Trent-class lifeboat
{{Short description|British and Irish rescue lifeboat class}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
| {{Infobox ship begin
| sclass = 2 }} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:Trent 14-31 viewed from Starboard.jpg | Ship caption = 14-31 Elizabeth of Glamis of Broughty Ferry }} {{Infobox ship class overview | Name = | Builders = Green Marine | Operators = File:Flag of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.svg Royal National Lifeboat Institution | Class before = {{Lbb|Arun}}, {{Lbb|Tyne}}, {{Lbb|Waveney}} | Class after = {{Lbb|Shannon}}, {{Lbc|B|Atlantic 85}} | Subclasses = | Cost = £1.1 million | Built range = 1991–2005 | In service range = 1994– | In commission range = | Total ships building = | Total ships planned = | Total ships completed = 38 | Total ships cancelled = | Total ships active = 20 Active / 11 Relief | Total ships laid up = | Total ships lost = 1 | Total ships retired = 7 | Total ships preserved = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = | Ship displacement = {{convert|27.5|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} | Ship length = {{convert|14.30|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|4.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship draught = {{convert|1.45|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship propulsion = 2 × MAN D2840LE 401 diesel engines, {{convert|860|hp|0|abbr=on}} (ON1245 is fitted with MAN D2840LE 403EDC engines 909 hp) | Ship speed = {{convert|25|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}} | Ship range = {{convert|250|nmi|km|lk=in|abbr=on}} | Ship capacity = *self-righting: 20
| Ship complement = 6 | Ship sensors = | Ship EW = | Ship armour = | Ship notes = }} |
The Trent-class lifeboat is an all-weather lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from 20 stations (2025) around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland to provide coverage up to {{Convert|50|mi|km}} out to sea. Introduced to service in 1994, the class is named after the River Trent, the second longest river wholly in England.
History
In the 1980s the RNLI's {{Lbb|Arun}} and {{Lbb|Waveney}} all-weather lifeboats provided coverage {{Convert|30|mi|km}} out to sea, operating at up to {{Convert|18|kn|km/h}} to cover the distance in two hours in good weather. However the RNLI felt that they needed the capability to extend their coverage to {{Convert|50|mi|km}} radius which would require lifeboats with a top speed of {{Convert|25|kn|km/h}}. This resulted in the {{Convert|14|m|ft}} Trent and {{Convert|17|m|ft}} {{Lbb|Severn}} lifeboats.{{cite book |last= Wake-Walker |first= Edward |title= The Lifeboats Story |year= 2008 |publisher= Sutton Publishing |location= Stroud |isbn= 978-0-7509-4858-6 |pages= 59–72 }}
The prototype for the Trent class was built in 1991. It was used for trials until 1994, when it was put into active service at Alderney Lifeboat Station. It remained on station there until their own boat was available in 1995, since when it has served in the relief fleet. Construction of its sister boats continued until 2004.{{cite book |last= Denton |first= Tony |title= Handbook 2009 |year= 2009 |publisher= Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society |location= Shrewsbury |pages= 32–35 }}
Unlike the contemporary Severn class, the Trents will not receive a service life extension refurbishment and will gradually be withdrawn, to be replaced mainly by Shannon class boats.
