RNLI crew to get 'cutting-edge' lifeboat

The Shannon will replace a Severn lifeboat which has served Falmouth RNLI for 23 years

One of Cornwall's busiest RNLI stations is set to receive a new lifeboat featuring state-of-the-art technology.

The charity said the crew, based in Falmouth, would get a Shannon class lifeboat, that will officially go on service in 2025, alongside the station's current Atlantic 85 vessel.

The Shannon is propelled by water jets which makes it more agile and has technology that allows crew members to access navigational information from anywhere in the boat's wheelhouse, the RNLI said.

Lifeboat operations manager at Falmouth, Nick Lewis, said: "This is really exciting news for the station."

'Training and familiarisation'

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the RNLI fleet and it will replace the Severn lifeboat that has served the Falmouth station for 23 years.

Designed entirely in-house by a team of RNLI engineers, the charity said it had harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure the new lifeboat meets the demands of the station.

Mr Lewis said the crew will have "a period of training and familiarisation before the lifeboat goes officially on service in 2025".

"While a final training schedule is yet to be confirmed, it’s likely that we will have two all-weather lifeboats in Falmouth for the next few months while the training is carried out," he added.

RNLI area operations manager, Dickon Berriman, added: "Falmouth is one of the busiest lifeboat stations in Cornwall.

"The Shannon is the right vessel to take them into the RNLI’s next century of lifesaving."