Lifeboats
Lifeboats Of Fenit
- Trent Class All Weather Lifeboat (ALB) - 14-27 Robert Howel Jones Williams
- D-Class Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) - D-561 Cursitor Street
Trent Class All Weather Lifeboat (ALB)
- Displacement: 27.5 long tons (28 t)
- Length:
14.26 m (46 ft 9 in)
- Beam:
4.9 m (16 ft 1 in)
- Draught: 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)
- Propultion: 2 × MAN D2840LE 401 diesel engines, 860 hp (641 kW)
- Speed:
25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h)
- Ranges:
250 nmi (460 km)
- Capacity: Self Righting 28, Non-Self Righting 102
- Complement: 6
Designed to lie afloat at deep water or at a berth, the all-weather
Trent class lifeboat entered service in 1994 as an abridged, yet
none-the-less robust adaptation of the Severn class lifeboat.
Designed and built by Green Marine, each boat is constructed of over
100 mm thick fibre reinforced composite topsides, single laminate
double hull bottoms, 4 water-tight bulkheads and prepreg epoxy, glass
and Kevlar shields.
As of 2006, each Trent class lifeboat is complemented with an array of
advanced technologies. Each device provides full assistance in search and rescue
operations, and therefore must be of an officially high standard. The
comprehensive electronics fit includes full radio equipment including Navtex Multi-Frequency, Marine Very High Frequency and DSC installations. For navigation the crew utilize an array of digital select systems including DGPS equipment, and an electronic Laserplot chart display and information system
which allows complete automated management via the vessel's on-board
processors (autohelm), although comparatively infrequent in practice.
VHF/DF, radar
and weather sensors are other features pertaining to the lifeboat.
Provisions for survivors include complete First Aid Equipment including
the Basket and Neill Robertson stretchers, oxygen and Entonox
breathing systems, ambulance pouch, thermodynamic food canisters and
even sick bags for ailing casualties. Trent's house a small toilet
arrangement, while the afterdeck houses a salvage pump in a water-tight
container for use in inter-vessel salvage, while the presence of two
fire hoses allow proficient fire fighting. The Trent carries an
inflatable XP-boat
which is powered by a 5 hp outboard engine, and can be deployed in
slight conditions to gain access to rocks or beaches when an inshore
lifeboat is otherwise unavailable.
D-Class Inshore Lifeboat (ILB)
- Length: 4.9 m (16 ft)
- Propulsion: 1 × Mercury Mariner
- Speed: 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
- Endurance: 3 hours at full speed
- Complement: 3 or 4
For more than 40 years the D-class has served as the workhorse of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat
(ILB) fleet. Significantly smaller in comparison to the rest of the
inshore fleet, the D-class is also the only vessel not to feature a
rigid hull. The main aspect of the boat would be both its size and
weight - only 436 kg (960 lb). The D-class has been specifically
designed as a light and highly manoeuvrable rapid response craft.
he D-class lifeboat is comprised of two sponsons, together housing seven inflatable segments intersected by baffles. The main construction fabric is Hypalon-coated Nylon which provides a durable, non-tear surface.
This is one of the smaller classes of lifeboat operated by the RNLI,
and they are a common sight at lifeboat stations around the coast.
Unlike other members of the ILB fleet, the D-class does not have a
rigid hull; all others, with the exception of the Arancia, hovercraft
and ALB Tenders, are Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs}.
The D-class normally has a crew of three or four and is primarily
used for surfer/swimmer incidents as well as assisting in cliff
incidents where the casualty is near the water. The very nature of its
work requires a swift response, and the D-class can normally be afloat
within five minutes of the pagers going off.
