The Y-class lifeboat is a class of small inflatable rescue boat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Y-class boat aboard a Tamar-class lifeboat
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Class overview | |
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Name | Y-class |
Operators | Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
General characteristics | |
Length | 3 m (9.8 ft)[1] |
Propulsion | 1 × 15 hp (11 kW) outboard engine[2] |
Speed | 25 knots (29 mph; 46 km/h) |
Range | Within visual range of ALB |
Complement | 2 |
The Y-class is mainly used as a small tender carried on board the larger RNLI all-weather lifeboats that serve the shores of the UK, and is normally found on the Severn-class[2] and Tamar-class lifeboats,[3] the Arun-class having been retired.[1] They are also used as part of the RNLI's flood rescue team.
When in use, it carries up to a crew of two and is primarily used in cliff incidents where the casualty is near the shore and the all-weather lifeboat cannot safely get to the base of the cliffs due to rocks.[citation needed]
Other small boats operated by the RNLI include the Arancia-class beach rescue boats, the X-class and the XP-class lifeboats.[4]
Launching from Tamar class
editWithin the stern section of the Tamar-class lifeboat is a built-in recessed chamber which houses the small inflatable Y-class lifeboat.[5] Access to this inflatable tender is achieved by lifting a section of deck and lowering a transom which doubles as a ramp. This allows the tender to be easily launched and recovered.
References
edit- ^ a b "Lifeboat Specifications - Current Fleet - Other Boats - Y Class". visiting-cornwall.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ a b "All Weather Lifeboat-Severn Class (ALB)". torbaylifeboat.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
The Severn Class is the largest in the RNLI fleet; it carries a Y class inflatable with a 15 HP outboard
- ^ "2005: The Tamar class lifeboat". rnli.org. RNLI. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "RNLI X+Y Boats". lifeboatsonline.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "Tamar class lifeboat". rnli.org. RNLI. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
The Tamar carries a Y boat, an inflatable powered daughter boat housed under the aft deck, which can be deployed from a hinged door in the transom