river has been used.
Paul Boissier, RNLI Chief Executive,
said: ‘I’m delighted to announce that our latest class of lifeboat
will be called the Shannon. Current and previous classes of
lifeboat carry, or have carried, the names of rivers from Wales,
Scotland and England, so it’s fitting that our fleet now reflects
the fact that our volunteers save lives at sea all around Ireland
as well as the UK.’
The Shannon class lifeboat – its previous
designation was the Fast Carriage Boat 2 or FCB2 reflecting
that it will be predominantly launched over beaches, – harnesses
cutting-edge technology to ensure that it will meet the demands
of a 21st century rescue service and allow the charity’s volunteer
crew to do their lifesaving work as safely as possible in all
weather conditions.
Using twin waterjets instead of conventional
propellers, the Shannon class will be able to operate in shallow
waters and be highly manoeuvrable. The waterjets also reduce
the risk of damage to the lifeboat during launch and recovery,
or when intentionally beached. It can be launched, bow first,
from a tractor and carriage and will have a top speed of 25
knots.
Like the Tamar class lifeboat, the Shannon
also has specially designed seats that protect the volunteer
crew and SIMS (System and Information Management System), which
allows the crew to monitor the boat from the safety of their
seats. Like all RNLI all-weather lifeboats, the Shannon is self-righting
and will return to an upright position in the event of capsize.
Arklow Lifeboat Operations Manager and
RNLI Honorary Life Governor Jimmy Tyrell has campaigned for
many years for an RNLI lifeboat class to be named after an Irish
river. Commenting on the announcement Jimmy said, “I am thrilled
with the news, not just for myself but for everyone involved
with the RNLI in Ireland. It is recognition for all the hard
work of our volunteer lifeboat crewmembers, fundraisers and
staff in Ireland. This has been a subject close to my heart
for many years and I am delighted that it has been announced
while I am still a volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager and
heavily involved with the charity. I am looking forward to seeing
it on service at lifeboat stations in a couple of years.”
The Shannon will gradually replace the
existing Mersey class lifeboat and will be the final step in
enabling the RNLI to fulfil its operation commitment to ensure
that all its operational lifeboats have a top speed of 25 knots.
Full sea trials will start later this year and the first operational
Shannon class lifeboat is due to go on station in 2013.
Press release 26th January
2011
RNLI
statistics for 2010 - Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland's RNLI lifeboats
were launched on service 269 times during 2010 and brought 281
people to safety ashore.
Figures
released on 25 January 2011 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
(RNLI) show that Northern Ireland's lifeboat crews had a busy
year with an average of five people a week being brought to
safety from a variety of callouts.
During 2010, Portaferry Lifeboat
'Blue Peter V' launched
29 times and rescued 29 people.
2011 will be a big year for
the charity in Northern Ireland with RNLI lifeguards being introduced
on seven beaches along the Antrim coast this Summer. These will
be the first RNLI lifeguards in Northern Ireland and they will
work in conjunction with the existing lifeboat crews during
the busy Summer months.
The overall figure for launches
and rescues of RNLI lifeboats in Ireland was 1,002 callouts
with 1,094 people brought to safety.
General information for Editors
The RNLI provides a 24/7 search
and rescue service every day of the year to 100 nautical miles
out from the coast of the United Kingdom and the Republic of
Ireland.
HM Coastguard and the Irish
Coast Guard initiate and co-ordinate civil maritime search and
rescue (SAR) in the UK and Irish SAR regions from Maritime Rescue
Coordination Centres (MRCC).
During maritime emergencies
at sea, the shoreline, on beaches or on cliffs, both of these
authorities call on RNLI lifeboats which are declared as 'search
and rescue assets'.
The RNLI responds within agreed
criteria.
As a charity, the RNLI depends
on volunteers.
The RNLI has 235 lifeboat stations
located in strategic locations along the coastline and inland
waters of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
In addition there are now over 150 RNLI life-guarded beaches.
Ninety-five per cent of the
RNLI's crew members are volunteers.
The RNLI has 4,660 volunteer
crew members, 3,000 volunteer shore helpers/station management
and over 35,000 voluntary fundraisers.
For
further information regarding these statistics or any media
enquiries please contact our Lifeboat Press Officer, Beni Benstead,
at lpo@PortaferryLifeboat.com
Last update 07/02/2012
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