New Lytham St Annes Shannon lifeboat goes into the water for the first time

At a small ceremony at the RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat Centre at Poole in Dorset, the new Shannon class lifeboat for Lytham St Annes Barbara Anne was lowered into the water for the first time.

There now follows six weeks of sea trials and checks to ensure the vessel is perfect in every respect. This will be followed in the New Year by crew training on the boat at Poole before the new lifeboat is brought round to Lytham St Annes at the end of February 2018. Once here, further crew training will follow for a number of weeks before she takes over as the Lytham St Annes lifeboat and the current Mersey class vessel Her Majesty the Queen will leave for the last time.

The new boat will be faster, so potentially can save more lives. it is also larger and far safer for her crew, the shore crew who are necessary to launch and recover her and for survivors being brought back from the sea after rescue.

Activity at the lifeboat station will start in early January 2018, with the arrival of a new Shannon launch and recovery system (SLARS), the name given to the combined tractor and carriage which is needed to launch the new lifeboat. The early arrival is to allow the tractor drivers to be trained for this completely new method of launching. The present Talus tractor and carriage will be retained to launch the Her Majesty the Queen until she is replaced as the station boat.

The Shannon Appeal to raise £275,000 towards funding the Barbara Anne is progressing well and the community is expected to achieve the target by the time the new boat arrives in Lytham St Annes.

Notes to editors:

Report by David Forshaw, Lytham St Annes RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer

• Lytham St Annes lifeboat station was founded in 1851
• Since then nine medals for bravery have been awarded to Volunteer Crew members.
• To learn more about the station, please go to: www.lythamlifeboats.co.uk

For more information please contact David Forshaw, Lytham St Annes volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07904 685 206 or [email protected], Peter Whalley, Lytham St Annes volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07872 026395 or [email protected] or Chris Cousens, RNLI Regional Media Officer, West on 077482 65486 or [email protected]

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