Lifeboats stationed round the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland WATSON AND BARNETT, Oakley, Waveney, Thames, Arun or Clyde . . . names which conjure up the lifeboats of the RNLI's offshore fleet, each with her own characteristics, her own qualities to offer to the common end of saving life at sea.

Watson and Barnett tell of the traditional approach to motor lifeboats, displacement hulls with great initial stability; Oakley speaks of change and the introduction of a selfrighting capability, first by ballast water transference; with Waveney, Thames and Arun comes the fast afloat concept, using advances in hull and engine design to give, on the one hand, higher speed and, on the other, self-righting through inherent buoyancy; Clyde has the ring of deep water, of workboat heritage.

Which class of boat is allocated to each station depends on Clyde (steel): 70-001, length overall 71', beam 18', draft 8' 5", displacement 85 tons; 70-002, length overall 70', beam 17', draft 7' 6", displacement 77 tons; 70-003, length overall 71', beam 18', draft 8' 6", displacement 87 tons, maximum speed over 11 knots.

Cruises or lies at moorings. Clyde lifeboats are capable of remaining at sea for long periods if necessary and can steam about 600 miles without refuelling. Each carries an ILB, ready inflated, on deck.

There is sleeping accommodation for her crew of six.

Arun (wood or GRP): length overall, 52' and 54', beam 17', draft 5', displacement 28-30 tons. The Arun, a fast afloat boat with planing hull, can reach over 18 knots and, at full speed, has a range of 220 nautical miles. She has self-righting capability in her designed inherent buoyancy. Her hull is divided into 26 watertight compartments, most filled with expanded polyurethane foam, and all controls are contained in her watertight wheelhouse. She carries a dinghy, ready inflated, on deck. Crew, five.

52' Barnett (wood): length overall 52', beam 14', draft 4' 6", displacement 29 tons, maximum speed 9 knots, range 216 nautical miles. Launched down slipway or lies afloat. The last boat designed by J. R. Barnett, the 52' was the first from his board with a midship steering position. There is access through the aft cabin to a small cockpit aft from which emergency steering could be rigged. Her hull is divided into nine watertight compartments and the floor below the engine room is double bottomed. Crew, seven.

a number of considerations, the most important being the work she will have to do, the housing or mooring available and the pattern of lifeboat coverage of her particular sea area.

Some lifeboats are launched down a slipway, some across skids on the beach; some are housed on carriages and drawn down to the sea by tractor; some lie afloat.

Whatever their individual characteristics, lifeboats have much in common. All, for instance, are built to a standard in excess of Lloyds Al requirements; all have twin diesel engines; most are built to take the ground and have their propellers housed in tunnels.

On these pages will be seen a profile of a representative lifeboat of each class in the active fleet, with the exception of a few 'one-off' boats such as the prototype GRP 40' Keith Nelson-hulled lifeboat stationed at Calshot (a photograph of which appears on page 130). While each profile shows the essential design of the class, individual boats may vary in detail; one obvious example is that a number of 52' Barnetts, 47' and 46' 9s Watsons now have air bag installations on the after cabin top.

There are also radical variations within some of the classes themselves. The Clyde class, for instance, consists of three boats, alike in purpose and concept but differing in detail; the hulls of 70-001 and 70-003 were both to a design by R. A.

Oakley, but some modifications were introduced into the superstructure and layout of 70-003; 70-002, shown on this page, was designed by John Tyrrell. Then there is the Arun, the prototype hull for which was designed by J. A. McLachlan; this has been a development class, with modifications to hull, superstructure and deck fittings in each of the first four boats; the profile shown is of 54-03.

Watson, Barnett and Oakley lifeboats are named after their designers; Clyde, Arun, Thames, Solent, Waveney and Rother after the rivers or sailing waters by which the first of the class was designed or built.

Thames (steel with aluminium alloy superstructure): length overall 50', beam 14' 6", draft 4' 8", displacement 23.5 tons, maximum speed 17 knots, range at full speed about 200 nautical miles.

A fast afloat boat, the Thames is a development of the 44' Waveney and has self-righting capability in her designed inherent buoyancy.

Her watertight welded aluminium alloy wheelhouse contains all controls, and she also has an upper steering position. Her twin spade rudders give good manoeuvrability. Crew,[five.

