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New Hartlepool RNLI lifeboat launched.

Lifeboats News Release

Hartlepool RNLI brand new state-of-the-art Shannon class lifeboat officially took to the water for the first time on Tuesday 1st October.

RNLI/Tom Collins

The new Hartlepool RNLI Shannon class all-weather lifeboat at the RNLI's headquarters at Poole, Dorset.

During the move the RNLI marked the completion of the build of the John Sharp with a traditional bell ringing ceremony which on this occasion was rung by Ed Rand of Poole and Trish Dix of Saltash.

RNLI chief executive Peter Sparks said 'I'm delighted that Hartlepool RNLB Shannon Class John Sharpe has been handed over to the care and protection of the volunteer crewmembers to help save lives on the North East coast. The Shannon class lifeboats are superb vessels.'

Hartlepool RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Steve Pounder who attended the ceremony along with crewmember Matt Blanchard said 'All of us are overwhelmed that the RNLI have chosen Hartlepool to receive the latest vessel to help us continue our life saving tradition for over 200 years in the town.'

'We are very proud to serve the local community and the industries that surround us.
Finally we would like to say thank you to the Sharp family for there very generous legacy that will certainly play a part in saving lives at sea and all the RNLI staff who have helped build the boat over the past 15 months .'

The funding of the Shannon is thanks to the generous gift left to the Charities Aid Foundation by John Sharp, who died in 2019. A successful mathematician by training, John lived modestly but was a highly skilled and active investor.

John spent many years researching the Sharp family’s ancestry. It included the commissioning by his ancestor (also named John Sharp) of one of Lionel Lukin’s patented ‘unimmergible boats’ in 1786. This helped a local community on the North East coast to be better equipped to face the extreme dangers of venturing out into storms to save drowning sailors.

With John’s gift, the new Shannon class lifeboat John Sharp will continue the Sharp family’s invaluable legacy to help those in trouble at sea for many years to come.

The vessel will undergo extensive sea trials and equipment tests before sailing to its new home at Hartlepool.

Crew training for the new lifeboat will start before she is delivered and will continue immediately afterwards.


RNLI Media Contacts


Hartlepool RNLI volunteer press officer Tom Collins email: [email protected]

Clare Hopps (RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North East and East): [email protected] Tel:07824 518641

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 142,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter 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.

About the author
Tom Collins
Lifeboat Press Officer, Hartlepool Lifeboat Station



RNLI/Tom Collins

Hartlepool RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Steve Pounder(centre) pictured on the new Hartlepool RNLI lifeboat with staff from the All-Weather Lifeboat Centre at Poole, Dorset.

RNLI/Tom Collins

RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes(right) pictured with Hartlepool Lifeboat Operations Manager Steve Pounder(left) and crewmember Matt Blanchard at the launch of the new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat at the RNLI's headquarters at Poole, Dorset.

RNLI/Tom Collins

The new Hartlepool lifeboat being lowered into the water at the RNLI headquarters at Poole.

RNLI/Tom Collins

During the launch the RNLI marked the completion of the build of the John Sharp with a traditional bell ringing ceremony which on this occasion was rung by Ed Rand of Poole and Trish Dix of Saltash.

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, Twitter 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.

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