D class lifeboat

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D class

Introduced:	1963
Builder:	Avon Inflatables
EA16 General Characteristics
Length:	4.9m (16ft)
No. of crew:	3 or 4
Propulsion:	Mariner 40hp outboard
Max. Speed:	20 knots
Endurance:	3 Hours at full speed
Weight:	436 kg

The D class lifeboat is a class of inflatable boat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

[edit] Utilization

For more than 40 years the D class lifeboat has served as the workhorse of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) fleet. Significantly smaller in comparison to the rest of the inshore fleet, the D-class is also the only vessel not to feature a rigid hull. The main aspect of the boat would be both its size and weight. The D-class has been specifically designed as a light and highly manoeuvrable rapid response craft.

They are a common sight around the coasts of the UK and Ireland, and are strategically placed at key stations where their infiltrating nature can act as supplementary inshore support for the more unwieldy all-weather lifeboats or as solitary liberators of crowded shorelines.

[edit] Design and Construction

The D-class lifeboat is comprised of two sponsons, together housing 7 inflatable segments intersected by baffles. The main construction fabric is Hypalon coated Nylon which provides a durable, non-tear surface.

This class of lifeboat is the one of smaller classes operated by the RNLI, and they are a common sight at Lifeboat Stations round the coast. Unlike other members of the ILB fleet the D-class does not have a rigid hull, all others with the exception of the Arancia, hovercraft and ALB Tenders are Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs}.

The D-Class normally has a crew of three or 4 and is primarily used for surfer/swimmer incidents as well as assisting in cliff incidents where the casualty is near the water. The very nature of its work requires a swift response, and the D-class can normally be afloat within five minutes of the `bleepers` going off.