The new RNLI trial lifeboat heads towards the beach during trials at Dungeness in Kent.
The Shannon Class Lifeboat (previously FCB2 - Fast Carriage Boat 2) will serve the shores of the British Isles as a part of the RNLI fleet. The Shannon class is intended to replace the Mersey class carriage-launched lifeboat. The lifeboat has a Fibre Reinforced composite hull, powered by twin water jets. It currently has a top speed of approximately 30 knots (56 km/h), but will be rated down to 25 knots when the final design is put into production. In 2008 the 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 Shannon class will use similar SIMS technology to that of the Tamar class lifeboat so that crew members can operate all the boats systems collaboratively without leaving their seats. Crew seats are also similar to the Tamar, sprung to reduce the shocks in heavy seas. In April 2009 it was announced a new hull had been chosen. The Shannon class prototype boat completed late 2011 with sea trials currently taking place due for active service as of 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 is going through sea acceptance trials in 2012. The first Shannon's will go on station at Dungeness, Hoylake, Lowestoft, Montrose, Scarborough, Ilfracombe, Exmouth, Swanage and St Ives.
Size: 2592px × 3872px
Location: Dungeness, Romney Marsh, Kent
Photo credit: © Trevor Boston / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: class, dungeness, exmouth, hoylake, ilfracombe, ives., kent, lifeboat, lowestoft, marsh, montrose, rescue, rnli, romney, scarborough, sea, search, shannon, st, swanage, trial
