Shannon-class lifeboat

The Shannon-class lifeboat (previously FCB2 – Fast Carriage Boat 2) is the latest class of lifeboat currently being deployed to the RNLI fleet to serve the shores of the British Isles. While the Shannon class has mainly replaced the lifeboats, it has also replaced some and lifeboats, and a lifeboat.

All of the following fleet details are referenced to the 2026 Lifeboat Enthusiast Society Handbook, with information retrieved directly from RNLI records.

Development The experimental boat, named Effseabee Too underwent sea trials during 2005–2008. It is based on a Camarc Pilot vessel design, and was designed by RNLI engineers, with a fibre-reinforced composite hull, powered by twin water jets. It had a top speed of approximately , but was planned to be rated down to when the final design was put into production.

In 2008, FCB2 development was delayed due to hull shape issues, as trials showed crews would be subjected to unacceptable shocks and excessive horizontal shaking in high seas. The RNLI indicated that the project would be extended by at least three more years to research a new hull shape.

In April 2009 it was announced a new hull had been chosen. The Shannon class prototype boat was completed late 2011 when active service was expected to start in mid-2013.

In April 2011 it was announced the class would be named after the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland. This is the first time that the name of an Irish river has been used for a class of RNLI lifeboat.

After boatyard acceptance in March 2012 the first of the fleet went through sea acceptance trials in 2012.

Production Early hulls were moulded by SAR Composites at Lymington, a subsidiary of the RNLI, which had also taken over the Southampton boat-builder Green Marine. Fitting out of Shannon lifeboats was undertaken by the Berthon Boat Co. of Lymington (BBC), the last being the lifeboat 13-13 George Thomas Lacy (ON 1320) in 2016.

The RNLI opened their All-weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) production facility at Poole in October 2015, designed to bring construction, repair and maintenance of the RNLI lifeboats under one roof for the first time. The facility, projected to cost £11.2 million, was designed to see a production cost saving of £3.7 million per annum. The centre would initially take-over fitting out process of the Shannon lifeboats. Following work by SAR and BBC, the first lifeboat completed at the ALC was 13-12 Cosandra (ON 1319). Work at SAR continued until all hull moulding operations were transferred from the Lymington facility.

lifeboat 13-23 Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan (ON 1330) was the first Shannon lifeboat built entirely at the ALC, with her official launch coming on 5 September 2017.

Service The first Shannon-class to be delivered for service was demonstrated at Dungeness, Kent on 21 February 2014. The boat, to begin active service the following month, has been named The Morrell in honour of Barbara Morrell, a keen fundraiser for the RNLI who bequeathed the service £6 million which she asked to be used for a lifeboat for Kent.

The Shannon class uses similar Systems and Information Management System (SIMS) technology to that of the lifeboat so that crew members can operate all of the boat's systems collaboratively without leaving their seats. Crew seats are also similar to the Tamar, sprung to reduce the shocks in heavy seas.

At many stations Shannons are launched by a newly designed Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS) by which a tractor propels the lifeboat on its cradle into the water. The cradle is then tilted and acts as a mobile slipway as the boat is launched by release of a single bow strop from the wheelhouse, rather than the old carriage launched method of four chains being released by crew members on deck. Recovery is bow first onto the cradle, which then rotates through 180 degrees, enabling the boat to be launched again within ten minutes.

An increasing number of Shannons are kept afloat at moorings or a pontoon berth as they replace the . currently has a slipway launched Shannon, although a long gentle sloping slipway is required, to avoid damage to the water-jets. The boat at uses the same davit crane system as the previous lifeboat.

Launch-a-Memory and Legacy lifeboats By 2024, the cost of each Shannon lifeboat had risen to £2.78M.

As part of a fundraising effort, the construction costs of 13-12 Cosandra (ON 1319) in 2016 were offset, with members of the public allowed to purchase a space, to place a person's name, within the lifeboats numbers on the hull and the wheelhouse.

This idea was taken a step further in 2019/20, when a formal campaign known as "Launch a Memory" was introduced to help fund new lifeboats. With typically 10,000 spaces available on each lifeboat, a suggested donation of £30 per space raised £300,000. In 2024, the idea was extended to older Shannon lifeboats following a refit.

There are also two "Legacy" lifeboats, carrying names of those people who pledged a gift to the Institution in a Will.

With some of these lifeboats afloat at their stations, often a banner will be found outside the station, showing all the names.

Launch a Memory 13-03 R and J Welburn (ON 1310), 13-13 George Thomas Lacy (ON 1320), 13-37 Agnes A. P. Barr (ON 1344), 13-40 Eric's Legend (ON 1347), Relief fleet 13-43 St Christopher (ON 1350), 13-46 Duke of Edinburgh (Civil Service No.53) (ON 1353), 13-47 Robert and Catherine Steen (ON 1354), 13-49 Lois Ivan (ON 1356),