Design
The Trent is intended to lie afloat at moorings. It has five water-tight bulkheads to create six compartments: fore peak; fore store; survivor cabin; tank space; machinery space; and aft peak steering compartment. Above these is the main deckhouse which has seats for the six crew and a doctor. This is another water-tight space which provides the boat's self-righting capability.{{cite book |last= Leach |first= Nicholas |title= Fowey Lifeboats, an Illustrated History |year= 2002 |publisher= Tempus Publishing |location= Stroud |isbn= 0-7524-2378-9 |page= 108 }}
Designed and built by Green Marine, each boat is constructed of over {{Convert|100|mm|adj=on|abbr=on}} thick fibre reinforced composite topsides, single laminate double hull bottoms, 4 water-tight bulkheads and prepreg epoxy, glass and Kevlar shields.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}
The Trent has a service life of 25 years, although current estimates appear to exceed these original operational confines due to constant on-station maintenance, periodic refitting and sporadic repairs. In comparison with its predecessors, the boat has numerous additional advantages which aid in the overall success of every launch. One detail would be its condensed hull, which allows it to operate in significantly constrained locations (such as marina berths and dense quayside scenes).{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}
Another aspect aiding in its confined manoeuvrability would be the bilge keels which aid in protecting its twin drive props. Its hull sheerline sweeps down into an area known as the 'welldeck', which helps ease the recovery of casualties onto the lifeboat. The remote location of an 'a-frame' hoist also provides additional assistance for particularly awkward recoveries (such as casualties in stretchers).{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}
As of 2006, each Trent class lifeboat is complemented with an array of advanced technologies. Each device provides full assistance in search and rescue operations, and therefore must be of an officially high standard. The comprehensive electronics fit includes full radio equipment including Navtex Multi-Frequency, Marine Very High Frequency and DSC installations. For navigation the crew utilize an array of digital select systems including DGPS equipment, and an electronic Laserplot chart display and information system which allows complete automated management via the vessel's on-board processors (autohelm), although comparatively infrequent in practice.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}
Other features of Trent class lifeboats include VHF/DF, radar and weather sensors. Provisions for survivors include complete first aid equipment including the Basket and Neill Robertson stretchers, oxygen and Entonox breathing systems, ambulance pouch, thermodynamic food canisters and sick bags for ailing casualties. The Trents also have a small toilet arrangement. The afterdeck houses a salvage pump in a water-tight container for use in inter-vessel salvage, and two fire hoses allow proficient fire fighting. The Trent carries an inflatable XP-boat which is powered by a 5 hp outboard engine, and can be deployed in slight conditions to gain access to rocks or beaches when an inshore lifeboat is otherwise unavailable.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}
File:Saxon - geograph.org.uk - 204310.jpg|View from astern
File:Boat2.jpg|Flying bridge
Trent-class lifeboat fleet
=RNLI active fleet=
| class="wikitable"
! ON{{efn|name=ON|ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.}} ! Op. No.{{efn|name=Op|Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.}} ! Name ! {{nowrap|In service}}{{cite book |last1=Leonard |first1=Richie |last2=Denton |first2=Tony |title=Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025 |date=2025 |publisher=Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society |pages=68-70}} ! Station ! MMSI |
| 1197
| {{nowrap|14-02}} | Esme Anderson | {{nowrap|1994–2023}} | {{Lbs|Ramsgate}} | 232001840 | |
| 1198
| 14-03 | Blue Peter VII | 1994– | {{Lbs|Fishguard}} | 232001860 | |
| 1200
| 14-05 | Anna Livia | 1995– | {{Lbs|Dún Laoghaire}} | 232001880 | |
| 1208
| 14-10 | Samarbeta | 1996– | {{nowrap|{{Lbs|Great Yarmouth and Gorleston}}}} | 232002340 | |
