100 YEARS ON SINCE THE RNLI USED TRACTORS TO LAUNCH LIFEBOATS, THE INSTITUTION LOOKS BACK
RNLI lifeboats often take centre stage in rescues, however, many can’t launch without a tractor and the dedicated shore crew. Operators often launch the lifeboat in raging seas and darkness, and a safe, quick launch can make the difference between life and death. The lifeboat and crew might get the public’s attention, but the tractor and the shore crew are the unsung heroes who more than pull their weight – literally.
This year marks 100 years since the RNLI introduced
tractors to launch its lifeboats and the technology nowadays – with the very latest Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLRS) – is unrecognisable to all those years ago.
Prior to the 1920’s, it wasn’t unusual to see horses being used to pull lifeboats through local communities to reach a point where they could safely be launched. In 1920, Captain Howard FJ Rowley, RNLI Chief Inspector of Lifeboats said: ‘If we can find a mechanical means for launching, we shall greatly increase the efficiency, certainty and speed of the service.’
That year, a 35hp Clayton Caterpillar Tractor was trialled at Hunstanton Beach, in Norfolk over flat sands, sand dunes and rocky ground. Despite the tractor once becoming submerged in water, the launch was successful using only crew and four helpers, where under ordinary conditions such a launch would require eight or 10 horses and as many helpers. A year later, the RNLI had purchased 20 Clayton Caterpillar Tractors, adapted and distributed them to stations. By 1928, the four-wheel drive tractor with a 60hp petrol engine, which could cope with steep shingle beaches, was also in service.
RNLI Machinery Trainer Mark Perry said: “The RNLI have progressed not only the development of lifeboats over the years but also the launch and recovery systems associated with the new boats.”
“Volunteers training on the new equipment will spend in the region of 40 hours conducting basic training and learning the full extent of all its capabilities – it’s certainly come a long way since the first tractor was introduced 100 years ago.”
COMPOSITES AND RECREATIONAL BOATING INDUSTRY TEAM UP TO MAKE HEADWAY ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY
European Boating Industry (EBI) and the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA), representing respectively the Recreational Boating and Composites industries at European level, have agreed on a new partnership. The aim is to jointly tackle the key challenges around circularity of composites used in the recreational boating industry and promote sustainable recycling solutions to the supply chain for end-of-life boats.
Following a common understanding of the importance of the circular economy and aiming to find solutions for end-of-life composites, EBI and EuCIA agreed a formal partnership. The aim will be to find common approaches to the key issues of dismantling, recycling, and the future of composites in the recreational boating industry.
The partnership will also follow policy developments at EU level, such as the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the Working Group on End-of-Life boats co-chaired by EBI and the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE). Cooperation will also extend to other composite use industries and related industries, such as the wind energy and the transportation segment.
Composites are the main material used for making hulls, decks and large components in boat building, estimated that 95% of all boats will have composite parts. Given that composite boats have been built already for several decades, the number of boats reaching their end-of-life is expected to increase in the coming years.
Concrete cooperation activities between EuCIA and EBI will include: - Cooperation in the End-of-Life boats Working Group co-chaired by EBI and DG MARE - Exchange of information on dismantling, recycling, new materials, Life Cycle Analysis, and cross-sectoral cooperation
- Joint advocacy, communication activities and cooperation on projects at EU level
14 | The Report • June 2021 • Issue 96
Marine News
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