Waveney-class lifeboat

Larne Lifeboat RNLB William and Jane (ON 1079) in October 1997
Class overview
Builders:	USCG, Curtis Bay, USA (44-001) Brooke Marine, Lowestoft (44-002–007) Groves & Guttridge, Cowes (44-008–015) Bideford Ship Yard (44-016–019) Fairey Marine, Cowes (44-020–022)
Operators:	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded by:	Rother, Solent
Succeeded by:	Arun
Built:	1964–1982
In service:	1964–1999
Completed:	22
Retired:	22
Preserved:	1
General characteristics
Type:	motor lifeboat
Displacement:	18–19 tons
Length:	44 ft 10 in (13.67 m)
Beam:	12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
Draught:	4 ft 2 in (1.27 m)
Propulsion:	Two diesel engines (various models)
Speed:	15.4 knots (17.7 mph)
Range:	190 nautical miles (350 km)
Crew:	5

The Waveney-class lifeboat was the first class of lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) capable of operating at speeds in excess of 10 knots (12 mph).^[1] Based on an American design, 22 saw operational service between 1964 and 1999 at the RNLI's stations around the coast of the United Kingdom and Ireland. After being superseded by faster boats in the 1990s, many were sold for further use with lifeboat services abroad, notably in Australia and New Zealand.

The class name comes from the River Waveney which discharges into the North Sea at Great Yarmouth.

History

In the 1960s the RNLI's fleet consisted of motor lifeboats of limited speed due to the shape of their hulls. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) had developed a 44-foot motor lifeboat which planed across the surface of the water, the consequence of which is a reduced wetted surface area to the hull, and therefore a much higher speed.^[2] One was built for the RNLI by the USCG in Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard, Maryland, ^[3] and this was put through extensive trials and proved capable of operating in restricted spaces, even though the propellers lacked the usual protection afforded to lifeboats.^[2]

The prototype was never given a name although the crews nicknamed it "The Yank".^[2] It entered trials in 1964 but the first production boats did not start to emerge until 1967. After six had been placed in service there was a hiatus which lasted until 1974 when production was restarted, and then continued through until 1982 by which time 22 were in service. The entire fleet was replaced between 1996 and 1999 as new Trent- and Severn-class lifeboats came into service, but many were sold for further use as lifeboats or pilot boats.^[4]

The boats launched in 1967 and 1968 were built by Brooke Marine at Lowestoft and those in 1974/5 by Groves and Gutterdige in Cowes. The 1976/7 batch came from Bideford Ship Yard and the last three from Fairey Marine in Cowes.^[3]

Two 50 feet (15 m) long versions were built as the first of a proposed fleet of Thames-class lifeboats but the class was cancelled in favour of an Arun-class with a different hull shape and improved crew facilities.^[2]

Description

The steel hull is 44 feet 10 inches (13.67 m) long and 12 feet 8 inches (3.86 m) wide, drawing 4 feet 2 inches (1.27 m) of water. The hull is divided into seven watertight compartments including two survivor compartments and a crew space. The coxswain operates the boat from an open wheelhouse. Powered by a pair of diesel engines, it has an operating radius of 95 nautical miles (176 km).^[1]

The prototype was built with twin 200 bhp Cummins V-6 engines but in 1973 was upgraded to 250bhp Ford Mermaid 595T 6 cylinder engines. The first batch of production boats were initially built with pairs of 215 bhp Cummins V-6 engines. All these, including the by then re-engined prototype were fitted in the early 1980s with 203 bhp Caterpillar D3208 V-8 engines. The Groves & Guttridge built boats of 1974/5 had more powerful 260 bhp General Motors V-8 engines which they retained throughout their service life. The four boats of the 1976/7 Bideford Ship Yard build were originally fitted with 250 bhp Ford Mermaid 595T 6 cylinder engines but these were changed within five years for 250 bhp Caterpillar D3208T V-8 engines as had by then been fitted to the three final boats.^[3]

RNLI fleet

ON[lower-alpha 1]	Op. No.[lower-alpha 2]	Name	Built	In service	Principal Stations	Further use[4]	Image
–	44-001	–	1964	1964–1996	Falmouth[5]	Preserved at Chatham Historic Dockyard
1001	44-002	John F. Kennedy	1966	1967–1996	Dun Laoghaire	Fishing boat Sarah JFK at North Shields
1002	44-003	Khami	1967	1967–1997	Great Yarmouth and Gorleston	Sold to Australia
1003	44-004	Faithful Forrester	1967	1967–1997	Dover	Sold to Australia
1004	44-005	Margaret Graham	1967	1967–1988 1986–1999	Harwich Amble	Pilot boat St Hilda of Whitby at Whitby
1005	44-006	Arthur and Blanche Harris	1968	1968–1974 1979–1996	Barry Dock Donaghadee	Sold to Australia
1006	44-007	Connel Elizabeth Cargill	1967	1968–1985 1986–1990 1990–1997	Troon Arklow Relief fleet	Sold to Australia
1026	44-008	Eric Seal (Civil Service No. 36)	1974	1974–1996	Eyemouth	Sold to Namibia
1027	44-009	Helen Turnbull	1974	1974–1997	Sheerness	Pleasure boat Badger at Douglas
1028	44-010	Thomas Forehead and Mary Rowse II	1974	1974–1987 1987–1996	Plymouth Fowey[6]	Sold to New Zealand
1029	44-011	Augustine Courtauld	1974	1974–1983 1983–1990 1990–1997	Poole Relief fleet Arklow	Sold to Australia
1033	44-012	The White Rose of Yorkshire[7]	1974	1974–1988 1988–1996	Whitby Invergordon	Sold to Canada
1034	44-013	Thomas James King	1975	1975–1997	St Helier	Pilot boat Northesk at Montrose
1035	44-014	St Patrick	1975	1975–1996	Dunmore East	Sold to Australia
1036	44-015	Lady of Lancashire	1975	1976–1989 1989–1995	Fleetwood Dun Laoghaire	Pilot boat St Boisil at Berwick-on-Tweed
1042	44-016	Ralph and Joy Swann	1976	1976–1990 1990–1996	Ramsgate Portree	Trip boat West Swann at Port Howard
1043	44-017	The Nelsons of Donaghadee	1976	1976–1997	Sunderland	Sold to New Zealand
1044	44-018	The Scout	1977	1977–1997	Hartlepool	Sold to Uruguay
1045	44-019	Louis Marchesi of Round Table	1977	1977–1985 1986–1994 1994–1997	Newhaven Alderney Relief fleet	Sold to New Zealand[8]
1060	44-020	John Fison	1980	1980–1996	Harwich	Sold to New Zealand
1065	44-021	Barham	1980	1980–1999	Great Yarmouth and Gorleston	Pleasure boat Legend at Auckland
1079	44-022	The William and Jane	1982	1982–1998	Blyth	Sold to Kaikoura Coastguard, New Zealand. Sold 2005 Now in private service. Named "Gryphon" used for cruising

Other fleets

Australia

New Zealand

Elsewhere

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waveney class lifeboats.