Blowing up a Storm The RNLI's Storm Force junior club will be known to a much wider audience now, following the naming of an InterCity 125 locomotive 'Storm Force' on Saturday 27 April.

The ceremony was held at Poole station just before 0900, in time tor the train to make a special trip to the National Exhibition Centre at Birmingham fora commemorative Storm Force rally.

The honour of naming the train fell to seven-year-old Laura Scaife from Barnsley who won a competition in Storm Force News, the regular newspaper for members of the club, and guests at the ceremony included the mayor of Poole Councillor Mrs Anne Stribley, the deputy director of the RNLI Ray Kipling and InterCity Manager Cross Country Brian Johnson.

Ray Kipling voiced the Institution's appreciation of the train's name, saying: 'The RNLI is delighted that an InterCity 125 is to be named Storm Force after its junior club.

There are already over 15,000 members and we hope the train will encourage lots more to join. We think it important that as many youngsters as possible should be aware of the lifeboat service.' On arrival at Birmingham the Storm Force members were treated to a full day's programme of displays, competitions and demonstrations - with an Inshore lifeboat carrying out 'rescues' on the lake at the Exhibition Centre.

President visits Jersey crews HRH The Duke of Kent, President of the Institution, met the crew and families of the two RNLI stations in Jersey (St Helier and St Catherine) during a visit to the island on 16 May.

During the visit the Duke signed the lifeboat book of honour and attended a reception at which he met RNLI, Jersey branch and ladies' lifeboat guild officials. Before going on to f u l f i l l other commitments His Royal Highness also presented a certificate of service to Michael Berry, recently retired coxswain of St Helier lifeboat for 20 years.

The new extension to the RNLI headquarters in Poole was officially opened and dedicated at 1130 on Monday 29 April 1991 in conditions often described as' typical lifeboat weather'.

The building was provided from the bequest of Mr Kenneth Thelwall (whose bequest has already funded two lifeboats) and Mr Christopher Hobson, executor of the estate, handed over the building to the Institution following an address by the Mayor of Poole and Admiral of the Port, Councillor Mrs Anne Stribley.

The building was accepted on the Institution's behalf by its Chairman, Mr Michael Vernon, following which the Rector of Poole, The Reverend Stanley Holbrooke- Jones performed the service of dedication.

Mrs Lucia Hobson, the wife of Mr Thelwall's executor, was then invited to unveil a special commemorative plaque inside the building.

- NEWSPOINT— As this issue of The Lifeboat goes to press the 16th International Lifeboat Conference has just come to an end in Oslo. Once again the conference has brought home the value of sharing knowledge between the lifeboat services around the world.

Not only does it avoid the need for each service to 're-invent the wheel' by working in isolation, it also forges closer links - invaluable at a time when the world is becoming smaller and 'international standards' loom.

There is no suggestion at present that any such standards should apply to the lifeboat services of the world, and it would be a virtually impossible task given the widely differing operating conditions, constitutions and tasks of the constituent members. Lifeboat organisations range from the fully governmentfunded to the fully voluntary, and operate anything from hundreds of sophisticated lifeboats to a handful of vessels.

However each can learn something from the others, and it is thanks to International co-operation on this level that the RNLI began to operate the Waveney (originally an American Coastguard design), and that the Canadians now build and operate the Arun class.

One gratifying feeling brought back by the Institution's delegates was the high regard in which the RNLI is held.

Its experience and its entire organisation and operation are frequently held up as an example to the rest of the world. We cannot be complacent, for progress marches on and inflation eats at our financing, but we can be proud of the Institution - and extend again our heartfelt thanks to the voluntary fund raisers and crews without whom it could not exist in any form.

Off on passage - to Oslo! The International Lifeboat Federation's 16th conference, held every four years in a different member country, was held in Oslo during the week commencing 3 June 1991, hosted by the Norwegian lifeboat service.

The RNLI was very active at the conference, presenting several papers including a technical review of the new Fast Afloat lifeboats now under development.

Lifeboats from several European lifeboat services assembled at Oslo for inspection by the delegates, including two from the RNLI.

The Arun class Duke of Alho/l and the Mersey Marine Engineer left Poole in late May for the passage to Oslo via Newhaven, Dover, Breskens, Ijmuiden, Lauwersoog, Cuxhaven, Copenhagen and Skagen. The number of calls being determined by the need to refuel. They were joined by other nation's lifeboats during the passage - one Belgian, one German, one Danish, two Dutch and two US Coast Guard vessels.

The crew of the Arun and Mersey class lifeboats are pictured ready to leave Poole Quay on 23 May 1991 and being seen off by the director, Brian Miles (centre) flanked by the two coxswains, Staff Coxswain Mike Houchen (right) and divisional inspector Les Vipond (left).

The crew for the trip was drawn from the Institution's full-time coast staff and volunteers from lifeboat stations around the coast: Second Coxswain Ian Jones from Llandudno.

Coxswain Neill Gudgeon from Lochinver, Mechanic Andrew Putt from Ilfracombe, Coxswain Graham Walker from Wells, Coxswain/Mechanic Hewitt Clark from Lerwick and Coxswain Graham McConnell from Donaghadee.