Legacy 13-44 George and Frances Phelon (ON 1351), 13-57 Bobby Cameron (ON 1364),

Shannon-class lifeboat fleet ON Op. No. Name Station Launch methodMMSI Comments 1285 FCB2 Effseabee Two Experimental boat Afloat 244810618 Sold 2013. Renamed BMS Noorman, a Rescue/Salvage/Crew tender at Lauwersoog, Netherlands1308Jock and Annie Slater 2012–2019 Relief fleet –235091414 2019–2020 Afloat 2020– Relief fleet – 1309 13-02 The Morrell 2014– SLARS 235101095 1310 13-03 R and J Welburn 2014– SLARS 235101096 1311 13-04 Storm Rider 2014– Relief fleet – 235101097 1312 13-05 Patsy Knight 2014– Afloat 235101098 1313 13-06 Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood 2014– SLARS 235106573 1314 13-07 Reg 2015– Relief fleet – 235106574 1315 13-08 Derek Bullivant 2015– Afloat 235106575 131613-09The Barry and Peggy High Foundation 2015–2026 SLARS235106576Withdrawn from Ilfracombe, 19 September 2026. 2026– Relief fleet 1317 13-10 Ian Grant Smith 2015– Afloat 235106578 1318 13-11 Nora Stachura 2015– SLARS 235106579 1319 13-12 Cosandra 2016– Relief fleet – 235106581 1320 13-13 George Thomas Lacy 2016– Slipway 235106583 1321 13-14 Kenneth James Pierpoint 2016– Afloat 235109051 1322 13-15 Frederick William Plaxton 2016– SLARS 235109052 1323 13-16 Elizabeth and Leonard 2016– Afloat 235109054 1324 13-17 Joel and April Grunhill 2017– SLARS 235109055 1325 13-18 William F. Yates 2017– SLARS 235109056 1326 13-19 Dorothy May White 2017– Davit 235109062 1327 13-20 Denise and Eric 2017– SLARS 235109063 132813-21Brianne Aldington 2017–2019 Relief fleet –235113727 2019–2022 Afloat 2022– Relief fleet – 1329 13-22 Antony Patrick Jones 2017– SLARS 235113728 1330 13-23 Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan 2017– Afloat 235113731 1331 13-24 Barbara Ann 2018– SLARS 235113732 133213-25Stella and Humfrey Berkeley 2018–2021 Afloat235113733 2021–2023 Relief fleet – 2023– Afloat 1333 13-26 John Metters 2018– Relief fleet – 235113734133413-27Joanna and Henry Williams 2018–2020 Relief fleet –232009169 2020–2024 Afloat 2024– Relief Fleet – 1335 13-28 Richard and Caroline Colton 2018– SLARS 232009175 1336 13-29 Helen Hastings 2019– Afloat 232009187 1337 13-30 Ella Larsen 2019– SLARS 232009189 1338 13-31Michael O'Brien 2019– SLARS 232009189 133913-32Ruth and David Arthur 2019–2021 Relief fleet –232009231Entered service at Appledore at 13:32 on Mon 15 June 2026. 2021–2022 Afloat 2022–2026 Relief Fleet – 2026– Afloat134013-33Bridie O'Shea 2019–2024 Relief fleet –232009300 2024– Afloat 1341 13-34 Anthony Kenneth Heard 2019– SLARS 232009301 1342 13-35 Frank and Brenda Winter 2021– SLARS 232009302 1343 13-36 John and Elizabeth Allen 2020– SLARS 232009305 1344 13-37 Agnes A.P. Barr 2021– Afloat 232009306 1345 13-38 Judith Copping Joyce 2021– Afloat 232009307 1346 13-39 Smith Brothers 2021– SLARS 232025975 1347 13-40 Eric's Legend 2021– Relief fleet – 232025977 1348 13-41 William and Agnes Wray 2021– Afloat 232025976 1349 13-42 2022– SLARS 232026001 1350 13-43 St Christopher 2022– Afloat 232026003 135113-44George and Frances Phelon 2022–2024() Stored232026007 2024–2026 Relief fleet – 2026– Afloat 1352 13-45 Val Adnams 2023– Afloat 232027355 1353 13-46 Duke of Edinburgh(Civil Service No.53) 2023– SLARS 232027356 1354 13-47 Robert and Catherine Steen 2024– SLARS 232027358 1355 13-48 Roy Barker V 2023– SLARS 232027359 1356 13-49 Lois Ivan 2023– Afloat 232027360 1357 13-50 The Campbell-Watson 2024– Afloat 232027361 1358 13-51 Richard and Caroline Colton II 2024– Afloat 232051614 1359 13-52 Chris and Jo West 2025– SLARS 232052719 1360 13-53 Roy Holloway 2025– Afloat 232025390 1361 13-54 John Sharp 2025– Afloat 232054391 1362 13-55 Roy Barker VI 2025– Afloat 232059196 1363 13-56 Decibel Too 2025– Afloat 232059197 1364 13-57 Bobby Cameron 2026– Afloat 232059193 1365 13-58 Machiko Nancy 2026– Afloat 232059192 1366 13-59 Peter and Mary 2026– Afloat 232064563 1367 13-60 Roy Barker VII 2026– Afloat 232064566 1368 13-61 Snooks Sanctuary tbc () Afloat 232064567 On Trials 1369 13-62 Reginald and Cynthia Brown tbc () Afloat In build 1370 13-63 – tbc In build 1371 13-64 – tbc In build 1372 13-65 - tbc 1373 13-66 - tbc 1374 13-67 - tbc 1375 13-68 - tbc

Notes

References

External links

RNLI Fleet