Whitby RNLI have revealed the date they expect the new Shannon class lifeboat to arrive in the town.
Last November it was confirmed that Whitby RNLI would receive a new Shannon class lifeboat as part of the charity’s Launch a Memory campaign, which will feature the names of up to 10,000 loved ones on the lifeboat.
The new all-weather lifeboat will be named Lois Ivan after Mr George Ivan Stone, and his late partner Lois, who left a generous legacy to the RNLI, the majority of which has funded the new lifeboat.
In a post on social media Whitby RNLI says they expect the new vessel to arrive in Whitby Harbour on June 11th.
The Whitby crew say:
"Thank you for the phenomenal support that you have shown Whitby RNLI’s new Shannon class lifeboat and the Launch a Memory campaign, naturally many of you have asked about the date when the new lifeboat will be arriving in the town.
After completing sea trials in Poole, the Shannon is expected to arrive in Whitby Harbour on 11 June.
To avoid disappointment, we are asking that people do not make a special journey to visit at this time. The names of loved ones will not be visible when she comes into the harbour, as the lifeboat won’t be able to be viewed up close.
The Shannon will then be at sea daily as the crew undergo vital training, so the lifeboat may not always be visible within the harbour and the new lifeboat will not be berthed at the station during this time.
To ensure that it can become an operational lifesaving asset as quickly as possible, we ask that the volunteer crew are given the time and space to undertake their training to be able to achieve this.
We understand that there are many followers and supporters who will be keen to visit, so we thank you in advance for your understanding and patience. We will keep you updated about the lifeboat’s progress and training with photos and videos.
Later in the year the Shannon lifeboat will sit afloat alongside a pontoon at the lifeboat station. As it will be afloat and on a pontoon, unfortunately there will be no public access down to the lifeboat. However, it will be visible from most parts of the harbour area, even from across the other side of the river.
There are plans in place to provide a display of the names of the loved ones at the lifeboat station so that they can be viewed by the donors which will be announced in due course. The charity is asking people with loved ones’ names on the lifeboat to wait until this time before visiting Whitby to try to view the new lifeboat."
Whitby RNLI Coxswain Howard Fields said:
'The crew are really excited to get started, the hard work will start when the lifeboat arrives, and our volunteers put in extra hours of training to become competent on the new lifeboat. It is an exciting change for them and we are sure the people of Whitby will enjoy seeing the new lifeboat on exercise at sea as it becomes part of the furniture in the harbour.'
During the initial few weeks of training before the new lifeboat is fully operational the current Trent class will remain on service, berthed at the station. The Shannon will be at sea daily as the crew undergo this vital training, so the lifeboat may not be always visible within the harbour.
At a cost of £2.5M, the Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. Having waterjet propulsion instead of traditional propellers makes the Shannon the RNLI’s most manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat.
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