Category: Lifeboats

HJ58 PKN, HG58 BZY Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Land Rover Defenders

S322 JSE Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Scania 94D 220 lifeboat launching truck for the Macduff Lifeboat in Aberdeenshire. Notice the stabilisers.

RNLI Lifeboat Brawn Challenge, based at Westminster, London

K792 NCT Humber Rescue Massey Ferguson tractor with inshore rescue boat.

Watch a video of this vehicle in action!

BPR 667T County Tractor MB-764 that is used to launch and retrieve the inshore vessel at Hayling Island. This specially adapted tractor can wade in depth of up to 1.5 metres and is waterproof up as high as the roof. The tyres are filled up to three-quarters full with sea water. This helps prevent the tractor from floating in deep water.



The rear view of the cab.



The winch and massive tyres.

This RNLI rib is based at Hayling Island, Hampshire.



The rear view of the rib, looking out across the beach to the sea.



Hayling Island Lifeboat Station.

SF58 MVZ A RNLI tractor used for launching a small rib at Hayling Island, Hampshire.



The side view.



The rear view.

A yellow inshore rescue boat with a smaller orange boat attached.



A look at the operator’s logo: LEPE Inshore Rescue and Youth Marine Training Academy.



A look at the vessel from behind.

Yarmouth’s lifeboat is this Severn Class vessel named Eric and Susan Hiscock (Wanderer).



A view from the rear.

This photograph shows an RNLI inshore rescue team coming the aid of a stricken vessel near Tynemouth.

RNLB Fraser Flyer (17-17) is a £880,000 boat that is part of the RNLI’s reserve fleet. It takes over at various lifeboat stations when the home vessel is out of service. The ruins of Tynemouth Priory can be seen in the background on this shot.



A closer look at the vessel.



A closer look at the vessel.



Here it tows a stricken vessel back to harbour.

Michael and Jane Vernon is the Severn-Class lifeboat based at Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands. It has been in service at the station since 1997 and carries a small Y-class inflatable.



The rear view of the 17m long lifeboat. Its two 1200 hp engines can propel it up to 25 knots.

Sandown and Shanklin’s inshore rescue boat outside the team’s base.

F146 NPM Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat use this Matbro tractor unit to launch their boat. Based on the Isle of Wight, they work alongside three RNLI stations.



A second view of the tractor in use.

LK11 GXT Used to launch Queensferry’s inshore rescue boat is this RNLI tractor unit. The yellow tractor has a special feature whereby the driver’s seat and controls can rotate to face forwards or backwards. This is useful as there isn’t much space to do a u-turn on the slipway. On this shot you can see that the yellow rear registration plate appears to be on the front!

Seahouses’ Mersey Class lifeboat 12-16, named RNLB Grace Darling after a local heroine.

L784 JNT A Talus MB-H launching tractor. It is used to launch and retrieve the RNLI’s Mersey Class lifeboat in Seahouses, Northumberland. It can drive into water up to 5 feet deep (1.5m) using a joystick control. It replaced a similar B-registration vehicle that can be seen elsewhere on this site.

V7 ADC Here a vehicle used by the Glasgow Humane Society carries one of the rescue craft on its roof rack.



The rear view on a different occasion when it is towing a boat with another rescue boat affixed on top. Different waterways in Greater Glasgow require different craft and can be dangerous especially in the winter months with frozen waterways and floating ice slabs.

V7 ADC This vehicle is owned privately and operated on a voluntary basis by one of the society officers for use by the Glasgow Humane Society.



The rear view showing the orange and blue chevrons, red LED double lights inside the back window and a tow bar for towing boats and equipment.

HG56 LNY This Land Rover Defender is used by the RNLI to drive team members to the nearby lifeboat and to tow smaller craft. It is seen here outside the base in Larne. Notice the additions of a front winch (covered), two spotlights and a tow hook on the front.



The rear view of the Land Rover. It has two further spotlights on the rear and carries no high visibility markings.

Lifeboat 17-30 is named RNLB William Gordon Burr. It is based at Portrush, County Armagh.



The stern view.

Lifeboat 17-04 is called the Spirit of Guernsey and is based at St. Peter Port on the Channel Island.



The stern view of the Severn Class vessel.

Ryde’s inshore rescue lifeboat is seen here in action.

Moelfre’s lifeboat is a Tyne Class vessel and helps to cover the Anglesey area of Wales.



A view inside the lifeboat as it slides down the slipway into the sea.

This lifeboat in the RNLB The Whiteheads which is a Mersey Class vessel based at St. Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly. It has a range of 250 nautical miles.

The stern view of the life-saving craft, showing the lightweight crane to launch and recover a small Y-boat.

The small boat used to access the moored lifeboat.

Venturers Search and Rescue operate this beach rescue rib which is towed by a all-terrain vehicle. It has a small blue strobing beacon mounted on the roll bar.

This is all weather lifeboat Gough Ritchie II, a Trent Class vessel. It was new to Port St. Mary in 1998 and cost £1.2m.

HJ58 PKM is a Land Rover Defender 110 used by the flood rescue unit. It is seen here with the rigid inflatable boat that it carries to flood incidents. Blue lights are fitted in the grill as well as clear LED’s on the roof rack.

Here a RNLI E-class inshore lifeboat liaises with a Metropolitan Police launch on the Thames.

This unusual vehicle is a lifeboat launching tractor used by SARA. Notice the blue light bar fitted to the rear. Such a vehicle can only be used on private land with the blue light bar fitted. To be used on the roads, it requires an official dispensation to do so by the Secretary of State. Only the RNLI have a blanket exemption for lifeboat launching vehicles with blue flashing lights.