An ‘exciting new chapter’ for Rhyl RNLI with new £2.2M Shannon class lifeboat.

Rhyl RNLI volunteers are to get new £2.2M Shannon class lifeboat it has been announced today.

The station have been allocated a new Shannon class lifeboat to be used off the coast of north Wales.

The new lifeboat will replace Rhyl’s 24 year old Mersey class lifeboat Lil Cunningham which is coming to the end of it’s operational life.

The news was delivered in person to the volunteers by Leesa Harwood, the charity’s Community Lifesaving and Fundraising Director and David Squires, Deputy Chairman Trustee of the RNLI’s Operations Committee.

The state of the art Shannon class lifeboat will be built in-house at the RNLI’s All-weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole, Dorset. A date for the Shannon’s arrival at Rhyl is yet to be announced.

Rhyl RNLI Coxswain, Martin Jones said:

‘This is best news we as a station could hope for – to be allocated the new Shannon class lifeboat, it’s like Christmas has come early for Rhyl RNLI. This will be an exciting new chapter in the station’s 170 year history. As a crew, we would like to thank the charity for their faith in the station as we look into the future.’

Rhyl Coastguard officers congratulated their RNLI colleagues in a post on Facebook saying:

“The announcement today about Rhyl Lifeboat being granted a new Shannon, is something we have all been hoping would happen.
We are lucky as a team, to have such a special relationship with the crew, and this announcement will only strengthen that further.
The community are proud of what you do, and we are proud to work alongside you.
This is an exciting new chapter in our lives, and we look forward to working closer with you, and serving the community, to save lives at sea and on the coast.
A heartfelt and genuine congratulations to who we think are a forward thinking and 21st century crew and organisation, and common sense has prevailed.
Well done, and Merry Christmas to our friends. You deserve it after all your effort and hard work.
A very special day.”

The £2.2M Shannon class lifeboat, which was designed to replace the Mersey and Tyne class lifeboats, is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making her the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat yet.

Reaching top speeds of 25 knots, the Shannon is nearly 50% faster than the Mersey, giving crews the ability to reach and assist casualties faster when time is of the essence.