D_class_lifeboat_(EA16)

D-class lifeboat (EA16)

D-class lifeboat (EA16)

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The D-class (EA16) lifeboat is a class of inflatable boat operated since 1987 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has been replaced operationally by the D-class (IB1), but many are still used as part of the relief fleet, as boarding boats for the larger classes of lifeboat[1] and by the RNLI Flood Rescue Team.

Quick Facts Class overview, General characteristics ...

The type designator EA16 stands for Evans Avon 16.[2]

Utilization

For more than 60 years the D-class has served as the workhorse of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) fleet. The D-class is one of the few RNLI types not to feature a rigid hull. The D-class was specifically designed as a light and highly manoeuvrable rapid response craft, especially suited to close shore work.

Design and construction

RNLB Inbhear Deas (D-518), which is now part of the Flood Rescue team.

The D-class lifeboat consists of two sponsons, together housing seven inflatable segments intersected by baffles. The main construction fabric is Hypalon-coated Nylon which provides a durable, non-tear surface.

This was one of the smaller classes of lifeboat operated by the RNLI, and they were a common sight at lifeboat stations around the coast. Unlike other members of the ILB fleet, the D-class does not have a rigid hull; all others, with the exception of the Arancia, hovercraft, and ALB Tenders, are Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs).

The D-class normally had a crew of three or four and was primarily used for surfer/swimmer incidents as well as assisting in cliff incidents where the casualty was near the water. The very nature of its work required a swift response, and the D-class can normally be afloat within five minutes of the pagers going off.[citation needed]

Fleet

D-311 - D-399

More information Op. No., Name ...

D400 - D-499

More information Op. No., Name ...

D500 - D-576

More information Op. No., Name ...
  1. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat.
  2. The Op. No. of Boarding boats is changed from D- to BB-

References

  1. "Lifeboats Online - Boarding Boats". Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. Lifeboat Fleet Archive. RNLI HQ, Poole: RNLI. pp. 61–65.
  3. Lifeboat Fleet Archive. RNLI HQ, Poole: RNLI. pp. 61–65.
  4. Lifeboat Fleet Archive. RNLI HQ, Poole: RNLI. pp. 61–65.

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