101 SPONSORED BY PREMIER NOSS ON DART
NEWS FROM THE RNLI LIFEBOAT TEAM IN DARTMOUTH
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) announced on 13 April 2018 the exciting news that a B class inshore lifeboat will join the fleet at Dartmouth for a two year trial. Dart lifeboat station currently has a single engined
smaller D class inshore lifeboat but following a review at the start of 2017 it has now been decided that the station will receive the larger twin engined lifeboat on trial to test its suitability for the area. Dart’s current D class lifeboat operates, often at night, in
very challenging and diverse waters with strong wind and tide conditions. So the addition of the faster and larger B class lifeboat will benefit the station in being able to meet the demand of the rescues they face. Simon Crayfourd, Area Lifesaving Manager, says: ‘The
review has indicated a potential need for a B class lifeboat stationed at Dartmouth based on the number and type of incidents that the station has responded to over the last five years. The current lifeboat is sometimes operating close to the limit of its capability so the larger lifeboat increases the effectiveness of our response to a casualty.’ The trial will start later this year, with a review taking
place after two years looking at the success of the trial and whether a B class will be placed permanently at Dart lifeboat station.
B CLASS ATLANTIC LIFEBOAT The Dart RNLI volunteers will be trained on an Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat. She carries a seated crew of three and has a capacity for 20 casualties. She is one of the fastest lifeboats in the fleet with a top speed of 32 knots. She is powered by two 75hp Yamaha engines as opposed to the single 50hp engine on the D class. The B class has a manually operated righting mechanism in the event of a capsize, which involves inflating a bag on top of the roll bar over the stern. Her engines are inver- sion-proofed so that they shut down should she capsize and can be restarted after she has been re-righted. Although she is an inshore lifeboat designed to operate in shallower water, the B class can handle fairly challeng- ing open sea conditions as well – force 7 near gale winds in daylight and force 6 at night.
Manoeuverability The B class lifeboat is ideal for rescues close to shore and near cliffs and rocks – areas inaccessible to all weather life- boats. She can also be beached in an emergency without damage to her engines. Night-time rescues. Many rescues by the Dart crew take place in the dark and can involve being close to dangerous cliffs and manmade structures. In addition to night vision equipment, the B class lifeboat
carries a searchlight and parachute illuminating flares to light up the surrounding area, helping to keep crew members safe as well as locate those in need of help. The medical equipment stowed onboard includes oxygen and full resuscitation kit, responder bag and a multi-purpose ambulance pouch. A stretcher can be carried if needed. Communications. These are similar to those on the D class. Fitted and hand-held VHF radios, an onboard global positioning system and an elec- tronic chart. Hopefully, the increased height of the aerial will improve communications up river but it will still be necessary to work closely with the local Coastguard SAR team. Launching It is planned that the lifeboat will be kept afloat for the duration of the trial. Training. The current lifeboat crew have entered a period of intensive training to make sure that everyone is fully signed off on their learning targets in relation to the D class lifeboat so that when the trial begins the training can be completely focused on the B class. Many of the skills learnt by the D class crew will be directly transferable to the larger boat. Training will take place based on the Dart lifeboat station and other parts, such as self-righting the boat in the Sea Survival centre, take place at the Lifeboat College in Poole.
News, details of launches, photographs and videos can be found on the Dart station website.
www.dartlifeboat.org.uk or the station Facebook page
www.facebook.com/dartrnlilifeboat John Fenton, RNLI Dart Lifeboat Press Officer & Education Volunteer
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132
