We’re delighted to announce that our next all-weather lifeboat class, due on station in 2013, will be called the Shannon. We’ve been naming lifeboats after rivers or stretches of water for 45 years, but this is the first time the name of an Irish river has been used.

The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and, at 240 miles, is longer than any river in the UK. It is home to two lifeboat stations – Kilrush, at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary, and Lough Derg, on one of the river’s lakes.

Until the class becomes fully operational, it will still be known by its codename FCB2 (Fast Carriage Boat 2). Then it will gradually replace the Mersey class, which has been in service since 1988.

The Shannon class will be powered by waterjets instead of propellers, making it more manoeuvrable and safer to operate in shallow waters. This will also reduce the risk of damage to the lifeboat during launch and recovery. The Shannon class will be launched from a tractor-drawn carriage.

Like the Tamar, it will be equipped with SIMS, the System and Information Management System that allows crew members to monitor and operate many of the lifeboat’s functions from the safety of their seats. It will have a top speed of 25 knots (the Mersey is capable of 17 knots) and will be self-righting, returning to an upright position in the event of a capsize.

The prototype, designed by the RNLI’s in-house marine engineers and numbered 13-01, is currently being built and fitted out. Sea trials will begin later this year.