Friday 11 July 2008

England Part IX - Lifeboats

There are three important parts to a Lifeboat....

First, the pointy end in the front... this end hits the water first.

Next, the not so pointy end at the back...

... and this bit is somewhere in the middle.
Lifeboat "LESTER" is a Tamar class lifeboat at Cromer Lifeboat Station in Norfolk. It's the latest design of an all-weather lifeboat with state-of-the-art technology, and is pretty pricey at £2.6 million.
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The Tamar class lifeboat is 16m long, 5m wide, weighs 31.5 tonnes and has 2 engines producing 1000 horse power each, and carries 4600 litres of fuel on board. There are 7 crew seats and it has 6 computer screens.
Or to put it another way:
The lifeboat is as long as family cars, as wide as 2½, as heavy as 19, is as powerful as 14 and carries enough fuel to fill up 66 family cars.

This Lifeboat Station has a remarkable history of wartime rescues with 139 rescues between 1939 and 1945, saving 450 lives. And it's available 24 hours aday for anyone in trouble on the high seas.

"LESTER" was launched in 2007...

OK, I didn't take this picture myself, I admit it. But wouldn't it be thrilling to see this rescue vessel launched down the slipway and into the ocean?
The brave Lifeboat crew do a fantastic job.

For previous posts about my vacation in England please scroll down. For the posts yet to come (Yes, there are still a couple more in the planning stages!) keep checking in!

8 comments:

  1. Great photos, ex-S.. and I see we share the same nautical lingo! ;)

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  2. I'm greatful for those who risk their lives to save others. Very interesting post today.

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  3. What an amazing boat! But it looks like a wet soaking experience.

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  4. The lifeboat men are indeed brave and many of them are volunteers too, and paid by charity. The Lifeboat Association is one of the most popular charities over here.

    The new lifeboats are really state of the art. The old ones were really safe, but small. They rode the waves well but disasters did happen. Padstowe lifeboat for example.

    Did you like the East Anglian coast?

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  5. Sorry. Don't know what came over myself! It was the Penlee lifeboat disaster, not Padstow.

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  6. I am an avid supporter of the RNLI, if I lived closer to the sea I would be a more hands on supporter.
    Fantastic pics and just for info the front is the bow, the rear is the stern, and the middle bit amidships! lol!

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  7. This is AMAZING! I have never seen or heard of a Lifeboat of this magnitude! All I could think about was how different things are today, in terms of Lifeboats....
    The History of yhese boats is quite fascinating. The record of lives saved during WW2 is extraordinary! Again, you have seen something so very unusual there in The UK.

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  8. You took so much in while you were in England. The people who man the lifeboats are really brave and dedicated. Great pictures.

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All comments welcome.... unless your name is Anonymous..