Sharing some photos taken by Bob Kerr who assists Lerwick Lifeboat Station with their social media listings and news. We were invited to assist Lerwick Lifeboat with a towing exercise on the evening of Thursday 14th April and it was our pleasure as always. This training exercise provided valuable experience for all crew, allowing them to practice important skills such as safely attaching tow lines, taking a boat under tow and manoeuvring a boat without power alongside a safe berth in the harbour .
Come July it will be two years since Lerwick lifeboat crew members celebrated the 90th anniversary of the station’s first lifeboat ‘The Lady Jane & Martha Ryland’. The 51ft ‘Barnett-class’ lifeboat was named by the Duchess of Montrose in June 1932 as a crowd of over 2,000 people looked on. With two 60-horsepower petrol engines, and a top-speed of just under nine knots, the Barnett-class was the most powerful RNLI lifeboat in production at the time.
The above named lifeboat was then replaced with another Barnett-class lifeboat (Mk II) – ‘The Claude Cecil Staniforth’, which arrived in Lerwick in 1958 and remained in service for 20 years until 1978. This was then replaced with Arun-class lifeboat ‘Soldian’ which serviced from 1978 until 1997, when the current Severn-class ‘Michael and Jane Vernon’ took up service.
The current 17-metre (56 feet) all-weather lifeboat is the largest and most powerful in the RNLI’s fleet, with two “MTU” engines that produce up to 1600 horsepower, a top speed of 25 knots and a range of 250 nautical miles.
Over the years, the many coxwain’s and volunteer crews of Lerwick Lifeboat have been decorated for several extraordinary rescue operations, they have won many awards for their outstanding bravery, saving over 800 lives. Their service has been recognised with 62 RNLI Gallantry Awards.
The RNLI is a charitable organisation and with water all around our islands, they need all the support they can get. The Lerwick Lifeboat Station has a shop which can be accessed via Commercial Street. You can pick up the perfect gift or souvenir, they have homewares, clothing, tasty treats, toys, greeting cards and much much more. The shop is run by volunteers, and all profits help save lives at sea.
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