Sligo Bay RNLI to name new lifeboat after devoted couple who loved the coast

The lifeboat will be passed into the care of the RNLI and officially named during a short ceremony and service of dedication by brothers Raymond and Philip Tongue, who are nephews of the couple and will travel to Ireland with their families for the special event. 

Mr. and Mrs Dennis Tongue left a generous legacy to the RNLI in recognition of the vital life-saving work of the charity and as a ‘thank you’ for the happy days they spent living on the coast at Exmouth.  The couple were born in Birmingham in the 1920s and on Dennis’s retirement they moved to Devon where they lived until their eighties, overlooking the coast. The couple did not have any children and it was during their retirement that they came to know and admire the work of the RNLI and recognise its place in the life of the communities it served.

The new lifeboat replaces Elsinore, which during its 13 years on service launched 189 times and rescued 155 people.

Willie Murphy, Sligo Bay RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager who will be accepting the lifeboat into the care of the station from the Tongue family on behalf of the volunteers commented; ‘I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the late Mr and Mrs Tongue for their generous and life-saving gift. This lifeboat is the vessel that will carry our volunteer lifeboat crew out to sea to save lives and rescue people in difficulty and it will provide our volunteer lifeboat crew the opportunity to train and develop their skills to carry out that work.’ 

‘We look forward to welcoming the family of Sheila and Dennis to this beautiful part of the world and we hope this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship with them.’ 

The Atlantic 85 lifeboat was built at a cost of €276,000 and was introduced into the RNLI fleet in 2005.  It operates mostly in shallow waters close to the shore or cliffs, among rocks and caves.  It is operational in conditions up to a Force 7 and the design of the lifeboat accommodates four crew and multiple casualties.

The lifeboat has a top speed of 35 knots and has a manual operated righting mechanism with inversion proofed engines; meaning it can be righted after capsize and kept operational.  The lifeboat is also capable of being beached in an emergency without sustaining damage to the engines.  It carries a full suite of communication and electronic navigation aids.

Sligo Bay RNLI crew and management will put their new lifeboat on display to the general public on their station open day on Sunday 19 June.


Ends

Notes to editor
Photographs will be available following the ceremony.

RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Niamh Stephenson RNLI Public Relations Manager Tel: 087 1254 124 / 01 8900 460 email [email protected] or Nuala McAloon RNLI Press Officer Tel: 087 6483547 email: [email protected] or Aisling Gillen Sligo RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer Tel: 086 3818 114

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.