HOW TO BUILD A LIFEBOATPAGE NAME HERE
After a final series of trials to evaluate
seakeeping and systems performance,
the calculations and drawings for the new
Shannon class were passed to Berthon to
build the prototype and first five vessels.
Marsden tells us: “While we didn’t have
a timeline for each individual element of
the programme, we did have an end date
by when Berthon would have the first five
boats completed and ready for allocation
to RNLI stations.”
During 2011 building work continued at
Berthon on the prototype FCB2 and on 30
January 2012, it successfully passed the
self-righting tests at Berthon Marina. The
official launch on Valentines Day would
mark the Shannon’s readiness for sea
trials. At this point, tests took place on her
hull, systems, and launch and recovery
process, at several different locations.
“The Shannon class build, fit-out and
testing programme was handled entirely
by Berthon,” says Dan. “The assembly
pattern involved the hulls and
wheelhouses being laid up by SAR
Composites and then moved along the
road to Berthon for them to complete the
craft and undertake trials.”
With the first batch completed the
project team was disbanded and Berthon
went on to construct a further eight boats
to complete the initial 13-boat programme.
In 2015 the building of the Shannon
was then transferred to the new factory at
RNLI headquarters, Poole.
Taking the build in-house allowed the
RNLI to introduce quality control
specialists to manage all aspects of the
fit-out, build and functionality. Each stage
of building the Shannon takes about eight
weeks, and the team undertakes critical
checks such as engine alignment and
checking dimensions, before the fitting of
structures such as the wheelhouse. The
same team is then involved with the
seven-week shakedown trials after launch.
In week five of this process, a small
crew takes the boat away for a rigorous
evaluation at sea, returning with a list ofitems needing attention; a list which, over
the months, has been shrinking.
An integral part of the Shannon class
project has been to involve user groups
so crews feel involved with the entire
programme. Those who initially felt
sceptical because they were losing a well
loved Mersey or a larger Trent class, got
the chance to build their confidence in
their new Shannon lifeboat.The verdict so far?
So, seven years since after it was first
launched, how has the Shannon class
lifeboat proved in service?
“It’s been really well received and so far
there have been no structural issues; they
are performing really well,” says Dan.
“HamiltonJet, the supplier of the water jet
system, has made some modifications
using the latest software control so we’ve
had to make changes to accommodate
them, but that’s all.”
The plan is to make around 80
Shannon class lifeboats in total, and the
RNLI is on target to achieve this. While
initially designed as a beach launch craft,
the Shannon is now used at slipwaystations and can be moored afloat, so is
truly multipurpose.
The RNLI conducts regular coast
reviews to see if the right lifeboats are
situated at the right locations. That means
not all Tynes, Merseys and Trent classes
will automatically be replaced with a
Shannon when those lifeboats reach the
end of their operational life. It might be
that an inshore lifeboat is the most
appropriate vessel to meet that station’s
demands now.
“The future is about sticking with what
we know and deriving the most amount of
time from our lifeboats,” says Dan. “We
aim to obtain around 50 years of service
from each Shannon class craft and all our
tests suggest that this expectation is not
unreasonable.”
With such a vast pool of expertise,
would the RNLI ever consider taking on
contracts to build boats for overseas‘We aim to obtain around 50 years of
service from each Shannon class craft’
ABOVE All-
weather Shannon
class can tackle
almost anything
the elements can
throw at it