A NEW type of life-boat, known as the Oakley type, came into the service of the Institution in the summer of 1958.

She is 37 feet in length and has a beach weight of 9.12 tons. She is, therefore, light enough to be transported over a beach on a carriage and launched by tractor.

The new boat was designed by Mr.

R. A. Oakley, the Institution's Surveyor of Life-boats, whose aim was to incorporate the best features of the selfrighting and non-self-righting boats.

Tests of the new boat, in which she was capsized twenty-five times at Littlehampton, where she was built by Messrs. Wm. Osborne, showed that from bottom up she could right herself in six seconds and that after capsizing both cockpits were completely drained of water in about twelve seconds. Other tests indicated that the new boat would have considerably greater initial stability than the 35-feet 6-inches Liverpool type of life-boat, which is not a selfrighter.

The table below shows the main characteristics of the new life-boat, and the existing Liverpool and self-righting types.

A model of the new 37-feet life-boat was built to the design of the Royal National Life-boat Institution by Messrs. Saunders-Roe and submitted to tank tests at Cowes, Isle of Wight. In these tests the behaviour of the model was compared with that of a model of a Liverpool boat in similar conditions.

The tests showed that in conditions equivalent to a breaking wave of a mean height of 13 feet on the beam the Length Beam Displacement Water Ballast Weight without Crew or Ballast Maximum Draught Loaded ..

Speed ..

Endurance at Full Speed Angle of Maximum Stability ..

Range of Stability model of the new design could not be capsized, although in these conditions the model of the Liverpool boat could be capsized. The model of the new design was capsized once by simulating a wave height of 15 feet, and the tests clearly showed that greater stability had been achieved by the increased beam and water ballast.

Tests in Confused Seas The two models were also subjected to tests in confused seas, with one sea striking the model astern and another abeam. These tests showed that the model of the new design was less susceptible to swamping and to rolling and moving off course. Further tests showed that it would right itself quickly after capsizing.

The self-righting quality in the new design is caused by the speedy transfer of most of the 1| tons of water ballast into a righting tank on the port side.

The water passes through two trunks or rectangular pipes, in which there are two valves which operate when the life-boat is heeled over to an angle of about 110 degrees. When the lifeboat is capsized to starboard she rights herself by going through a roll of 360 degrees. It normally takes six seconds for her to reach the upright position from the moment when she has been bottom up. The principle is somewhat different when the life-boat turns over to port. In this case the transfer of water begins just before the point when the life-boat would otherwise capsize, and by this means the boat returns to the upright.

t New Design 37 feet 0 inches 1 1 feet 6 inches 11.16 tons 1.54 tons 9.12 tons 38i inches 8.1 knots 140 nautical miles 47 degrees 180 degrees with righting tank operating Liverpool 35 feet 6 inches 10 feet 8 inches 9.25 tons .5 tons 8.25 tons 34 inches 7.4 knots 120 nautical miles 37 degrees 115 degrees Self-Righter 35 feet 6 inches 10 feet 0 inches 9.5 tons .5 tons 8.5 tons 35J inches 7.4 knots 120 nautical miles 37 degrees 180 degreesWater Emptied Down Tubes The new life-boat is fitted with two cockpits with side cases and, as a result, the amount of water that can be carried after swamping has been reduced ; this water empties through the boat's bottom down tubes fitted with non-return valves instead of through scuppers in the boat's side.

The 1| ton water ballast tank is placed beneath the engines. It fills automatically in about twenty seconds, and although it increases the boat's displacement when she is afloat, it drains away as soon as the boat is ashore and does not therefore increase the handling weight during launching or hauling up.

The new life-boat is driven by twin Perkins P.M.4 diesel engines, each developing 43 brake horse power at 2,000 revolutions per minute with 2/1 reduction gears. She has cost approximately £26,500 to build.

First Phase of Trials The first phase of the new life-boat's trials was completed at Littlehampton early in June, and the last occasions on which she was capsized were filmed.

The capsizing tests were shown in the B.B.C. television newsreel, and a copy of the film taken by British Movietone News and shown in cinema newsreels has been presented to the Institution and is available for showing by branches.