48' 6" Oakley (wood): length overall 48' 6", beam 14', draft 4' 8", displacement 30 tons, maximum speed 9 knots, range 245 nautical miles: Launched down slipway or lies afloat. The principle of selfrighting by transfer of water ballast, first proven in the 37' Oakley, was incorporated in this larger boat. The hull is divided into 14 watertight compartments fitted with 244 pvc blocks. Her steering position is amidships, with good all-round vision, and all controls can be operated from the steering position. Crew, seven.48' 6" Solent (steel): length overall 48' 6", beam 14', draft 4' 7", displacement 27 tons, maximum speed over 9 knots, range at full speed 240 nautical miles. Launched down slipway or lies afloat.

The Solent is a development of the 48' 6" Oakley, her self-righting capability being in her designed inherent buoyancy instead of in transference of water ballast. Her hull is welded and she has a cast iron ballast keel and aluminium alloy superstructure. Crew, seven.

47' Watson (wood): length overall 47', beam 13', draft 4' 5", displacement 23.5 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at full speed 280 nautical miles. Launched down slipway or lies afloat.

The 47' Watson, a development of the 46' 9" Watson, has an amidship steering position with good vision all round. Her hull is divided into ten watertight compartments. Crew, seven.

46' 9" Watson (wood): length overall 46' 9", beam 12' 9", draft 4' 4", displacement 23 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at least 200 miles. Launched from slipway or lies afloat. The 46' 9" Watson was the first lifeboat to be designed with a midships steering position: originally it was an open cockpit and shelter but is now an enclosed wheelhouse containing all controls. Since building, most of these boats have been re-engined. Crew, seven.

46' Watson (wood): length overall 46', beam 12' 9", draft 3' 7", displacement 20 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at full speed 209 nautical miles. Launched down slipway or lies afloat.

One of the earlier Watson cabin motor lifeboats, the 46' has a cabin forward of the engine-room. Her main working cockpit is aft, with a double diagonal mahogany shelter. A number of these boats, having been re-engined, no longer have funnels. Crew, seven.

44' Waveney (steel with aluminium alloy superstructure): length overall 44' 10i", beam 12' 8", draft 3' 11", displacement 18 tons, maximum speed over 15 knots, range at full speed 167 nautical miles. Built to a US Coast Guard design, the Waveney was the first RNLI fast afloat lifeboat; her hull form and construction give her a self-righting capability. With twin rudders she is exceptionally manoeuvrable. She has an after and a forward cabin for survivors; her electronic equipment being housed in the latter. Crew, five.

42' Watson (wood): length overall 42', beam 12', draft 3' 7", displacement 17 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at full speed 220 miles. Two types: one launched down slipway; one modified for launching over beach. The 42' Watson is divided into ten watertight compartments; there is a double bottom below the engine. All controls can be operated from the steering position in the aft cockpit. Superstructure, aluminium alloy. Crew, seven.

41' Watson (wood): length overall 41', beam 11' 8", draft 3' 8", displacement 14.8 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at full speed 180 nautical miles. Designed as housed boats for launching down slipways; a later version was developed for beach launching.

The 41' Watson is divided into seven watertight compartments, the bow and stern compartments, being completely isolated and packed with air cases, in fact form 'end boxes'. All boats still in the fleet have been re-engined. Crew, seven.

37' Oakley (wood): length overall 37', beam 11' 6", draft 3' 4", displacement 12.5 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at full speed 165 nautical miles. Launched down slipway or from carriage.

When designing this boat, R. A. Oakley took the idea of a double bottomed tank containing water ballast a stage further, adding a righting tank under the port deck; if the boat capsizes ballast water transfers to the righting tank, its asymmetrical weight giving the leverage necessary to start righting the boat. Crew, seven.

is.

37' 6" Rother (wood): length overall 37' 6", beam 11' 6", draft 3' 1", displacement 13 tons, maximum speed over 8 knots, range at full speed 150 nautical miles. Launched down slipway or from carriage.

The Rother is a development of the 37' Oakley, with an added wheelhouse roof on which a radar is mounted and a re-designed aluminium alloy superstructure, extending over the forward well, which gives enough inherent buoyancy for self-righting, thus eliminating the need for water ballast transference. Crew, seven.

35' 6" Liverpool (wood): length overall 35' 6", beam 10' 8", draft 2' 5"i, displacement 8.75 tons (ballast tank fills with water when she goes afloat, adding another half ton), speed over 7 knots, range at full speed 140 miles. The Liverpool is a light-weight motor lifeboat launched off the beach on a tractor-drawn carriage or down a slipway. She is divided into six watertight compartment, and the engine room is a watertight compartment. All boats left in fleet have been re-engined. Crew, seven..