44ft Lifeboat Replacements

Photo HM Coastguard Portree Portree Waveney 'Ralph and Joy Swann' and the boat which replaced her the Trent Class 'Stanley Watson Barker'
Here are a few of the major improvements incorporated into the replacement boats listed below. They all have a top speed of 25 knots, which is at least 10 knots faster than there predecessors. They also have enclosed wheelhouses for greater protection against the elements, as well as upper steering positions for better visibility. Each boat now carries a small inflatable boat to assist rescues in shallow water.
U.S. Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat In 1986 the U.S. Coast Guard started a new project to replace the 44' Motor Lifeboat with a new 47' version. First a preliminary design was drawn up and after tests and considerable refinements, Textron Marine and Land Systems was awarded the contract to finish the design and build a prototype. This boat (CG 47200) was delivered in July 1990 for testing and evaluation, which lasted about 2 years. Many improvements were incorporated into the pre-production models, of which a further 5 were built between April 1992 and December 1994, for testing and evaluation at units around the coast. After further improvements to the design, a contract was awarded to Texton Marine and Land Systems to build 20, 47' Motor Lifeboats, the total number now to be built is 117. On the 13th of May 1997 the first production boat (CG 47206) was delivered to the National Motor Lifeboat School.
U.S. Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat Length 47ft 11 7/8in Beam 14ft Draught 4ft 6in Hoisting Weight 40,000 lbs Speed 25 knots Range 200 n. miles First Built 1990 (prototype) Last Built Still in production Number Built Still in production Crew 4 Engines Twin Detroit Diesel 6V92DDECIII, 435hp each Towing Capacity 150 tons Fuel Capacity 411 gal approx. Construction 5456 Marine Aluminium Built by Texton Marine and Land Systems	Photos U.S. Coast Guard
Canadian Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat The Canadian Coast Guard 47' MLB is a modified version of the U.S. Coast Guard 47' MLB. The contract for the first seven of these boats was awarded to MIL Systems and Metal Craft Marine as a joint venture in 1997. It was also there responsible to upgrade the U.S. version to bring it in line with the Canadian regulations and the requirements of the Canadian Coast Guard. A further 20 boats were contracted out to Victoria Shipyard in British Columbia in August 2001.
Canadian Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat Length 14.63m (48ft) Beam 4.7m (14ft) Draught 1.37m (4ft 6in) Displacement 19.955 tonnes Speed 25 knots Range 200 n. miles First Built 1998 Last Built Still in production Number Built Still in production Crew 4 Engines Twin Caterpillar 3196 diesels, 450hp each Towing Capacity 150 tons Fuel Capacity 1450 litres (318.96 gal) Construction Aluminium Built by MIL/Metal Craft Marine	Photos Canadian Coast Guard
Britain’s (RNLI) Severn and Trent class lifeboats In Britain the RNLI designed and had built two new types of fast afloat lifeboats, the 17m Severn class and the 14m Trent class, to replace there Waveneys (the name given to there 44s). These two boats came into service in 1996 (Severn) and 1994 (Trent), with the last Waveney going out of service on the 24th July 1999.
Severn Class Lifeboat Length 17m (55ft 9in) Beam 5.9m (19.3ft) Draught ? Displacement 41 tonnes Speed 25 knots Range 250 n. miles First Built 1992 (prototype) Last Built Still in production Number Built 46 Crew 6 Engines Twin Caterpillar 3412 TA diesels, 1,050hp each Fuel Capacity 5,500 litres (1,200 gal) approx. Construction Fibre Reinforced Composite (FRC)	Photos Derek Payne
Trent Class Lifeboat Length 14.26m (46ft 9in) Beam 4.9m (16ft 1in) Draught 1.3m (4ft 3in) Displacement 27.5 tonnes Speed 25 knots Range 250 n. miles First Built 1992 (prototype) Last Built Still in production Number Built Still in production Crew 6 Engines Twin MAN D2840LXE diesels, 808hp each Fuel Capacity 4,100 litres (900 gal) approx. Construction Fibre Reinforced Composite (FRC)	Photos Lt. Cdr. Russell Clark