Tamar class lifeboat
| Tamar class lifeboat The Padstow lifeboat Spirit of Padstow | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tamar class lifeboat |
| Builders: | Green Marine/SAR Composites[1] (Builders of hull and superstructure) Babcock Marine (Fitting-out) Piran Marine (Bond hull & deck together) |
| Operators: | 23px Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Preceded by: | Tyne class lifeboat |
| Cost: | £2.6m |
| Built: | 2002– |
| In service: | 2006– |
| Completed: | 10 (ongoing) plus prototype |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 31.5 t (31 long tons) |
| Length: | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Beam: | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Draught: | 1.35 m (4.4 ft) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × Caterpillar C18 diesel engines 1,000 hp (746 kW) 2 × fixed pitch 5-blade propellers 4,600 litres fuel |
| Speed: | 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h) |
| Range: | 250 nmi (460 km) |
| Capacity: |
Self Righting 40 Non-Self Righting 100 |
| Complement: | 7 |
Tamar class lifeboats carry out life-saving duties in the UK as part of the RNLI fleet. The Tamar class is the replacement for the Tyne-class slipway launched All Weather Lifeboat (ALB). They are named for the River Tamar, which forms the majority of the border between Devon and Cornwall.
The Tamar is the most advanced vessel in the RNLI fleet. It hosts new technology, including fly-by-wire joystick steering, suspension seats to protect crew in severe weather, and an onboard computer system called Systems and Information Management System or SIMS. SIMS allows complex tasks such as engine and navigation management to be displayed on a single flat LCD screen, six of which are positioned around the vessel, to allow crew to operate all the systems without moving from their seats.
It carries a Y Class (pre-inflated) inflatable daughter boat housed in a pen recessed into the stern of the Tamar, accessed by lowering the transom, and lifting a section of deck. This allows the tender to be launched and recovered on to a ramp provided by the lowered transom section. Alternatively, the Tamar can be equipped with a PWC (jetski) similar to that used by beach lifeguards, which is housed in the same compartment.
Contents
Service
The boat completed its trials in July 2005. and the first entered service at Tenby in March 2006.
- Peterhead, Scotland receiving the third of the class, 16-03, in April 2006
- Padstow received the fourth of the class in July 2006 16-04.
- Longhope, Orkney in October 2006,
- Sixth boat entered the relief fleet.
- Cromer received 16-07 Lester ON 1287 on 9 December 2007
- Barrow-in-Furness taking delivery of 16-08 in early 2008.
- Salcombe received their Tamar 16-09 in March 2008,
- tenth boat entering the relief fleet during late summer 2008.
- Angle, Pembrokeshire will receive the eleventh boat early 2009.
- Sennen Cove has been allocated the twelfth boat, to be named City of London III
Notes
References
External links
- RNLI - Fleet
- Babcock Marine, Devonport - Outfitters and main engineering contractor
- Green Marine - Builders of hull and superstructure
- Piran Marine - Bonding of hull & deck
- The engineering behind the Tamar, Ingenia Magazine, December 2007
- Tenby Lifeboat Station - their new Tamar, includes slipway launch video
- Tamar Leaflet - Tamar leaflet
- Cromer Lifeboat Station - Official Website
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