Spirit of Lowestoft
History
British RNLI Flag
OwnerRoyal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
BuilderFairey Marine, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Official Number: ON 1132
Donor:
Station Lowestoft
Cost£2.5 million
Sponsored byThe Lowestoft Appeal with other gifts and legacies
Christened1987
Acquired1987
General characteristics
TypeTyne class
Tonnage31.5 tonnes
Length52 ft 5 in (15.98 m) overall
Beam18 ft 0 in (5.49 m)
Draught1.35m
Installed powerTwin turbo Diesel engine of 1,015 bhp (757 kW) each
Propulsion2 X fixed pitch 5 blade propellers
Speed25 knots (46 km/h)
Range10 hours at 25 knots (46 km/h)
Capacity4,600 litres/1,000 gallons
Crew7 crew including a doctor

RNLB Spirit of Lowestoft (ON 1132) is a Tyne-class[1] lifeboat which was stationed at Lowestoft[2] in the English county of Suffolk.[3] The lifeboat began its service at the station in 1987 and was replaced by a Shannon class boat in 2014.

Notable rescues and awards

On 29 August 1996, Spirit of Lowestoft was launched, along with the Aldeburgh Lifeboat Freddie Cooper (ON 1193) to assist the yacht Red House Lugger which had sent out a mayday signal during a storm. The yacht was approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Lowestoft.[4] On arrival, the lifeboats found that the P&O cargo ferry MV Norking was sheltering the yacht.[4][5] The lifeboats evacuated the yacht's crew, and the Lugger was towed to Harwich, with the rescue taking around 12 hours in total. On 27 November 1996, coxswain of the Spirit of Lowestoft, John Cathpole received the RNLI bronze medal for his part in the rescue.[4]

Museum exhibit

Since 2019, Spirit of Lowestoft has been one of the lifeboats exhibited at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Lifeboatonline.com Station". Tyne Class 47ft. navynuts.com. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Lowestoft Lifeboat Station". RNLI Find my nearest station. RNLI. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  3. ^ OS Explorer Map 231 – Southwold & Bungay. ISBN 978 0 319 23805 9.
  4. ^ a b c Lifeboat Gallantry RNLI medals and how they were won. Edited by:Barry Cox. Published:Spink, London, 1998. Page 403/404.ISBN 0 907605 89 3
  5. ^ "Simplon Postcards – The Passenger Ship Website". P&O North Sea ferry Norking. ©1999-2008 Copyright Ian Boyle/Simplon Postcards. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Marine Industry News: "Spirit of Lowestoft set to live on 'for years to come'", 28 February 2019". Retrieved 8 June 2021.
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