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RNLI history 'then and now'.
Tindle News
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21/12/2024
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News
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00:00
In over 200 years of RNLI life-saving, a lot has changed, including our lifeboats.
00:06
From the rowing and sailing lifeboats of our early days, to the water jet-driven
00:10
vessels of today. Let's take a closer look at how far we've come.
00:21
Over 40 different classes of RNLI lifeboat have been designed and built
00:26
over the years, but the first purpose-built lifeboat came before the
00:30
RNLI. Called the original, it was constructed by Henry Greathead in 1789
00:36
and launched in 1790. Powered by 10 oars, it could carry 20 people, including a
00:44
lifeboat crew of 12. These days the RNLI have a team of in-house naval
00:49
architects and engineers. Building on the RNLI's 200 years of life-saving
00:55
knowledge and experience, they designed the newest class of lifeboat, the Shannon.
00:59
Harnessing cutting-edge technology, Shannon class lifeboats are very agile,
01:04
manoeuvrable, and have a top speed of 25 knots. They have a specially designed hull
01:09
and shock-absorbing seats to protect the crew in stormy seas. Crew safety is a
01:15
very important factor in lifeboat design. In fact, one of the first improvements
01:20
that was made to our earliest lifeboats was the ability to self-right. So if it
01:24
capsized at sea, the lifeboat could turn itself back upright. In 1851, the Duke of
01:30
Northumberland held a competition for the best lifeboat design. Out of 280
01:35
entries, James Beechin's design won. It's the first true efficient self-righting
01:40
lifeboat, but the RNLI committee felt that it could be improved. So in 1854, a
01:46
new design was drawn up and built by James Peake. It was known as the
01:50
self-righter type. It could self-right within five seconds of being capsized,
01:54
thanks to its heavy keel, cork ballast, and draining tubes. More self-righter
01:59
type lifeboats were then built. They had similar design characteristics, but
02:03
varied in size. All of the all-weather lifeboats in the RNLI fleet today are
02:09
designed to be inherently self-righting. This is achieved by having their large,
02:13
heavy items as low down in a boat as possible, and a wheelhouse that is light,
02:18
strong, watertight, and full of air. Another feature of two of our modern
02:24
lifeboats is water jets. The Shannon class and the E-class are both propelled
02:28
by water jets instead of traditional propellers. The E-class was designed
02:33
especially for saving lives on the River Thames in London, and its water jets give
02:37
it excellent manoeuvrability, precision, and control. But the E-class wasn't the
02:42
first RNLI lifeboat to be propelled by water jets. Back in 1890, six steam-driven
02:48
lifeboats went into service. Three of them were hydraulic steam-driven
02:52
lifeboats and had water jets instead of propellers. Between them, these three
02:56
lifeboats saved 570 lives. But they were slow, heavy, and expensive to build and
03:02
maintain. Their development was soon abandoned, with the focus turned into
03:06
petrol power. The first motor lifeboat entered service in 1905 with a single
03:11
petrol engine and propeller. Petrol power gave the lifeboat crews extra power and
03:16
control and gradually replaced the pulling and sailing boats. It also meant
03:20
that lifeboat volunteers no longer needed a professional maritime
03:23
background, so it opened the door for lots more people to volunteer and join
03:27
the crew, just like they can today.
03:31
Today, the 7-class is the largest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. 7-class
03:36
lifeboats are each powered by two 1,600 horsepower diesel engines. All-weather
03:42
lifeboats, like the 7 and Shannon, are designed for offshore rescues in the
03:46
worst conditions. But inshore lifeboats are a crucial part of the fleet too. They
03:51
were first introduced to our fleet in the 1960s. Lots of people had started
03:56
using the sea for leisure purposes, dinghy sailing, diving, and inflatable
04:01
airbeds. The number of call-outs for lifeboat volunteers increased
04:05
dramatically as more people were getting into difficulty. But the large, heavy
04:10
lifeboats of the time just weren't designed for quick rescues in shallow,
04:13
rocky waters. A simple, high-speed craft was desperately needed. After lots of
04:19
research, hard work, and trials by Lieutenant David Stogdon and Captain
04:23
Tony Wicksteed, enter the D-class, the first inflatable lifeboat. The early
04:30
models were lightweight and had a top speed of 20 knots. From there, more
04:35
inshore lifeboat models were developed, including the B-class, the RNLI's first
04:39
rigid, inflatable lifeboat. Today, the D-class lifeboat is known as the workhorse
04:45
of the RNLI and can be found at just under half of all of our 238 lifeboat
04:50
stations. They have a top speed of 25 knots and are perfect for rescues close
04:54
to the shore. And our B-class lifeboats are the busiest on the coast. Powered by
05:01
their 215 horsepower four-stroke engines, they have a top speed of 35 knots. Our
05:08
lifeboats have come a long way in the past 200 years. A lot has changed, but
05:13
they all share the same purpose. Powered by kind donations, operated by selfless
05:19
lifeboat volunteers, they are designed, made, and launched to save lives.
05:38
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