There are many facets to the running of a nation-wide lifeboat service, and transport is a vital, if usually inconspicuous, aspect.

The latest addition to the RNLI's road fleet is this 17 ton Mercedes 1726, a 260hp, V8 diesel-powered truck with the latest in close-coupled trailers, itself with a gross weight of 13 tons.

The vehicle replaces a smaller Mercedes and, with its trailer, has a much greater capacity. Loaded aboard in the photograph are every one of the Irish Inshore lifeboats on their way back for the winter, eleven outboard engines, stores and an Arun fuel tank - a cargo which would have required at least two long trips in its predecessor.

With its built-in three-ton hydraulic crane and great manoeuvrabilty the combination can reach isolated stations and be loaded and unloaded single-handed.

Just as lifeboats have developed to their present pitch, so has the truck - this Mercedes has 12 forward gears, exhaust back-pressure braking and an automatic greasing system which has halved the service intervals. It is also equipped with special tow bar at the front, to enable the special trailer to be pushed into particularly tight spots.

RNLI senior driver George Dadson is in charge, often spending up to three weeks away from base on long-haul trips to far-flung stations.

George's previous vehicle covered 216,000 miles in four years - averaging 54,000 miles a year compared with the average private motorist's 10,000 or so - and yet his trucks always gleam, being cleaned, polished and maintained to the high standards of the lifeboats and stations he serves..