Whitby RNLI reaches its Launch a Memory target of 10,000 loved ones names

The campaign has now closed as the charity is excited to announce that the lifeboat has reached over 10,000 names.

The lifeboat will carry the number 13-49 as well as the names of loved ones. The names will appear in the ‘decals’ – the lettering and numbering on the lifeboat’s hull.

The new all-weather lifeboat will be named Lois Ivan after Mr George Ivan Stone, and his late partner Lois, who left a generous legacy to the RNLI, the majority of which has funded the new lifeboat.

It is hoped that the new lifeboat will enter Whitby harbour for the first time in June, after a week-long passage from Poole where the boat has been built.It is expected that the lifeboat will be escorted in, as per tradition, into the harbour.*

Whitby RNLI Station chairman, Mike Major said: ‘It has been really quite moving listening to and reading the reasons behind people's donations in memory of their loved ones. It will be with great pride that the crew bring the lifeboat through the harbour, to her new home bearing those names.'

After the new lifeboat arrives in Whitby a period of intense training will begin for the volunteers, as they get to grips with the new technology on the lifeboat.

Whitby RNLI Coxswain Howard Fields said: 'The crew are really excited to get started, the hard work will start when the lifeboat arrives, and our volunteers put in extra hours of training to become competent on the new lifeboat. It is an exciting change for them and we are sure the people of Whitby will enjoy seeing the new lifeboat on exercise at sea as it becomes part of the furniture in the harbour.'

During the initial few weeks of training before the new lifeboat is fully operational the current Trent class will remain on service, berthed at the station. The Shannon will be at sea daily as the crew undergo this vital training, so the lifeboat may not be always visible within the harbour.

Later in the year the Shannon lifeboat will sit afloat alongside a pontoon at the lifeboat station. The existing pontoon required modifications to be made to enable the lifeboat to be berthed. Unfortunately, as it is afloat and on a pontoon, there will be no public access down to the lifeboat. However, it will be visible from most parts of the harbour area, even from across the other side of the river.

There are plans in place to provide a display of the names of the loved ones at the lifeboat station so that they can be viewed by the donors which will be announced in due course. The charity is asking people with loved ones names on the lifeboat to wait until this time before visiting Whitby to try to view the new lifeboat.

Notes to editors

*At a cost of £2.5M, the Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. Having waterjet propulsion instead of traditional propellers makes the Shannon the RNLI’s most manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat.

*The date of arrival in June is yet to be confirmed.

RNLI Media contacts

For more information please contact Ceri Oakes, Whitby RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on: 07813359428 or at: [email protected]

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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