The first of the new 13m Shannon class all-weather lifeboats was named and dedicated on 11 July 2013 at a special ceremony at the RNLI’s Lifeboat College, Poole. Named Jock and Annie Slater after a former RNLI Chairman Sir Jock Slater and his wife, Lady Slater, the new lifeboat joined the RNLI’s relief fleet after the ceremony and will see service all around the UK and Republic of Ireland during her expected 50-year operational life.
The Shannon class boats are capable of 25 knots and are powered by water jets instead of propellers, which provide excellent manoeuvrability. The RNLI expects to build six boats of the new design every year, and they will be operated mainly from stations where the boat is launched by carriage.