| 1213
| 14-15 | Henry Heys Duckworth | 1996–2016 | Relief fleet | 232002380 | March 2025, assigned to Port St Mary, replacing ON 1234. |
| 1214
| 14-16 | Stanley Watson Barker | 1996– | {{Lbs|Portree}} | 232002390 | |
| 1222
| 14-18 | Maurice and Joyce Hardy | 1996– | {{Lbs|Fowey}} | 232002181 | |
| 1224
| 14-20 | Roy Barker II | 1997– | {{Lbs|Wick}} | 232002183 | |
| 1225
| 14-21 | MacQuarie | 1997–2004 | {{Lbs|Sunderland}} | 232002582 | August 2023, assigned to Donaghadee, replacing ON 1267. |
| 1233
| 14-25 | Austin Lidbury | 1998– | {{Lbs|Ballycotton}} | 232003131 | |
| 1239
| 14-27 | {{nowrap|Robert Hywel Jones Williams}} | 1999– | {{Lbs|Fenit}} | 232003137 | |
| 1240
| 14-28 | Sam and Ada Moody | 1999– | {{Lbs|Achill Island}} | 232003138 | |
| 1245
| 14-29 | Inner Wheel II | 2000–2006 | Relief fleet | 232004396 | September 2024, assigned to Alderney, replacing ON 1199. |
| 1246
| 14-30 | Dr John McSparran | 2000– | {{Lbs|Larne}} | 232004397 | |
| 1252
| 14-31 | Elizabeth of Glamis | 2001– | {{Lbs|Broughty Ferry}} | 232004404 | |
| 1253
| 14-32 | Corinne Whiteley | 2001–2019 | Relief fleet | 232004405 | |
| 1258
| 14-33 | Roy Barker III | 2002– | {{Lbs|Howth}} | 235003642 | |
| 1259
| 14-34 | Willie & May Gall | 2002– | {{Lbs|Fraserburgh}} | 235005113 | |
| 1266
| 14-35 | John Neville Taylor | 2002–2008 | Relief fleet | 235005114 |
| 1275
| 14-38 | Jim Moffat | 2004– | {{Lbs|Troon}} | 235010881 | |
=RNLI relief fleet=
| class="wikitable"
! ON{{efn|name=ON}} ! Op. No.{{efn|name=Op}} ! Name ! Station ! MMSI |
| 1199
| {{nowrap|14-04}} | Roy Barker I | {{nowrap|1995–2024}} | {{Lbs|Alderney}} | 232001870 |
| 1204
| 14-06 | Windsor Runner | 1995–2004 | {{Lbs|Blyth}} | 232001950 | |
| 1205
| 14-07 | Frederick Storey Cockburn | 1995–2023 | {{Lbs|Courtmacsherry Harbour}} | 232001960 | |
| 1206
| 14-08 | Douglas Aikman Smith | 1996–2021 | {{Lbs|Invergordon}} | 232001970 | |
| 1212
| 14-14 | George and Mary Webb | 1996–2023 | {{Lbs|Whitby}} | 232002370 | |
| 1215
| 14-17 | Elizabeth and Ronald | 1996–2021 | {{Lbs|Dunmore East}} | 232002410 | |
| 1223
| 14-19 | Ger Tigchelaar | 1997–2025 | {{Lbs|Arklow}} | 232002182 | |
| 1226
| 14-22 | Edward Duke of Windsor | 1997– | Relief fleet | 232002583 | |
| 1227
| 14-23 | Mora Edith MacDonald | 1997–2024 | {{Lbs|Oban}} | 232002584 | |
| 1234
| 14-26 | Gough Ritchie II | 1998–2025 | {{Lbs|Port St Mary}} | 232003132 | |
| 1274
| 14-37 | Betty Huntbatch | 2003–2004 | Relief fleet | 235010879 | |
=RNLI retired fleet=
| class="wikitable"
! ON{{efn|name=ON}} ! Op. No.{{efn|name=Op}} ! Name ! Former Station ! MMSI |
| 1180
| 14-01 | Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma | {{nowrap|1992–1994}} | Trials | 211883350 | {{nowrap|Sold 2021. Renamed}} Aurora. In Service with Sea-Watch.Org, Lampedusa, Italy.{{cite web |title=Sea-Watch |url=https://sea-watch.org/en/mission/aurora/ |publisher=Sea Watch.org}} |
| 1207
| {{nowrap|14-09}} | Sir Ronald Pechell Bt. | 1995–2008 | {{Lbs|Dunbar}} | | Damaged beyond repair March 2008{{cite web |title=Lifeboat may be a write off |url=https://www.mby.com/news/lifeboat-may-be-a-write-off-34336 |publisher=Motor Boat & Yachting |access-date=25 March 2008}} |
| 1209
| 14-11 | {{nowrap|Barclaycard Crusader}} | 1996–2019 | {{Lbs|Eyemouth}} | 232002350 | Sold 2022. Renamed GNH Crusader, based at Harwich and operated by GNH Marine Services in 2024. |
| 1210
| 14-12 | Forward Birmingham | 1996–2008 | {{Lbs|Exmouth}} | 232002360 | Sold 2024. Reported to be stripped for donor parts.{{cite book |last= Salsbury |first= Alan |title= A History of the Exmouth Lifeboats |year= 2010 |pages= 129–140|isbn=9780857040732 }} |
| 1211
| 14-13 | George and Ivy Swanson | 1996–2021 | {{Lbs|Sheerness}} | 232002180 | Sold 2024. Renamed Steadfast, in private ownership, operating from Lochboisdale |
| 1228
| 14-24 | Dora Foster McDougall | 1997–2006 | Relief fleet | 232002585 | |
| 1267
| 14-36 | Saxon | 2003–2023 | {{Lbs|Donaghadee}} | 235007808 | |
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Trent class lifeboats}}
- [https://rnli.org/what-we-do/lifeboats-and-stations/our-lifeboat-fleet/trent-class-lifeboat RNLI Fleet:Trent Class]
{{RNLI lifeboat classes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trent Class Lifeboat}}