It was the day when two of the RNLI's most significant projects crossed paths: the Institution's latest lifeboat was on trial at a unique new facility. Previously, the launching of a Tamar lifeboat on a slipway had only been simulated by computer or demonstrated using models. There was no way to be absolutely sure of how she would perform during a launch until a slipway designed specifically for her had been built.

The first such slipway was completed at Tenby earlier this year, along with a well equipped new boathouse. As explained in the summer 2004 issue of the Lifeboat, the new facility has been built to replace Tenby's 100-year-old boathouse. The Tamar, by now in her pre-production phase of development, was ready for her last major test.

'When she first launched, it was a very tense time,' recalls Neil Chaplin, RNLI Principal Naval Architect. 'It was the culmination of five years of hard work. A lot of money had been spent on the slipway and lifeboat and the difference between failure and success was a matter of millimetres.' Faster and safer The story of the Tamar began in the late 1980s with the RNLI's requirement for faster vessels. Time is of the essence in search and rescue operations at sea and advancements in technology made the building of swifter lifeboats more feasible. Safety was an issue too - the existing 16-18 knot all weather lifeboats can sometimes be overtaken by following seas.

It was decided that, as part of operational requirements, the RNLI's all weather fleet should eventually be capable of 25 knots.

After the design and introduction of the Trent and Severn class lifeboats in the 1990s, which both meet this standard, the RNLI then looked at replacing the fleet's slipway-launched lifeboat, the 17-knot Tyne class. 'To achieve 25 knots, you couldn't simply refit the Tyne.

It had to be a totally new boat, with more powerful engines,' explains Neil. This meant that the hull of the new Tamar class would be quite different from that of the Tyne, and would therefore not sit easily on the existing slipways. As a result, slipways will be altered at stations that are allocated Tamar class lifeboats - or, in the case of Tenby, rebuilt.

Speed was not the only factor that affected the design of the new vessel.

Harnessing the latest technology to make her as safe as possible for crews was a priority.

One of the biggest risks for crew members aboard a lifeboat in rough seas is being injured while moving around the boat, or even while seated. 'When a lifeboat comes off the top of a wave and lands, it feels like you are hitting concrete,' Neil says, 'and that can put a lot of stress on your back.' The seats currently used in all weather lifeboats are adapted from those used in heavy goods vehicles, and only absorb some of the shock of such an impact. This has been addressed in the Tamar class, which has a new seat design that is more effective in protecting crews' backs from physical loading.With the extra protection provided for seated crew members, the next challenge was how to reduce the need for them to leave their seats. 'What we really needed,' says Neil, 'was a way for crew to control as much of the lifeboat as possible from their chair.' Inevitably, computer technology provided the answer. The Tamar team masterminded a bespoke Systems Information Management System (SIMS). SIMS allows crew members to access information via computer screens and operate the lifeboat using controls fixed to their seats. As a result, systems ranging from radar and radio to hydraulics and fire detection can be monitored and controlled from almost every location on the lifeboat.Up and under The Tamar as it appears today is thanks to the combined expertise of the RNLI and a host of specialist contractors, including Green Marine, the hull manufacturers and DML, the fit-out yard. The first version of the Tamar to actually put to sea was a prototype. Around 100 crew were involved in the prototype trials. 'The prototype stage is still very experimental,' says Neil. 'You can still make some fundamental changes to the design, based on what you learn from testing the prototype.' It was not until a pre-production version of the lifeboat was built that the Tamar class started to really be put through her paces. Rob Aggas, RNLI Trials Officer, was delighted with SIMS when he tested the lifeboat. 'It's going to feel like hard work going back to the other boats now,' he comments.

Basic but essential features such as her self-righting capability had to be tested too. As reported in the spring 2005 issue of the Lifeboat, the pre-production model was capsized at DHL's boatyard in November 2004, where she righted herself in seconds. Neil and his colleagues were left satisfied that, should the lifeboat capsize in extreme conditions, she would self-right. The pre-production Tamar was then prepared for one of her first sea passages, from Plymouth to south Wales.The first descent 'Long before the slipway trials, there had been a programme of meetings and other communication with Tenby lifeboat station volunteers, so that they were happy with what was going on,' says Neil. 'After all, it will be the first station to operate a Tamar. It was only right that the crew, shore helpers and everyone else were involved.'The first two weeks in March had been set aside for the trial, in the hope that, at some point, the sea would be calm. 'It was important that the first recovery and launch were in flat sea,' explains Neil, 'It means you have a starting point. If we started in rough weather and something went wrong, it would be far more difficult to pin down where the problem lay.'The team of 50 people involved in the trial did not have to wait longfor the right sea state. On 1 March, the conditions were perfect and onlookers took a deep breath as the Tamar was recovered onto the slipway, ready to launch in this way for the first time. It was an anxious experience, not just for the Tamar's design team, but also for the RNLI's Estates department and contractors responsible for building the slipway. Cautiously released from only a little way up the steep structure, the Tamar descended on her first kslipway launch. It was a successful start, with no damage reported to the slipway or the lifeboat. 'It was an amazing feeling,' recalls Neil. 'I knew, with all the people who have worked on it and the computer aided design, that it should work. But when you prove it for real, it is still a relief.'As the week progressed, the preproduction lifeboat was launched twice a day from further and further up the slipway, until she was plunging from up inside the boathouse into the sea, making a spectacular splash. On 11 March, members of the media gathered to see the Tamar launch for themselves, resulting in coverage in the national and regional press and on television.

The trial also served as a training programme for theTenby volunteers.

Lifeboat crew members had a chance to operate the Tamar and learned how to recover her along with Tenby's shore helpers. The lessons learned during the trials have helped form a standard operating procedure for the launch and recovery of Tamar class lifeboats in the future. Now the crew is looking forward to the day when their own Tamar class lifeboat stands by, ready to launch for real.

Bob James, Tenby Lifeboat Press Officer, Training Officer and Deputy Launching Authority, says: 'It really was smiles all round. We've got a fantastic lifeboat station and soon we'll have a fantastic lifeboat. The crew were very impressed. At the end of the day, this lifeboat will get to casualties quicker and keep the crew safer.' The Tamar today With the slipway trial declared a success, the pre-production Tamar was returned to The Lifeboat College in Poole, where training staff have been getting to know the lifeboat. Soon they will be training crews aboard the Tamar. Meanwhile, DML is working on the first full production Tamars and Green Marine has begun work on the second batch. The first will go to Tenby in the autumn, with the second and fourth production boats going to Peterhead, Grampian and Longhope, Orkney. The preproduction lifeboat and the third production lifeboat will join the relief fleet, ready to replace Tamar lifeboats when they need maintenance or repairs.

With a new slipway lifeboat almost ready, the RNLI's set of 25 knot all weather lifeboats is almost complete. Work on a prototype fast carriage lifeboat designed to replace the Mersey class is well underway.

Speaking at the RNLIAGM at the Barbican in May (see page 2), RNLI Chairman Sir Jock Slater said that the Tamar and fast carriage lifeboat will 'complete a new generation of lifeboats that will enhance our service provision for many years to come.' For more on launching lifeboats to the rescue, see page 7.k Tamar - vital statistics Length: 16m Speed: 25 knots Weight: 31.5 tonnes Range: 250 nautical miles Endurance: 10 hours at 25 knots Launch: Slipway or afloat Crew: 7 (including doctor) Material: Fibre-reinforced plastic Power: 2 x 1,000hp turbo-charged diesel engines Propulsion: 2 x fixed-pitch 5-bladed propellers Fuel capacity: 3.75 tonnes Cost: £2M.