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Three lifeboats powering down the River Mersey – one Shannon class lifeboat, a B class lifeboat and a D class lifeboat

You’re the coastguard. Which lifeboat do you launch?

Photo: Bernard Rose Photography 

When a call for help comes in, our partners at HM Coastguard and the Irish Coast Guard need to quickly determine which type of rescue craft to request. Given the (real-life) incidents below, which lifeboat would you send to the rescue?

An elderly man could be in trouble

Calls are coming in regarding an elderly man’s safety. He left Hoo Marina on his boat and is thought to be somewhere in the Medway Estuary, in Kent, south-east England. The estuary has a complex network of tidal channels that drain around large islands of saltmarsh and mudflats, so he could be lost, or stranded. Nearby Sheerness RNLI has a 13.6m all-weather Shannon class lifeboat and a smaller, inshore D class lifeboat. But which one is best for the job?

Which asset do you request?

A) The Shannon class lifeboat Judith Copping Joyce

B) The D class lifeboat Buster

C) Both

A person being winched to safety by a Coastguard Rescue helicopter

Photo: RNLI/Vic Booth

Sometimes, the coastguard will call upon an additional asset such as this rescue helicopter, seen here winching a casualty to safety

Answer: The D class

Here’s why … 

The marshy, shallow nature of the estuary would be tricky for larger lifeboats to navigate. But not for the D class. It’s agility and shallow draught makes it ideal for reaching places our all-weather craft can’t. 

Here’s what happens next …

When Sheerness RNLI’s D class lifeboat is tasked, its crew search upriver and down, without success. After a reported sighting in a tidal channel called The Swale, the RNLI volunteers eventually find the vessel aground, and a crew member is put aboard. The elderly skipper is later handed into the care of the ambulance service. 

Volunteer Lifeboat Crew Member Jack Smedley says: ‘We had just enough water to get the lifeboat into the boat’s stern, so I could climb across to assess the man on board. I suggested that we take him ashore on the lifeboat. I stayed onboard with him while the lifeboat went into deeper water but, by this point, his vessel was completely high and dry. The only option was for us both to be winched into the Coastguard Rescue helicopter, which had been tasked to assist.' 

A Christmas night without stars

It’s a foggy night just after Christmas. A man has fallen ill on a drilling platform, 26 nautical miles from Flamborough Head, Yorkshire. Visibility is drastically reduced, so expert navigation will be critical. Bridlington RNLI is home to an all-weather Shannon class lifeboat with a range of 250 nautical miles. Like the Shannon, the lifeboat station’s smaller, inshore D class lifeboat is tried and trusted, and the smaller craft can endure 3 hours at sea. Which one is best for the job? Or maybe a helicopter would be faster?

Which asset do you request?

A) The D class lifeboat Ernie Wellings

B) The Shannon class lifeboat Antony Patrick Jones

C) A Coastguard Rescue helicopter

An RNLI launch vehicle carries a Shannon class lifeboat towards the sea

Photo: RNLI/Anna Needham

Bridlington RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat being prepared for launch

Answer: The Shannon class 

Here’s why … 

In this scenario, HM Coastguard would usually deploy a search and rescue helicopter, but due to the fog, this isn’t possible. And although the D class is a very capable lifeboat, it’s used for rescues within sight of land. 

Here’s what happens next … 

The Coastguard requests Bridlington RNLI’s Shannon class all-weather lifeboat, Antony Patrick Jones, to assist. While 98% of rescues happen within 10 miles of shore, the Shannon class lifeboat has a range of 250 nautical miles and a top speed of 25 knots to help reach people further away – just like this rescue.

The Shannon sets off to the drilling platform, arriving by 10pm. The RNLI volunteers take the casualty safely aboard the lifeboat and head back to Bridlington Harbour, where the casualty is handed over to the waiting ambulance crew. 

RNLI Volunteer Crew Member Andy Rodgers, the navigator on the night, says: ‘Due to the dense fog, visibility was drastically diminished, which made navigation of the lifeboat critical. We train regularly for such occasions, so we are ready to act when such weather conditions prevail. All the crew step up, with extra vigilance concerning radar and positional checks to ensure we are staying on course to the casualty, and the same on the way home again.’

Stuck between Needle Rock and a hard place

In Fishguard, Wales, it’s a sunny Saturday, and many are enjoying coastal activities. Two climbers are in trouble at Needle Rock, across the bay from Fishguard Lifeboat Station. At least one climber is injured, and both are unable to make their own way back up the cliff face. Fishguard RNLI can call upon a 14.3m Trent class all-weather lifeboat as well as a D class inshore lifeboat. Which would be better suited to the task? Or could a hovercraft be the answer?

Which asset do you request?

A) The Trent class lifeboat Blue Peter VII

B) The D class lifeboat Edward Arthur Richardson

C) An RNLI hovercraft

An RNLI crew aboard a D class inshore lifeboat

Photo: RNLI/James Stoker

A D class like this one is one of two lifeboats at Fishguard Lifeboat Station

Answer: The D class

Here’s why … 

With its impressive manoeuvrability, and shallow draught of just 0.5m, the D class is ideal for the job. It comes into its own around cliffs, rocks and caves. 

Here’s what happens next …

HM Coastguard tasks Fishguard RNLI’s D class lifeboat Edward Arthur Richardson with the call out. Meanwhile, a Coastguard Rescue Team makes its way to the top of the cliff. Once the lifeboat is on scene, the helm decides that the safest option is to deploy the anchor further out, and ‘veer down’ to the casualties. This involves slowly letting out line on the anchor, then approaching the rocks until the casualties can safely step aboard. Due to the danger of damage from submerged rocks, the lifeboat’s oars are used to move the D class into position. 

Both climbers are taken aboard and provided with lifejackets, plus survival bags for warmth. The crew learn that the couple had been climbing when the climber above had dislodged a rock, which had fallen onto the climber below, cracking their helmet and causing injury to one shoulder and both arms. After assessing the casualties, the crew transports them back to the lifeboat station for treatment. Their injuries are dressed and pain relief is provided. The duo is later discharged from RNLI care with advice to visit A&E.

An RNLI crew aboard a D class inshore lifeboat

Photo: RNLI/Nathan Williams

Trusty D class lifeboats like this one have been saving lives for over 60 years

In a class of its own

The D class lifeboat is known as the workhorse of the fleet. And with good reason. The majority of RNLI call outs are to people in danger close to the shoreline, and these sorts of rescues are what this inshore lifeboat was designed for. In 2024, almost 30% of call outs involved a D class. It’s agile, versatile, can be launched swiftly, and can even cope with big surf. For over 6 decades, this craft has helped save thousands of lives. It’s no wonder that today, the D class makes up almost a third of the RNLI fleet.

Our lifeboat fleet

Across the UK and Ireland, a fleet of over 400 lifeboats are waiting for the call to rescue. From large all-weather lifeboats to smaller inshore vessels, each has been designed and refined to be highly capable rescue craft.

Learn more

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