Mersey-class lifeboat

12-007 RNLB Spirit Of Derbyshire
Class overview
Name:	Mersey Class
Operators:	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded by:	Rother, Oakley
Succeeded by:	Shannon
Cost:	£350,000
Built:	1987–1993
In service:	1988–
Completed:	38
Active:	37
Retired:	1
General characteristics
Displacement:	14 t (14 long tons)
Length:	11.62 m (38.1 ft)
Beam:	3.81 m (12.5 ft)
Draught:	1.02 m (3.3 ft)
Propulsion:	2 × 280 hp (210 kW) Caterpillar 3208T diesel engines
Speed:	16 knots (18 mph; 30 km/h)
Range:	140 nmi (260 km)
Endurance:	10.25 hours approx. at cruising speed
Capacity:	43 survivors (self-righting up to 21)
Complement:	6

Mersey class lifeboats are all-weather lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from stations around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. They are capable of operating at up to 17 knots (31 km/h) and can be launched from a carriage.

The class name comes from the River Mersey which flows into the Irish Sea in north west England.

History

During the 1960s and 1970s the RNLI introduced fast lifeboats capable of considerable greater speeds than the 8 knots (15 km/h) of existing designs. The first of these were only able to be kept afloat as their propellers would be damaged if launched using a slipway or carriage. In 1982 the steel-hulled Tyne-class came into service which could be launched down a slipway but weighed 25 tons so was not suitable for being moved across a beach on a carriage. The answer was to build a smaller boat with an aluminium hull, which became the Mersey Class.^[1]

The first, unnamed, Mersey was built in 1986 and undertook trails during 1987 and 1988. It was then taken out of service and sold the following year. It was working as a trip boat in Westport, County Mayo in 2008 carrying the name Spirit. Two more boats were built in 1988, with the first one to take up active service going to Bridlington Lifeboat Station the following year.^[2]

In 1989 12-11 Lifetime Care was built with a fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) hull. Boats built in 1990 continued to use aluminium but from 1991 FRC became the standard hull material.^[2][3]

In 2014, the first of the replacement Shannon-class boats replaced Merseys at Dungeness, Exmouth and Hoylake. The RNLI intends to have 25 knot lifeboats at all offshore lifeboat stations by the end of 2019.

Description

The Mersey is designed to be launched from a carriage, but can also lie afloat or be slipway launched when required. Its propellers are fully protected from damage when launching or in shallow water by partial tunnels and two bilge keels. Its low height can be further reduced by collapsing its mast and aerials which then allows it to be stored in a boathouse. A sealed cabin gives it a self-righting ability.

Power comes from two Caterpillar 285 hp turbo-charged engines. It carries 1,110 litres (290 US gal) of fuel to give it a range of 240 nautical miles (440 km). It has a crew of six and can carry a X Boat inflatable which it can deploy at sea. Its survivor compartment can carry 43 people, but more than 21 prevents self-righting should the boat capsize.^[3][4]

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  Launching from a carriage and Talus MB-H amphibious tractor

• 

  Launching from a slipway

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  Stern showing the protected propellers

• 

  Engine room

Fleet

ON[lower-alpha 1]	Op. No.[lower-alpha 2]	Name	In service	Principal Station	Launching method	Notes
1119	–	–	1987–1988	Sold 1989
1124	12-001	Peggy and Alex Caird	1988–1995 1995–2015	Bridlington Relief fleet	Carriage	Sold 2015. With Needles Pleasure Cruises as 'Mersey Rose'.
1125	12-002	Sealink Endeavour	1987–	Hastings	Carriage
1161	12-003	Doris M Mann of Ampthill	1990–	Wells	Carriage
1162	12-004	Royal Shipwright	1990–	Relief fleet [5][6]
1163	12-005	Lady of Hilbre	1990–2015	Hoylake	Carriage	Stored 2015
1164	12-006	Andy Pearce	1990–	Llandudno	Carriage
1165	12-007	Spirit of Derbyshire	1990–2015	Ilfracombe	Carriage	Sold 2015. In Malta
1166	12-008	Lincolnshire Poacher	1990–	Skegness	Carriage
1167	12-009	The Princess Royal (C.S. No. 41)	1990–2015 2015-	St Ives Relief Fleet	Carriage
1168	12-010	Lily and Vincent Anthony	1991–	Pwllheli	Carriage
1148	12-11	Lifetime Care	1989–	Relief fleet
1169	12-12	Marine Engineer	1990–1995 1995–	Relief fleet Bridlington	Carriage
1170	12-13	Keep Fit Association	1991–	Filey	Carriage
1171	12-14	Ann and James Ritchie	1991–	Ramsey	Carriage
1172	12-15	Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge	1992–	New Quay	Carriage
1173	12-16	Grace Darling	1991–	Seahouses	Carriage
1174	12-17	Kingdom of Fife	1991–	Anstruther	Carriage
1175	12-18	Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs	1991–	Scarborough	Carriage
1176	12-19	The Four Boys	1991–1998 1998–1999 1999–	Sennen Cove Relief fleet Amble	Slipway Aloat
1177	12-20	Leonard Kent	1991–	Margate	Carriage
1178	12-21	Margaret Jean	1992–2008 2008–2014 2014-	Relief fleet Exmouth Relief Fleet	Carriage
1181	12-22	Ruby Clery	1992–	Peel	Carriage
1182	12-23	Robert Charles Brown	1992–	Swanage	Slipway
1183	12-24	Lil Cunningham	1992–	Rhyl	Carriage
1184	12-25	Bingo Lifeline	1992–	Relief fleet
1185	12-26	Moira Barrie	1992–	Barmouth	Carriage
1186	12-27	Pride and Spirit	1992–2014 2014-	Dungeness Relief Fleet	Carriage
1187	12-28	Mary Margaret	1992–	Relief fleet
1188	12-29	Eleanor and Bryant Girling	1993–	Newcastle	Carriage
1189	12-30	Her Majesty The Queen	1993–1996 1996–1999 1999–	Relief fleet Cromer Lytham St. Annes	Carriage Carriage
1190	12-31	Doris Bleasdale	1993–	Clogher Head	Carriage
1191	12-32	Joy and Charles Beeby	1993–	Berwick-upon-Tweed	Slipway
1192	12-33	Fisherman's Friend	1993–	Relief fleet
1193	12-34	Freddie Cooper	1993–	Aldeburgh	Carriage
1194	12-35	Inchcape	1993–	Arbroath	Slipway
1195	12-36	Royal Thames	1993–2012 2012–	Eastbourne Leverburgh[7]	Afloat Afloat
1196	12-37	Sylvia Burrell	1993–	Girvan	Afloat

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
2. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

References

1. Wake-Walker, Edward; Deane, Heather; Purches, Georgette (1989). Lifeboat! Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 38–43. ISBN 0-7110-1835-9.
2. Denton, Tony (2009). Handbook 2009. Shrewsbury: Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 30–35.
3. Wake-Walker, Edward (2008). The Lifeboats Story. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7509-4858-6.
4. "Mersey". Lifeboats and stations. RNLI. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
5. Royal Shipwright (Relief)
6. New Lifeboat for Cromer
7. "Official opening of one of the RNLI's most remote lifeboat stations". RNLI. 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2013-08-19.

External links

• RNLI Fleet: Mersey Class