Crowds welcome Swanage RNLI’s new Shannon class lifeboat

The new Shannon class George Thomas Lacy was brought into the bay with Dave Turnbull at the helm, led by the current Swanage RNLI lifeboats the Mersey class lifeboat Robert Charles Brown and the D-class lifeboat Phyl & Jack and with the Coastguard helicopter overhead. Local sailors, boat owners and Swanage Sea Rowing Club members also turned out on the water to welcome her in.

The crew then demonstrated the new lifeboat’s capabilities for hundreds of excited spectators before mooring her alongside the pier for invited guests to get a closer look.

The lifeboat has been funded by several generous legacies, the largest from Mr George Lacy. Mr Lacy passed away in 2006 and was a lifelong supporter of the RNLI. 

The Shannon class is the first of the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboats to be powered by water-jets rather than traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable lifeboat in the charity’s fleet.

Water-jets allow the vessel to operate in shallow waters and be intentionally beached. And when precision really matters, such as operating alongside a stricken vessel or navigating around hazards, they'll come into their own.

Capable of 25 knots, the new lifeboat is 50% faster than Robert Charles Brown, the all-weather lifeboat she will replace. The SIMS (System and Information Management System) allows the volunteer crew to monitor and operate the lifeboat from the safety of their seats.

As the lifeboat powers through the waves at higher speeds, new shock absorbing seats will significantly reduce the impact of the loadings on the crew.

Several Swanage RNLI volunteers brought the lifeboat home from Poole on a two day passage, which saw them stop off at Portsmouth and Weymouth while undergoing further training exercises.

Dave Turnbull, new coxswain of the lifeboat, said: ‘It was a very special moment for me to be able to bring the new lifeboat home to Swanage. The response from the local community has been fantastic, it was great to see so many people waiting for us to arrive and wishing us well.’

Captain Neil Hardy MBE, volunteer Lifeboat Operations Manager, added: ‘We are delighted to finally have the Shannon on station. The Mersey class lifeboat has been a fantastic asset to the station for more than 20 years and we will be sad to say goodbye to her; but the Shannon will mark a new era in lifesaving for Swanage.

‘The atmosphere on arrival day was incredible and I want to sincerely thank the community of Swanage for their continued support.’

The volunteer crew at Swanage will now undergo 10 days of training followed by inspections before the Shannon is declared operational and the Mersey class is taken off service. The Shannon class lifeboat will be operational from a mooring in the bay until the station build is complete.

Notes to editors

Photos show new Shannon class lifeboat George Thomas Lacy arriving in Swanage. Credit RNLI/Andy Lyons and Nick Leach.

RNLI media contacts

For more information contact Emma Haines, RNLI Public Relations Manager, on 07786 668847 or [email protected], Becky Mack, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Swanage, on 07812 558487 or [email protected] or the RNLI Duty Press Officer on 01202 336789.

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.

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