The Shannon Class: the RNLI's most advanced all-weather lifeboat ever

Its eye-catching boathouses and distinctive blue-and-orange vessels are part of the landscape of the British seaside — a reassuring backdrop to many a summer holiday. And yet while the RNLI is almost certainly one of Britain’s best-loved charities, it’s probably fair to say that few of us actually appreciate the organisation’s scope.

It operates 500 boats from 237 lifeboat stations dotted around Britain’s rocky coastline. It designs, builds and maintains its own vessels. And while its crews are largely made up of volunteers, it employs a host of engineers and naval architects charged with maintaining and updating a fleet that has to cope with some of the toughest conditions in the ocean.

With recent weather providing a timely reminder of just how tough these conditions can be, the RNLI is going through a particularly exciting phase: the production and roll-out of the Shannon Class, its most advanced ever all-weather lifeboat.

Designed to replace the Mersey-class lifeboat, the Shannon Class is arguably one of the charity’s most ambitious projects. Many aspects of its design represent a radical step forward, and the production run of 50 vessels is the largest single run in the RNLI’s history.