New Shannon class lifeboat arrives at Larne RNLI

Gathered onlookers had an opportunity to view the lifeboat arriving at two points, first by the Chaine Memorial Tower and then the East Antrim Boat Club. It was wonderful to see so many supporters in attendance yesterday, helping us celebrate and welcome this significant addition to the station. Everyone at Larne RNLI would like to extend their thanks to Redbay RNLI, Donaghadee RNLI, Bangor RNLI, The Port of Larne, and East Antrim Boat Club, as well as to all others who offered their assistance and support. Their presence and contribution played an important role in the success of the occasion. The support shown throughout the day was greatly appreciated and helped make the event a truly memorable one for all involved.

The £2.7m lifeboat will replace the station’s all-weather Trent class lifeboat, Dr John McSparran, which has served the community off the Larne coast for the last quarter of a century.

Larne RNLI’s volunteers have been busy training in recent months to prepare themselves for the transition from a Trent to a Shannon class lifeboat. That training will now continue in Larne before the lifeboat goes on service and is officially declared a search and rescue asset in the near future.

The Shannon has been largely funded by donor Michael Cameron via the Cameron Family Charitable Foundation, and will be named in memory of his wife, Machiko Nancy, one of the founders of that charity. Michael was in Larne yesterday to see the arrival of the lifeboat to its new home.

Machiko was born in Vancouver, Canada in August 1954 and was of Japanese-Canadian heritage. In November 1980, she married Michael who was working in Vancouver at the time. In 1989, they moved to the West Midlands and began to develop their careers from there.

Machiko was a hardworking business manager, having qualified as an accountant in both Canada and England and Wales. When she retired in 2010, she devoted her energy to gardening and dancing. Following a short illness, she passed away at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in September 2020.

Speaking of his wife, Michael said: ‘Throughout her life, she lived according to the samurai attributes accredited to her family. These comprise independence, determination, ambition, strength, reliability and professionalism. She also strived to help others throughout her life and is still much missed by the many whose lives she touched. All of this strikes a chord with the RNLI’s mission to save lives at sea and the naming of this lifeboat is more than an appropriate tribute to her memory.’

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