Mark I E-002 (left) and Mark II E-07 (right) at Tower Lifeboat Station
Class overview
NameE-class
Operators Royal National Lifeboat Institution
In service2002–present
Completed10
Active4
Retired5
Preserved1
General characteristics
Displacement3.86 tonnes / 5.4 tonnes
Length9 m (30 ft) / 10.5 m (34 ft)
Beam2.94 m (9.6 ft) / 3.5 m (11 ft)
Draught0.67 m (2.2 ft) / 0.7 m (2.3 ft)
PropulsionDiesel powered waterjets
Speed33 knots (61 km/h) / 40 knots (74 km/h)
Endurance4 hours / 3 hours
Capacity20
Complement3 / 4

The E-class lifeboat forms part of the RNLI fleet in the United Kingdom, operating exclusively in the tidal reach of the River Thames in London. The class was introduced in 2002 to serve the tidal reach of the River Thames, which had not previously been covered by an RNLI rescue service, as a result of a much delayed enquiry into the Marchioness disaster in 1989, in which 51 people died. The enquiry criticised the lack of a rescue service for the tidal Thames, and the UK government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Port of London Authority and the RNLI to work together to set up a dedicated Search and Rescue service for this stretch of the river.[1]

There are three different versions of the E-class, described as the Mark I, Mark II and Mark III.
Mark I boats operated from 2002, but their service came to an end with the retirement of Legacy in 2021.
As of December 2023, there are 4 boats in service, three Mark II's, and a Mk III, split between Chiswick Lifeboat Station to the west of central London, and Tower Lifeboat Station at Victoria Embankment in central London.[2]

An E-class boat also originally operated from Gravesend Lifeboat Station to the east of London, but it proved less suitable for the more estuarine conditions found there and was replaced in 2008 with an Atlantic 85, B-827 Olive Laura Deane II.[3]

All versions of the E-class carry a variety of rescue equipment including marine VHF radios, a first aid kit, an emergency defibrillator, a GPS navigation system, night vision equipment, a self-righting system, a radar interrogator, towing equipment, and lighting equipment.[2]

Mark I

Mark I E-005 Legacy on station
Mark I E-002 Olive Laura Deare, retired and on display at Chatham Historic Dockyard

The Mark I boat was an off the shelf design built by Tiger Marine. It is made of an aluminium alloy with a closed cell polythene foam collar, and is powered by two Steyr marine diesel engines delivering 240 horsepower (180 kW) each at 4,100rpm and driving Hamilton waterjets. This combination gives the boats a maximum speed of 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h) and the extreme maneuverability which is essential to enable crews to reach casualties in the fast flowing river.

The boat is 9 metres (30 ft) long, has a beam of 2.94 metres (9 ft 8 in), a draft of 0.64 metres (2 ft 1 in), a displacement of 3.86 tonnes (3.80 long tons; 4.25 short tons), and carries three crew. The maximum endurance at full speed is 4 hours.[2]

Op. No.[lower-alpha 1] Name In service[3] Principal Station Comments[3]
E-001 Public Servant
(Civil Service No.44)		 2002–2012
2012–2015		 Tower
Relief fleet		 Damaged beyond repair, scrapped 2017.
E-002 Olivia Laura Deare 2002–2009
2009–2012		 Gravesend
Relief fleet		 On display at Chatham Historic Dockyard from 2012
E-003 Chelsea Pensioner 2002–2015 Chiswick
E-004 Ray and Audrey Lusty 2004–2012 Tower
E-005 Legacy [4] 2004–2018
2018–2021		 Tower
Chiswick
E-006 Joan and Ken Bellamy [5] 2005–2018 Chiswick Sold.
April 2023, Refit at Diverse Marine, Cowes

Mark II

Mark II E-07 Hurley Burly on station

The Mark II boat was designed by RNLI engineers, incorporating experience gained with the Mark I boats, and built by Marine Specialised Technology in Liverpool. It has a glass epoxy-resin composite hull with a detachable polyurethane covered solid closed-cell foam collar, and is powered by two Volvo marine diesel engines delivering 435 horsepower (324 kW) each at 3,300rpm and driving Hamilton waterjets. This combination gives the boats an improved maximum speed of 40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h).

The boat is 10.5 metres (34 ft) long, has a beam of 2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in) without collar and 3.5 metres (11 ft) with collar, a draft of 0.7 metres (2 ft 4 in), a displacement of 5.4 tonnes (5.3 long tons; 6.0 short tons), and carries four crew. The maximum endurance at full speed is 3 hours.[2]

Op. No.[lower-alpha 1] Name In service[3] Principal Station Comments
E-07 Hurley Burly 2012– Tower
E-08 Dougie and Donna B [6] 2012– Chiswick
E-09 Brawn Challenge [7] 2012– Chiswick

Mark III

The Mark III E-class Lifeboat is a Delta 1100TX 11m RIB Lifeboat built by Delta Power Group of Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. The hull is a deep 'V' Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) moulding. It is powered by two Volvo D6-440 marine diesel engines delivering 440 horsepower and driving two Hamilton HJ274 waterjets, with a maximum speed of 45 knots (51mph; 83km/h).

The boat is 11.05 metres (36 ft) long, has a beam of 2.78 metres (9ft 1in) without collar and 3.36 metres (11 ft) with collar, with a displacement of 7780Kg (with four crew). The maximum endurance at full speed is 3 hours.[8]

Op. No.[lower-alpha 1] Name In service[3] Principal Station Comments
E-10[9] Hearn Medicine Chest 2019– Tower

Other

The RNLI also had a Valiant RIB which was allocated the fleet number E-01.[10]

Op. No.[lower-alpha 1] Name In service[3] Principal Station Comments
E-01 Valiant RIB 2001–2003 Enniskillen

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.

References

  1. ↑ "Thames lifeboat service launched". BBC News. 2 January 2002. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "E class lifeboat". RNLI. Archived from the original on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2023). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2023. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society.
  4. ↑ "Lawrence Dallaglio names Thames lifeboat". London SE1. Retrieved 27 May 2004.
  5. ↑ "Couple's lasting lifeboat legacy". Worcester News. Retrieved 2 June 2005.
  6. ↑ "Chiswick Lifeboat Named by Olympic Rowing Champion". WimbledonSW19.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "Ross Brawn names RNLI lifeboat". Motorboat & Yachting. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  8. ↑ Delta 1100TX Lifeboat Operating & Maintenance Manual. Delta Power Group. 1 November 2019.
  9. ↑ "Tower RNLI welcomes its new E class lifeboat, Hearn Medicine Chest (E-10)". RNLI. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Inshore Lifeboat Fleet Archive. RNLI HQ, Poole: RNLI. p. 68.
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