HOYLAKE Lifeboat station's new state-of-the-art Shannon class all-weather vessel will be officially unveiled on Monday.

The £2M new lifeboat, named Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood, will arrive by sea on Monday at the end of a five-day journey from the lifeboat charity’s headquarters in Poole.

Coxswains from Hoylake RNLI have undergone vital training ahead of the arrival of their revolutionary new vessel.

Four coxswains are spending the week at the RNLI College in Dorset to prepare for the arrival of their state-of-the-art new Shannon class lifeboat.

The Shannon is the charity’s first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by water jets instead of propellers and so the coxswains, who could all potentially be in command of the lifeboat and her crew during life-saving rescues, have been training to become familiar with how the vessel operates before they can begin using it off the Wirral coast.

Dave Whiteley, Hoylake RNLI Coxswain, said: "Everyone at Hoylake lifeboat station is very proud that we are going to be one of the first in the UK to receive a new Shannon and a huge amount of planning and training has already gone into making sure we are ready for her arrival.

"The Shannon is an impressive vessel, and a very different lifeboat to the Mersey class Lady of Hilbre which we have operated at Hoylake since 1990.

"The Shannon is much faster and the fact it is jet propelled means it behaves differently from a boat with propellers but once you’ve mastered that, it is much more agile and easy to manoeuver in shallow water."

The Shannon has been funded in part by a generous legacy left to the charity by Miss Paulette Micklewood, from Oxford, and will be named Edmund Hawthorn Micklewood in memory of Miss Micklewood’s father.

A community fundraising appeal also contributed towards the cost of the £2 million lifeboat.

Volunteer shore crew members at Hoylake RNLI have already undergone training on the new Launch and Recovery rig which accompanies the Shannon.

This bespoke piece of equipment is capable of operating on the most challenging of beaches due to its all-track drive system.

It operates as a "mobile slipway" and will make the lifeboat launch and recovery process both faster and safer.

Following the new lifeboat’s arrival at Hoylake, there will be a week of intensive training for the crew before the lifeboat is put on service and the Mersey withdrawn.

SHANNON FACTS:

  • It is the RNLI's next generation all-weather lifeboat (ALB) and is the most agile in the RNLI fleet.
  • It is the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by water jets and not propellers.
  • Capable of 25 knots the Shannon is 50% faster than the lifeboats it replaces – ensuring that those in need are reached even faster.
  • It will replace both a selection of Mersey and Tyne class lifeboats, which are now nearing the end of their planned 25-year life span (the Mersey and Tyne have a lower maximum speed of 17 knots).
  • Once the roll out of the Shannon class is complete, the RNLI will have achieved its aim of providing a fleet capable of operating at up to 25 knots around the coasts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
  • Operating with water jets instead of propellers will increase the manoeuvrability of the Shannon class and enable more efficient sea rescues.
  • The water jets will also allow the volunteer crews to operate in shallow waters and reduce the risk of damage to the lifeboat during launch and recovery, or when intentionally beached.
  • It is the smallest and lightest of the charity’s 25-knot all-weather lifeboats and is light enough to be launched and recovered from a beach.
  • As with other all-weather lifeboats she will be inherently self-righting in the event of capsize and will be able to cope with the roughest of conditions.
  • Over their planned lifespan, Shannon class lifeboats are expected to: • Make up over a third of the RNLI all-weather lifeboat fleet • Rescue over 56,000 people • Launch over 43,000 times