Â£2m lifeboat for Fleetwood nears finish

Fleetwood's new Shannon-class lifeboat takes shape in the RNLI boatyard at Poole, Dorset.

Costing over £2 million, the Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat has several performance advantages over the current Tyne-class vessel, William Street.

The new vessel, currently under construction at the RNLI boat yard in Poole, Dorset, is the first lifeboat to use water jets, instead of propellers and is capable of reaching 25 knots, 50 per cent faster than the lifeboat it replaces.

It is due to come to Fleetwood on June 26 and large crowds are expected to greet its arrival.

The Kenneth James Pierpoint is named after a young RAF pilot, who died in the Second World War and was the brother of Kathleen Mary Pierpoint, the generous benefactor who help fund the new boat for RNLI Fleetwood.

Senior members from Fleetwood Lifeboat Station, took the opportunity to visit the RNLI’s dedicated boatbuilding facility in Poole, Dorset, to see how the new lifeboat is coming along.

Captain Dave Eccles, lifeboat operations manager at RNLI Fleetwood said: “The hard work starts here for the volunteer shore and Lifeboat crew.

“There’ll be a lot of training to be completed before the new lifeboat is commissioned.

“But these are also exciting times for RNLI Fleetwood team and their supporters.”