Amazing drone footage shows how manoeuvrable this £2m RNLI lifeboat truly is
We often hear about the lifesaving heroics of the RNLI’s multi-million pound fleet, but it’s not often that you actually get to see an RNLI lifeboat in action.
Luckily for us, when Ollie Phillips of Berthon Boat Company recently got a chance to sea trial a Shannon-class RNLI lifeboat, he was followed by a drone camera.
In this video, the lifeboat shows off its amazing handling skills, which are largely thanks to the Hamilton HJ364 Waterjets.
As a result, Ollie is able to spin the 44ft vessel in its own length before pirouetting around a buoy in graceful fashion.
Out on the open water, we get to see how the 25-knot RNLI lifeboat copes with an emergency stop, before Ollie finishes his demonstration with a tight turn between three buoys in a busy marina.
Over the past two years, Berthon has built 12 Shannon-class lifeboats for the RNLI at its facility in Lymington, and the vessel featured in this video, Ian Grant Smith, is now on station at RNLI Montrose.
The Shannon class is the latest addition to the RNLI’s fleet and the lifeboat charity hopes to add 50 more vessels within the next eight years.