We plan to have a full report of the conference in the Autumn 1991 issue of The Lifeboat.

'Help' for children A new RNLI film, specifically aimed at primary school age children, is now available.

Called simply 'Help!' it was made by Anthony Hontoir and sponsored by Barclaycard.

The film examines four separate incidents in which The Mumbles Tyne class lifeboat and Porthcawl'sD class are called into action.

'Help!' is available as a 35mm film or on VHS-format video from the RNLI's film distributor's Viscom at Park Hall Trading Estate, Dulwich, London SE21 8EL.

Although hire of the film or video is free the Institution has to meet Viscom's fee for carriage, handling and maintenance. A donation would therefore be much appreciated - £12 would cover the RNLI's costs.

Stamp of approval A series of new Isle of Man stamps featuring lifeboats was launched with a splash in February when the Douglas lifeboat Sir William Hil/arv was launched into the harbour with the Lieutenant Governor of the island. Sir Laurence Jones, aboard.

Later the chairman of the Isle of Man Post Office Authority presented Lewin Cain, chairman of Douglas branch, with a framed sheet of stamps - the first off the press - and a donation of £100 for the branch funds.

The five stamps show the island's five lifeboats in their ports at Douglas, Ramsey, Peel, Port Erin and Port St Mary.

Due to pressure on space in this issue of The Lifeboat reports of several naming and dedication ceremonies have been held over to the Autumn issue Lifeboat ups and downs...

The RNLI's new dock and boat hoist came into use at the Poole depot in early June, enabling lifeboats to be lifted from the water and positioned anywhere in the yard for storage or inspection and work on underwater areas.

Before the dredged dock and diesel hydraulic lift was installed a crane had to be hired for each lift out of, and each lift back into, the water, at considerable expense.

The cranes were unable to move around the yard with the lifeboats, so only a small part of the depot area could be used for this work. Cranes of the size required to handle the new prototype Fast Afloat Boat were few and far between - and even more expensive to hire.

The hoist has a capacity of 50 tons for boats of FAB 3's dimensions and both it and the dock are designed to accommodate the largest lifeboats at present envisaged. The photograph shows the first lifeboat boat to be lifted in the new hoist, the Watson class Joseph Soar (Civil Service No. 34), as part of the proving trials by the contractors.

Laings.

Yet another record for lifeboat launches in 1990 The steady increase in the number of lifeboat launches continued during 1990, standing at a new record of 4,935 when the figures were reported to the Annual Meetings in mid-May. The graphs on this page illustrate the trends and the type of casualty and are taken from the Institution's 1990 Annual Report which was issued at the Meetings.

Readers will note a small discrepancy between the total given in the graph and the latest figure, a result of some services for 1990 being notified to headquarters after the preparation of the Annual Report.

There was a small increase in the percentage of launches to pleasure craft, from 54% in 1989 to 56% in 1990, and 72% of the lives saved by the Institution's lifeboats during the year fell into this category. The total number of launches to pleasure craft was 2,715 according to the latest figures.

There was an 8% increase in launches to merchant vessels and tankers, with more than half being at night and 21 % in winds over Force 7. A third of services were to take off sick crewmen.

There was also a very small increase in the number of launches to fishing vessels, up just 2 from 810 in 1989 to 812 in 1990, with some 247 fishermen saved during the year (down 12% from 276 to 247).

Lifeboats were called out 555 times to people who were in distress but not aboard any craft or vessel, and 185 lives were saved on these calls. This figure includes skin divers, bathers and waterskiers, people and vehicles cut off by the tide and casualties who had fallen from cliffs or man-made structures.

Lifeboat assistance was requested on 45 occasions for aircraft or helicopters, more than half following crashes.

Of 221 launches in answer to unidentified distress signals 216 turned out to be false alarms or hoax calls.

Lifeboat launches, lives saved and people landed 1981 to 1990 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 4903 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 Lifeboat launches by month 1990 Lifeboat launches 1990 Lives saved by lifeboats 1990 Looking at Lifeboats - The Arun Class, Winter 1990/91 G.L. Watson and Company were commissioned by the Institution to prepare the design of the Arun class lifeboat and the lines were the work of Mr J. Allen McLachlan of that firm. The tank tests of the model produced from these lines indicated that the boat would have excellent sea-keeping characteristics.

The modifications to the original drawing referred to in the article were mainly concerned with an increase in the size of the tunnels to incorporate larger propellers, the de- : sign of which had not been the direct responsibility of G. L. Watson and Company. The beam was not increased.

Mr McLachlan's lines incorporated a series of 'ragged chines' (referred to as 'multiple spray rails' in the article) for the purpose of reducing pounding. The Institution elected not to include this feature in the class. The RNLI is pleased to acknowledge that in all material respects the hull form of all boats of the Arun class have been built to the lines drawn by Mr McLachlan.

The Institution regrets any misunderstanding which may have arisen from the article and apologises for any offence or inconvenience caused to G. L.

Watson and Company and Mr J. Allen McLachlan..