Whitby Lifeboat Marks Quarter of a Century

Monday, 12 April 2021 07:30

By Matthew Pells

The George and Mary Webb has been celebrating 25 years in service.

Whitby's all weather lifeboat George and Mary Webb arrived in the town 25 years ago.

It is number 14 of 38 Trent class lifeboats to be built by the RNLI and has been involved in hundreds of rescues over her quarter century.

Trent class lifeboat was developed in the early 1990s and introduced into the RNLI fleet in 1994.

She is designed to lie afloat, either at deep-water moorings or alongside at a berth.

It was the RNLI's first all-weather lifeboat capable of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles. The Trent is fast and agile enough to respond quickly in all kinds of weather and sea conditions. She is ideal for offshore searches and rescues and has the power to tow large boats to safety.

The Trent lifeboat’s propellers and rudders lie in partial tunnels set into the hull. The tunnels, along with the two bilge keels, provide excellent protection from damage in shallow water. The lifeboat features one of the first hard chine (angled) hull designs for the RNLI. And the low line of her hull makes recovering casualties much easier.

As with all of the RNLI all-weather lifeboats, the Trent class is inherently self-righting. Should she capsize in severe weather, she will automatically right herself within a few seconds.

The Trent’s engine room is aft (at the stern of the boat) and space limitations led to a novel engine layout.

One of the engines is turned around, driving the propeller in a conventional way, while the other works through a V drive.

The Trent lifeboat carries a small XP boat, which is an inflatable daughter boat with a 5hp outboard engine capable of 6 knots. This allows the crew to access areas the Trent cannot reach.

The Trent also carries a portable salvage pump in a watertight container which can be taken onboard boats taking on water to try and save them from sinking.

The last Trent class lifeboat was built in 2003 and the lifeboats now undergo a regular condition-based maintenance regime.

Our all weather lifeboat George and Mary Webb arrived in #Whitby 25 years ago today. Number 14 of 38 Trents to be built by the @RNLI, she has been involved in hundreds of rescues and provided a safe vessel for our volunteer crew. We think she looks as good as the day she arrived. pic.twitter.com/f3UPo4fVt6
— WHITBY RNLI (@WHITBYRNLI) April 11, 2021

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