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Clacton on Sea |
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The Naming of the New Lifeboat
The Robert George Alexander
B-744
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Lifeboat Station since 1878 |
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Lifeboat Station since 1878 |
The new Atlantic 75 B-744
B Class Atlantic 75 Rigid Inflatable Inshore Lifeboat
Following the success of the inflatable lifeboat, which was introduced into the RNLI's fleet in 1963, it was obvious by the end of that decade that a larger inshore lifeboat which could operate at night was needed. The RNLI chose a design pioneered by Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare at Atlantic College, South Wales. The boat had a wooden rigid hull topped by an inflatable sponson or tube. The rigid portion of the hull gave the boat greater speed and sea-keeping than was possible with inflatables, and the sponsons added stability. RNLI engineers and technicans at the inshore Lifeboat Centre (ILC) at Cowes developed the design, incorporating strength, stability and the special equipment needed for lifeboat work. In 1972 the first of these new lifeboats which were to be known as the Atlantic 21 class went on station at Hartlepool in Cleveland. Since then Atlantic 21's have been launched on service over 15,000 times, saving over 4,600 lives.
Following on the success of this lifeboat the new Atlantic 75 was developed at ILC Cowes during1992/93 with the first production boat going on station in early 1994. The 75 is a very sophisticated craft being 34centimetres longer overall and 15 centimetres broader than her predecessor, and the name is derived from her length of nearly 7.5m. The hull, constructed of glass re-inforced plastic (GRP) and subdivided into watertight compartments, is now made by Souters of West Cowes and delivered to ILC where the sponson is attached to the hull. The lifeboat is fully fitted out by RNLI staff. A roll bar assembly above the engines on the stern of the boat provided the mounting for a self righting bag, stored flat. In the event of a capsize, a crew member activates a gas bottle to inflate the bag. The lifeboat turns upright in a few seconds.
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The twin 70hp engines are inversion proofed to enable them to restart after capsize, using a method devised by the RNLI. The boat's maximum speed of 32 knots makes her the fastest boat in the RNLI fleet and her hull design provides a softer ride than her predecessor. The three crew it on her delta-shaped console in the centre of the lifeboat, the helmsman steering with one hand on the wheel and adjusting the throttles with the other hand. The new Atlantic 75 will gradually replace the Atlantic 21 and by the year 2000 it is hoped that half of the existing Atlantic stations will have the 32 knot replacement.
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Clacton Lifeboat crew on the Atlantic 75 September 1999
| Atlantic 75 | Atlantic 21 | |||||
| Overall Length | 24ft 7in (7.5m) | 23ft 6in (7.16m) | ||||
| Overall Beam | 8ft 8in (2.64m) | 8ft 2in (2.49m) | ||||
| Length of hull | 20ft 3in (6.17m) | 19ft 4in (5.9m) | ||||
| Weight with crew | Approx 3,200 lbs | Approx 2,600 lbs | ||||
| Draught (at rest) | 32in (0.81m) | 30in (0.76m) | ||||
| Engines | Twin 70hp | Twin 50hp | ||||
| Speed | 32knots | 29knots | ||||
| Duration | 3Hrs at max speed | 3.25Hrs at max speed |
The Atlantic 75 class lifeboat that entered service at Clacton in October 1998 has been named after Robert George Alexander who died in February 1996. At his death Mr. Alexander lived in Middlesex but originally came from Southend. He left his entire residuary estate to the RNLI and it was agreed that this bequest be used to fund this lifeboat for Clacton.
The 'Robert George Alexander' lifeboat was named by Mrs. Naomi Hoare, widow of Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare of Atlantic College, designer of the Atlantic 21.
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| Mrs. Naomi Hoare naming The Lifeboat. She is the widow of Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare of Atlantic Collage. Designer of the Atlantic 21 | Mrs. P. Hawes who spoke on behalf of the executors of the late Mr Robert George Alexander |
Programme
| 1 | National Anthem. |
| 2 | Mr. Richard Walker, Chairman of Clacton Lifeboat Station, opened the proceedings. |
| 3 | Mr. Stephen Hawes, an executor of the estate of the late Robert George Alexander, handed over the lifeboat to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. |
| 4 | Mr. J. Woodhouse, a member of the committee of management of the RNLI, excepted the lifeboat on behalf of the RNLI and formally handed it over to Clacton Lifeboat Station. |
| 5 | Mr. Rob Smith, Station Honorary Secretary, excepted the lifeboat on behalf of the Clacton Lifeboat Station. |
| 6 | Service of Dedication, conducted by the Reverend Norman Issberner of St. Paul's Church Clacton. |
| 7 | The lifeboat was named by Mrs. Naomi Hoare. |
| 8 | A demonstration launching by the lifeboat. |
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A fly-by from The RAF The Launch of the new Lifeboat
Clacton Lifeboat Station Crew 1999
Rob Bradbrook (Senior Helmsman)
| Phil Armstrong | Dave Quested | ||
| Dave Carvey | Peter Richards | ||
| John Clifford | Adrian Rose | ||
| Mark Davey | Pat Shinners | ||
| Tim Dye | Steve South | ||
| John Griggs | Alan Steele | ||
| Tony Leonard | Tim Sutton | ||
| Ian Mantripp | Steve Wride | ||
| Darren Nicholson |
Clacton Branch Officials
President: David Snell
Chairman: Richard Walker
Vice Chairman: Dr. Henry Cochrane
Station Honorary Secretary: Rob Smith
Station Honorary Treasurer: Debbie Holmes
Station Honorary Medical Adviser: Dr. John Lineen
Deputy Launching Authorities: Phil Foster, Jeremy Clark and Roger Johnston
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution wishes to record its thanks to the following for their invaluable support.
First Great Eastern, Clacton Electronics, Grays Scaffolding, The Clacton Sea Cadet Corp; Members of the Clacton St. Johns Ambulance Service; The Clacton Citadel Band; and to the other supporters, helpers and fundraisers who have contributed to the success of the day.
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to Dave Mantripp for supplying some of the Photos on this Website.
