| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| In service: | 2002– |
| Active: | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Beam: | 2.8 m (9.2 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 240 hp (179 kW) Steyr diesels powering Hamilton waterjets |
| Speed: | 40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h) |
| Endurance: | 4 hours approx. |
| Complement: | 3 |
The E class lifeboat is operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It operates exclusively in the tidal reach of the River Thames in London, and has a top speed of 40 knots.[1]
The boat is made of an aluminium alloy with a closed cell polythene foam collar, and is powered by a Jet Drive that gives the boats extreme maneuverability which is essential to enable crews to reach casualties in the fast flowing river. The boat is 9 metres (30 ft) long and carries equipment incliding marine VHF radios, a first aid kit, an emergency defibrillator, a GPS navigation system, night vision equipment, a self-righting system, a radar interrogator, towing equipment, and lighting equipment.[1]
The class was introduced in 2002 to serve the tidal reach of the River Thames and the Thames Estuary. This was as a result of a much delayed enquiry into the Marchioness disaster in 1989, in which 51 people died. The enquiry criticised the lack of a rescue service for the tidal Thames, and the UK government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Port of London Authority and the RNLI to work together to set up a dedicated Search and Rescue service for this stretch of the river.[1][2]
There are currently four E class boats in use at Chiswick lifeboat station, in Chiswick to the west of central London, and Tower lifeboat station, on Victoria Embankment by Waterloo Bridge in central London. An E class boat also originally operated from Gravesend lifeboat station at Gravesend on the estuary to the east of London, but it proved less suitable for the more exposed conditions of the lower estuary. Gravesend now operates the Atlantic 85 class, designed for inshore coastal service.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||