Clogherhead RNLI Welcomes Latest €2.5m Shannon Class Lifeboat to Louth station

3rd June 2019

Clogherhead RNLI’s new Shannon class lifeboat is launched. The boat is unique in the RNLI’s fleet as it has been funded by an Irish legacy Credit: Patrick Browne

The latest in RNLI lifeboat technology was delivered to Clogherhead in County Louth yesterday and was welcomed to its new home by hundreds of people who turned out from the town and surrounding areas. Clogherhead RNLI’s Shannon class lifeboat is unique in the RNLI’s fleet as it has been funded by an Irish legacy, named after an Irish lifeboat volunteer, designed by an Irish engineer and is the first class to be called after an Irish river. The Michael O’Brien Shannon class lifeboat arrived to a sunny Clogherhead at exactly 13.31 hours, the operational number of the lifeboat.

The Shannon lifeboat is the latest in a long line of boats provided by the RNLI to Clogherhead over the past 120 years. The €2.5 million lifeboat and its launching rig represents a major investment by the RNLI in the station and moves it from a 15-knot lifeboat to a 25-knot one, cutting vital minutes off the time it takes for the lifeboat crew to reach a casualty.

RNLI Shannon 7 The RNLI’s latest lifeboat arrives at Clogherhead, County Louth. The €2.5 million Shannon class lifeboat is jet driven and can be beached intentionally for recovery from the sea. Picture: Patrick Browne

A significant proportion of the funding for the Clogherhead lifeboat has been provided through a generous legacy by Wexford farmer, Mr. Henry Tomkins, who was a lifelong supporter of the RNLI. Henry stipulated that a lifeboat be named for his long-time friend, the former Arklow RNLI Coxswain, Mr. Michael O’Brien. The Shannon lifeboat was designed by Derry man Peter Eyre who as child was rescued by Lough Swilly RNLI in Donegal.

The new lifeboat arrived at Clogherhead after leaving Poole in Dorset earlier in the week. On its way to its new home the lifeboat crew stopped in Brixham, Newlyn, Milford Haven, Howth and Arklow, the latter as a tribute to the man who the lifeboat is named in honour of, former Arklow Coxswain Michael O’Brien. Approaching the beach at Clogherhead, the vessel was flanked by lifeboats from neighbouring RNLI stations, Howth, Skerries and Kilkeel, who created a flotilla for the watching crowds.

"It will also be the first time in Ireland that the RNLI will use a SLARS to launch & recover a lifeboat"

The new lifeboat is jet driven which gives the vessel increased manoeuvrability. It will also be the first time in Ireland that the RNLI will use a SLARS (Shannon Launch and Recovery System) to launch and recover a lifeboat. The SLARS acts as a mobile slipway for the lifeboat and has a unique turntable cradle, which can rotate the lifeboat 180º, ready to be launched again within ten minutes.

Clogherhead RNLI Coxswain Tomás Whelahan said, ‘ We were thrilled with the welcome we received on our journey home in our new Shannon class lifeboat. I want to thank the many people who came down to Clogherhead to see our arrival, which made it an incredibly special homecoming. We have had a great week with the new lifeboat, getting to know it and seeing what it can do on the open sea. It is a wonderful piece of kit, very different to our Mersey class lifeboat, faster and more technologically advanced.’

‘We are honoured to receive this lifeboat and very grateful to our donor Henry Tomkins and to the local communities, who by their generosity, have made this day possible. We hope to bring many loved ones safely home in this new lifeboat, the Michael O’Brien.’

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

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Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

Which is Ireland's busiest lifeboat station?

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Do the RNLI get paid?

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

How many RNLI Lifeboat stations in Ireland?

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

How many lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions?

How many people are rescued by the RNLI?

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

What type of boats does the RNLI have?

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

How are lifeboats called out?

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

What is the relationship between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI in Ireland?

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

What is a coxswain?

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

What training do RNLI lifeboat crews get?

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset