Beaumaris RNLI Lifeboat Station welcomed its new modern new lifeboat on Friday 15 January, while bidding a sad farewell to the Blue Peter II lifeboat, which has had over nine years on active service along the Menai Strait.
The new Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat is the most advanced inshore lifeboat ever produced by the RNLI. Able to reach casualties faster than the Blue Peter it can reach speeds of up to 35 knots and features advanced technology to enhance its lifesaving capabilities.
The Blue Peter II was one of seven lifeboats provided by the viewers of the Blue Peter Television programme. It came on active service in Beaumaris on 4 September 2000 and since then has notched up an impressive record of answering 578 calls, 186 of those were at night and 25 involved air cooperation. Blue Peter II saved the lives of 19 people and brought an additional 616 people ashore for their own safety and has in total spent 555.6 hours at sea on rescue missions.
At a cost of £160,000, the arrival of the new Atlantic 85 lifeboat is down to the legacy of the late Mr John Grover Liddington who wanted the boat named in memory of his mother, Annette Mary Liddington. Fundraising efforts were also undertaken by the lifeboat station’s crew and its associated five RNLI Guilds.
Mr Liddington’s legacy has also funded a second Atlantic 85 lifeboat at Bundoran in Ireland, which is to be named William Henry Liddington in memory of his father.
The 8.3 metre long Atlantic 85 is fitted with a radar system, radio direction finding equipment and a sophisticated chart plotter to aid search and rescue operations, particularly in low visibility conditions. It will also have the capacity to carry more casualties than its predecessor.
Derek Lumb, RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager at Beaumaris says:
‘The arrival of the Atlantic 85 lifeboat is an exciting day for Beaumaris RNLI Lifeboat Station and its volunteer crew. As the joint busiest inshore RNLI lifeboat station in Wales during the summer of 2009, this will greatly enhance our capability at the station and enable us to provide a faster service along the Menai Strait.
‘The RNLI is a charity which relies on voluntary contributions and legacies and we are very grateful to the late Mr Liddington for supporting the RNLI.’
The Blue Peter II will join the RNLI’s training and relief fleet and continue to play a vital role in saving lives.
