Shannon class lifeboat

The Shannon class lifeboat is due to go into service in 2013, and will gradually replace the Mersey class lifeboat.

The Shannon class lifeboat:

• will be powered by waterjets instead of propellers, making it more manoeuvrable and safer to operate in shallow waters, and reducing the risk of damage during launch and recovery
• will have a top speed of 25 knots
• will be self-righting, returning to an upright position in the event of a capsize
• will be 13m long
• will be equipped with SIMS (System and Information Management System), which allows crew members to monitor and operate many of the boat's functions from the safety of their seats
• will be launched from a specially designed tractor-borne carriage
• will be recovered onto the carriage bow first after grounding on the beach.

The prototype, designed by the RNLI's in-house marine engineers, is currently being built and fitted out. Sea trials will begin later this year.

About the name

We've been naming lifeboats after waterways for 45 years, and this is the first time the name of an Irish river has been used.

The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and, at 240 miles, is longer than any river in the UK. It is home to two lifeboat stations – Kilrush, at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary, and Lough Derg, on one of the river's lakes.

See a model of the Shannon class in action