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Our boats

The Lifeboat Fund has funded 53 lifeboats over the years. Below are the boats, a pier and a hovercraft that remain in service in 2019.

 

Civil Service No.53

Our latest boat is Duke of Edinburgh, a state-of-the-art all-weather Shannon class, which will go into service at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. The Shannon is equipped with water jets and can be launched and recovered from the beach and has a maximum speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles. The lifeboat is also the latest of the RNLI's Launch A Memory boats. 

Wells RNLI

D-738 David Roulston - Civil Service No.52

David Roulston went into service in September 2010 at the Portrush Lifeboat Station, Northern Ireland.  The lifeboat is a D-class lifeboat, measuring five metres in length.  She was named in memory of David Roulston, a Northern Ireland Tourist Board official who drowned tragically off the Antrim coast in 2005. The lifeboat can carry three crew and is a fast, light-weight inflatable that is compact and highly manoeuvrable. This makes her ideal for rescue close to shore in moderate conditions. If she capsizes she can be righted manually by the lifeboat crew. 

Portrush RNLI  @PortrushRNLI

B-837 Charles Dibdin - Civil Service No.51

Charles Dibdin went into service on 13 November 2009 at the New Brighton Lifeboat Station, Merseyside.  The lifeboat is an Atlantic 85 rigid inflatable lifeboat and was named after Charles Dibdin, one of the founders of The Lifeboat Fund in 1866 who later went on to become RNLI Secretary. The Atlantic 85 can be crewed by three or four people, with a top speed of 35 knots.

New Brighton RNLI @RNLINewBrighton

B-826 Sgt. Bob Martin - Civil Service No.50

Sgt Bob Martin went into service on 4 December 2008 at the Poole Lifeboat Station, Dorset.  The lifeboat is named in memory of Sgt. Bob Martin, a Chelsea Pensioner who raised £200,000 for the RNLI.  Sgt. Bob Martin is an Atlantic 85 rigid inflatable lifeboat. She can be crewed by three or four people, and carry up to 20 survivors. As of September 2018, the boat is temporarily off the station for a refit.  

Poole RNLI  @PooleLifeboats

BB-697 Stranraer Saviour - Civil Service No.49

Stranraer Saviour went into service on 5 June 2008 at the Stranraer Lifeboat Station, Scotland. The lifeboat is a D-class. She carries a crew of three and is used primarily for surfer/swimmer incidents as well as assisting in cliff incidents where the casualty is near the water. The very nature of her work requires a swift response, and the lifeboat can normally be afloat within five minutes of the call going out.

@RNLI_Stranraer

B-806 Mudeford Servant - Civil Service No.48

Mudeford Servant went into service on 22 September 2006 at the Mudeford Lifeboat Station, Dorset.  She is a rigid inflatable lifeboat with a manually operated self-righting mechanism and is capable of being beached in an emergency without sustaining damage to engines or steering gear.  The lifeboat is fitted with radar and VHF direction finding equipment and can be operated safely in daylight in a force 6/7 gale and at night in a force 5/6.  

Mudeford RNLI  @MudefordRNLI

Lifeboat Pier

One of the RNLI's principal lifeboat stations on the River Thames, the Pier was opened officially on Monday, 8 May 2006. Sir Kevin Tebbit, then Chair of The Lifeboat Fund, performed the ceremony. It is the home of Tower RNLI.  

The Lifeboat Fund provided £400,000 towards the cost of the refurbishment of Lifeboat Pier. This lifeboat station replaced the old one at Tower Pier. Lifeboat Pier provides much needed quiet and spacious accommodation for the lifeboat crew on one of the busiest stretches of water in the country. Public Servant, the E-class lifeboat provided by The Fund in 2002 for saving lives on the River Thames, was stationed at Lifeboat Pier.

Tower RNLI  @TowerRNLI

H-003 Hunstanton Flyer - Civil Service No.45

Hunstanton Flyer is stationed at Hunstanton, Norfolk and went into service on 25 July 2003. The lifeboat - a hovercraft - was provided at a cost of £122,000 and is a Griffon 470SAR, developed in conjunction with the RNLI's Technical Department specifically for search and rescue purposes. The hovercraft is 7.75m in length, carries a crew of three and has a top speed of 30 knots with a range of three hours at maximum speed. 

Hunstanton RNLI  @RNLIHunstanton 

ON1237 Fraser Flyer - Civil Service No.43 

Fraser Flyer (Civil Service No. 43) entered the relief fleet in February 1999. Her name was chosen to acknowledge the work of a Lifeboat Fund Chairman, Sir Angus Fraser, who died in 2001. This Severn Class boat was provided at a cost to The Fund of £879,750. In 2018, she was launched into service from Humber and Tynemouth Lifeboat Stations. 

ON1204 Windsor Runner - Civil Service No.42

Windsor runner is a Trent Class boat in the RNLI's reflief fleet.  She was so named to commemorate the fundraising success of the 12 half marathon races held at Windsor Great Park each year up to 1995.  She was originally stationed at Blyth in Northumberland on 01 December 1995.  She was purchased at a cost to The Fund of £693,698.  In 2018 she was predominantly based at Dunmore East Lifeboat Station in County Waterford. In Spring 2019, she was undergoing a refit in the RNLI's All Weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole.