Three shouts in three days for Burry Port’s new lifeboat - a week after arriving

After three days of intense training for the volunteer crew, Burry Port RNLI’s new Atlantic 85 class lifeboat, ‘The Missus Barrie’, was declared fully operational on Friday 14 June 2019. The new Atlantic 85 class inshore lifeboat Missus Barrie has replaced the station’s Atlantic 75 - the last Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat still in service on the Welsh coast. The new lifeboat will be ready to respond to emergency callouts along with station’s D Class Inshore Lifeboat, 'Diane Hilary'.

Burry Port’s new lifeboat attended its first shout on Sunday 16 June at 6:50pm, which meant that Burry Port reached two milestones at once; the first launch of the new lifeboat and the first service call which used the newly modified slipway. On 17 June, the Atlantic 85 lifeboat was called out again at 4:19pm to rescue two people cut off by the tide and then on 18 June at 5:45pm the lifeboat crew received another shout to search for an unattended dinghy.

Roger Bowen, Burry port Lifeboat operations Manager said:

‘It’s a very exciting time for us all at Burry Port RNLI. We’ve just received a new Atlantic 85 class inshore lifeboat which is now housed in our new Boathouse. I would like to thank the crew and RNLI staff for their time and commitment over the past week. The shore crew and lifeboat crew took part in three days intense training to familiarise themselves with the new lifeboat. The RNLI are committed to working to the highest standards and it’s important that we as volunteer lifeboat crew are trained to deal with any situation when out at sea.

Roger continued: ‘Burry Port’s new boathouse, along with our new lifeboat, has taken our station into the 21st century. We can’t thank the local community enough as the station couldn’t have become what it is without the support of the public and their kind donations’.

Notes for the editors:

The official lifeboat naming and opening ceremony is an invite only event.

The RNLI provides a 24/7 search and rescue service. The RNLI relies on volunteers to help save lives. Since 1824, the RNLI have saved over 142,700 lives.

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For more information please contact Katie Lewis, Media Engagement placement: [email protected] or Alun Wells, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer: [email protected]

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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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