A new Shannon class lifeboat is coming to Larne RNLI in Northern Ireland.
The lifeboat will replace the station’s all-weather Trent class lifeboat, Dr John McSparran, which has served the community off the Larne coast in for the last quarter of a century.
A seven-strong contingent representing Larne RNLI were at the charity’s All-Weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole on Tuesday morning (21 October) for a traditional bell-ringing ceremony. This event is held when a new Shannon class lifeboat leaves the production line and is placed, for the first time, in the water.
The lifeboat will soon head for her permanent home in Larne once remaining sea trials and commissioning have been completed.
The visiting group from Larne RNLI included lifeboat boathouse manager Jim Kerr, senior station technician Derek Rea and volunteer crew members Chris Dorman, Ross Stewart, Nigel Kane, Roy McMullan and Gary Hanna. The group were present to see the new £2.7m lifeboat and to tour the facility where she was built.
“It was a privilege for us to be here this morning and to represent our wider station team,” Rea said. “Welcoming this new lifeboat heralds a new chapter in Larne RNLI’s history, one that will bring fresh training commitments and dedication for our crew.
“Our Trent class lifeboat has served us well for the last 25 years and there is a sense of nostalgia as we prepare to say farewell. However, with a strong tradition of helping those in difficulty off the Larne coast, we know this new Shannon, once it goes on service, will only serve to strengthen our proud lifesaving history.
Among those attending the ceremony was donor Michael Cameron | Credit: RNLI/Nathan Williams
“Our team has always maintained our lifeboats to the highest standards and our volunteers have always dedicated themselves to learning and adopting the necessary skills to save lives at sea. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to do this once again on a new class of lifeboat, knowing this new era is thanks to a significant investment in lifesaving on our coast.
“We would like to thank our volunteers and their families for their continued support as we now look to embrace what will be a busy but exciting few months ahead, and we wish to extend our appreciation to all those who we know will guide and support us through the transition.”
The Shannon class lifeboat has been largely funded by donor Michael Cameron via the Cameron Family Charitable Foundation, and will be named in memory of his wife Machiko Nancy, one of the founders of that charity. The official naming ceremony and service of dedication will take place next year at a date to be confirmed.
Machiko was born in Vancouver, Canada in August 1954 and was of Japanese-Canadian heritage. In November 1980, she married Michael who was working in Vancouver at the time. In 1989, they moved to the West Midlands and began to develop their careers from there.
Machiko was a hardworking business manager, having qualified as an accountant in both Canada and England and Wales. When she retired in 2010, she devoted her energy to gardening and dancing. Following a short illness, she passed away at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in September 2020.
Speaking of his wife, Michael said: “Throughout her life, she lived according to the samurai attributes accredited to her family. These comprise independence, determination, ambition, strength, reliability and professionalism. She also strived to help others throughout her life and is still much missed by the many whose lives she touched. All of this strikes a chord with the RNLI’s mission to save lives at sea and the naming of this lifeboat is more than an appropriate tribute to her memory.”
