Early glimpse of the new Hastings Lifeboat

Three sharp-eyed Royal National Lifeboat Institution supporters from Hastings got an early glimpse of the new much anticipated Lifeboat earmarked for Hastings,
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Aug 2018, 10:09 BST
Updated 3rd Sep 2018, 12:15 BST
New Lifeboat 1 SUS-180827-085436001New Lifeboat 1 SUS-180827-085436001
New Lifeboat 1 SUS-180827-085436001

Sarah and Simon Graves and former Hastings Mayor Richard Stevens spotted the lifeboat whilst on a tour of the RNLI’s New-Build and Maintenance Boatyard in Poole, Dorset last weekend.

The ‘Shannon’ Class Lifeboat is due to be delivered to Hastings in early October with a ‘Naming Ceremony’ taking place at Hastings Lifeboat Station early next year.

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The new Lifeboat is named after Richard and Caroline Colton, following a very generous financial donation and even the gift of a Ferrari car to cover the costs involved.

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New Lifeboat 2 SUS-180827-085532001

The visitors from Hastings agreed that: “This is great news for Hastings and a real success story for all those who campaigned for a new, larger and faster lifeboat for our town, which undoubtedly will make an invaluable contribution to maintaining safety in our coastal waters.”

The boat will cover Hastings and the surrounding coast, including Bexhill.

The Richard and Caroline Colton has already undergone sea trials at Poole.

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Hastings RNLI claim the arrival of the boat is the biggest news for it in a generation.

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the RNLI fleet, and being capable of 25 knots it is almost 50% faster than the Mersey class lifeboat currently stationed at Hastings. She is also the first modern all-weather lifeboat propelled by waterjets instead of propellers, making her the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.

Related topics:Hastings