It lasts for approximately one minute.

The second phase of trials began on the 7th of June when the new life-boat sailed from Littlehampton on an extended sea trial, which took her as far as Dunbar in the Firth of Forth. She was at sea every day and arrived back at Littlehampton on the 23rd of June according to schedule. Altogether she covered 986 miles at an average speed of 8.12 knots. Her twin Perkins engines gave every satisfaction and no trouble. Only two or three items of the machinery installation suffered slight defects, but these were easily rectified and in no way affected the lifeboat's progress.

During this trial 16 deputations from the life-boat stations at Anstruther, Bridlington, Boulmer, Eyemouth, Filey, Flamborough, Hastings, Newbiggin, North Sunderland, Redcar, Runswick, St. Abbs, Scarborough, Sheringham, Skegness and Wells, had opportunities of going afloat in the new life-boat.

These sixteen stations all have 35-feet 6- inches life-boats. The crews expressed the greatest satisfaction and all declared the new boat to be a considerable improvement on both the existing Liverpool and self-righting types.

Trials at Scarborough Further trials were then carried out at Scarborough, where the boat was hauled out and launched several times.

The new type of carriage, which was described in the December 1957 number of The Life-boat on page 522, and both Fowler and Roadless tractors were used. These trials were also highly successful, transport by Fowler tractor and the new carriage being carried out without difficulty. There was, however, evidence to show that the Roadless tractor would not be powerful enough for use with the new type of boat.

The final phase of the boat's trials will take place during the winter of 1958/59. During this period the lifeboat will be stationed at Scarborough and the opportunity will be taken to test her in bad weather conditions.

The policy of the Committee of Management in the construction of boats of the Oakley type will be decided after the final phase of the trials has been completed, although evidence available already suggests that a new and extremely important step in the development of life-boats has been taken.

Problems of Design The problem of the relative merits of self-righting and non-self-righting lifeboats has exercised the minds of lifeboat designers for more than a century and a half. Indeed the question was raised when the first boat designed from the outset as a life-boat was built. In 1789, following a disaster to a ship at the mouth of the Tyne, a competition was staged by a local society for the design of a life-boat. The winner of the first prize was William Wouldhave, whose model incorporated the selfrighting quality. But two members of the adjudicating committee made certain alterations to his design and commissioned a boatbuilder, Henry Greathead, to build the life-boat, named the Original. She would not right herself automatically if she capsized.

A number of new types of life-boats were designed in the first half of the nineteenth century, but the Institution became increasingly concerned by the fact that they could not right themselves automatically, and when the Institution itself held a competition in 1851 it was specifically stated that in the judging of the entries points would be awarded for designs which would provide the power of self-righting. The winner of the competition was James Beeching, of Yarmouth, whose life-boat was a selfrighter, and for the next thirty-five years more and more life-boats of the self-righting type were built.

A change of policy occurred again in 1886 after the Southport and St. Anne's life-boats both capsized when going to the help of the German barque Mexico, and in that year the Institution appointed George Lennox Watson as its consulting naval architect.

Watson reported to a Select Committee of the House of Commons which investigated the Life-boat Service in detail. He did not advocate eliminating the self-righting quality from the smaller pulling boats, saying that to do so would be " unwise and unsafe ". But he added : " With the larger sailing boats I think we can get a better boat by abandoning the self-righting principle." Policy Vindicated With the advent of the motor life-boat Watson's policy was increasingly vindicated.

None of the Institution's lifeboats of the 52-feet, 47-feet or 42-feet class is today a self-righter, and there are now only five self-righting 35-feet 6- inches life-boats in the active fleet. The determining factor in the choice of selfrighting or non-self-righting life-boats of the smallest class has been largely the opinion, of the crews at the stations concerned.

It cannot be said with certainty that there will ever be a final solution of the problem of the relative merits of selfrighting and non-self-righting boats.

Fashions change with improvements in design and construction, but the new 37-feet life-boat may well be seen in retrospect one of the important landmarks in the history of life-boat design..