A new lifeboat for Whitby will carry the names of up to 10,000 loved ones

Whitby is set to get a new lifeboat next year that will replace the current vessel that has been in service for more than 26 years.
Emma Ryan
By Emma Ryan
Published 14th Nov 2022, 16:45 BST
Updated 14th Nov 2022, 17:52 BST
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Whitby RNLI has been confirmed as the next station to receive a 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.

Through the RNLI ‘Launch a Memory’ campaign, members of the public are invited to commemorate a loved one by making a suggested donation of £50 online and submitting that person’s name.

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The names will appear in the ‘decals’ – the lettering and numbering on the boat’s hull.

Howard Fields, Coxswain of Whitby RNLI and the volunteer crew. Whitby RNLI has been confirmed as the next RNLI station to receive a 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.Howard Fields, Coxswain of Whitby RNLI and the volunteer crew. Whitby RNLI has been confirmed as the next RNLI station to receive a 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.
Howard Fields, Coxswain of Whitby RNLI and the volunteer crew. Whitby RNLI has been confirmed as the next RNLI station to receive a 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 lifeboat has been funded by a legacy (a gift left to the RNLI in a will). It will replace the station’s current Trent class lifeboat George and Mary Webb which has been in service as the North Yorkshire resort since 1996.

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet and costs around £2.5m. It has waterjet propulsion instead of traditional propellers which makes the Shannon the RNLI’s most manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat.

Howard Fields, Coxswain of Whitby Lifeboat, said: “The crew here at Whitby are very excited to be receiving a Shannon class lifeboat – she’ll be fast and agile and equipped with the latest technology to help us get to those in danger more quickly.

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“Knowing it’s a Launch a Memory boat, carrying the names of thousands of people’s loved ones, makes the boat even more special – the names of those individuals will be there with us every time we launch.

"It’s a wonderful way for people to remember their loved ones, helping their memory to live on and supporting the RNLI’s lifesaving work at the same time.”

Lifeboat crews at Whitby have been saving lives for over 200 years and have received RNLI medals for gallantry 36 times. Since opening, crews have launched 2,909 times and saved 1,234 lives in records of call-outs until the end of last year.

This will be the fifth RNLI ‘Launch a Memory’ boat, with others at Invergordon, Clifden, Wells and Anstruther.

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The lifeboat will be built at the RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole, Dorset, and is estimated to be on station at Whitby towards the end of 2023.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Whitby Launch a Memory lifeboat visit RNLI.org/LaunchAMemory.

Related topics:Whitby