Forums Forums Local News Wirral lifeboat crews get new £1.2m launch vehicle

Hoylake lifeboat volunteers with their new £1.2m launch vehicle ahead of arrival of new lifeboat. Left to right Ian Farrell, Rob Harrison, Marco Swaine, Ian Davies, Tracy Davies and Gary Clark.
Lifeboat volunteers in Wirral have begun training on a purpose-built £1.2m launch vehicle ahead of the arrival of their new boat later this year.

RNLI Hoylake will be one of the first crews in the UK to get a Shannon class all-weather lifeboat in December, replacing the current Mersey-class boat.

The station’s volunteers are now undergoing intensive training with the boat’s new launch and recovery vehicle, which has already been delivered and will help crews reach people in need even faster than before.

It is to be named the Roland Hough after a Hoylake businessman whose family made a generous donation to the charity to fund its provision.

As Hoylake’s lifeboat has to be able to launch at all states of the tide, the launch vehicle needs to be able to tow it well over one mile across the East Hoyle Sandbank to reach the tideline.

The existing tractor can pull the station’s current Mersey-class lifeboat at 7mph but the new launch and recovery vehicle will be able to tow the new lifeboat at 10 mph to its launch site.



Read More Click Me

Utmost respect to these guys

Yup - amazing people deserve amazing kit. That vehicle looks impressive!

Always thought it was a silly place to have a lifeboat station when theres no water there most of the time. Watched the old tractor take ages getting the boat out to low water. hopefully this will speed things up abit