Liverpool-class lifeboat

The Liverpool-class motor lifeboat was a non-self-righting lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from its stations around the coast of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The boats were designed for carriage launching and were developed from the Liverpool-Class Pulling and Sailing type of lifeboats. There were two types built, single and twin engined.

History The Liverpool-class lifeboat, designed by Scottish naval architect James Rennie Barnett, was derived from the 35ft 6in Self-righting motor-class lifeboat and had many similarities with it. Lifeboat men at many stations preferred non-self-righting lifeboats due to their better stability and the Liverpool-class was designed to be light enough for carriage launching at these stations. The single-engined version entered service in 1932 and was powered by an RNLI designed, Weyburn Engineering built AE6 six-cylinder petrol engine mounted in a watertight compartment. Like all early motor lifeboats, the Liverpool class carried an auxiliary sailing rig and had a drop keel just forward of the engine room. 28 boats were built between 1931 and 1941.

The introduction of tractors to assist with carriage launching enabled the RNLI to consider a heavier, twin-engined version of the Liverpool class and a prototype was ordered, but it was destroyed in an air-raid at the builder's yard at Cowes in May 1942. Production got underway early in 1945 and the boat was powered by two Weyburn AE4 four-cylinder petrol engines mounted in a watertight compartment. The extra redundancy of twin engines reduced the need for auxiliary sails. 31 boats were built between 1945 and 1954, the last 16 of which were powered by twin Ferry Kadenacy FKR3 3-cylinder Diesel engines.

Description The Liverpool-class was based on the Self-righting motor introduced in 1929, but had greater beam ( rather than ) and much shallower end-boxes. The shelter was extended forward to cover the engine compartment, which was watertight and allowed the engine to continue to operate as long as the air intake was not submerged. The single propeller was protected by the keel. The twin-engined variant was visually very similar but had more beam and the twin propellers were in protective tunnels.

In the mid-1960s, the petrol engines in the first ten twin-engined boats were replaced by Perkins 4.107 4-cyl. diesel engines (as were a couple of the later Ferry-engined boats). Only one single-engined boat, Lucy Lavers (ON 832), was re-engined, with a 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle 4-cyl. diesel engine.

Fleet Single engine ON Name Built Station Comments 750 Oldham 1931 1931–1952 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, gift of the Oldham LB fund, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,995. Sold 1952.Renamed Grey Lass but broken up at Hoylake, November 1955. 760 Anne Allan 1932 1932–1953 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs Allen, built by Thornycroft of Chiswick, costing £3,340. Sold 1953.Restored to original condition, at Padstow, September 2025. 764 Nellie and Charlie 1933 1933–1950 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr Neil Robertson of Pitlochry, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,416. Sold April 1951.At R.W. Davis & Sons Ltd. Sharpness, September 2024. 765 Fifi and Charles 1933 1933–1962 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr C. C. Ashley of Monton, France, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,207. Sold October 1962.Renamed Wyvern. Last reported at Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France, August 2008. 766 1933 1933–1934 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs E. B. Browne, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,187. Renamed Robert Patton - The Always Ready at the naming ceremony in 1934, following the loss of Coxswain Robert Patton, who died in February 1934, nine days after being badly injured on service. 766 Robert Patton - The Always Ready 1933 1934–1954 Sold May 1954.Renamed Alaska, later Alaska I. Now as The Always Ready at Saul Junction Marina, Gloucestershire, April 2025. 770 Harriot Dixon 1934 1934–1964 Cromer No.2 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr Dixon, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,317. Sold December 1964.Renamed Sareter. Now under restoration as Harriot Dixon at Stiffkey, Norfolk, December 2025. 771 The Three Sisters 1934 1934–1954 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Miss Quiller-Couch, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,248. Sold 1954.Renamed Gay Dawn 2, Patricia Mary, Coverack and finally Silent Waters. Wheelhouse added, but was broken up at Rhos-on-Sea, October 2008.772Elizabeth and Albina Whitley1934 1934–1948 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr Whitley, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,295. Sold January 1953.In storage as Albina at Stiffkey, Norfolk, December 2025 1948–1952 Reserve fleet773Joseph Braithwaite1934 1934–1949 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr Braithwaite, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,210. Sold December 1952.Last reported in storage as Seahawk in a back garden in Barry, Wales, January 2019. 1950–1952 Reserve fleet781W.R.A.1935 1936–1954 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacies of Mr Gardiner, Miss Savage and Miss Matthews, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,447. Sold 1958 to Guatemala Lifeboat Service, taking up service in 1959. See below. 1954–1958 Reserve fleet782Margaret Dawson1935 1936–1952 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs M. Dawson, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,437. Sold 1956.Renamed LL23, Storm, Viking II and finally Viking. Wrecked and later broken up at Holyhead, June 2018. 1952–1955 Reserve fleet 786 Foresters Centenary 1936 1936–1961 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, gift of the Ancient Order of Foresters, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,569. Sold 1961.On display since 2004 at The Mo Sheringham Museum, December 2025.791Elizabeth Wills Allen1936 1936–1950 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, funded via the executors of the late Miss Allen, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,776. Sold February 1953.Awaiting restoration at Stiffkey, Norfolk, December 2025. 1950–1953 Reserve fleet792Annie Ronald and Isabella Forrest1936 1936–1949 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, gift of Miss A. Ronald and legacy of Mrs I. Forest, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,771. Sold March 1965.Named ARIF, at Bedwells Yard, Walton-on-the-Naze, August 2025. 1949–1952 Reserve fleet 1952–1953 1953–1956 Reserve fleet 1956–1958 1958–1959 Reserve fleet 1959–1964 793Clarissa Langdon1937 1937–1962 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr W. Langdon, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,669. Sold March 1965.Renamed Homewards, a workboat at Foula, Shetland Islands, December 2023. 1962–1963 Reserve fleet 1963 1963–1965 Reserve fleet794Richard Silver Oliver1937 1937–1939 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs Oliver, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £3,684. Capsized on exercise at Cullercoats with the loss of 6 lives, 22 April 1939. Sold 1963, to the Chilean Lifeboat Service, renamed Valparaiso II and stationed at Lirquén, Chile. See below. 1940–1945 1945–1952 1953–1961 1961–1963 Reserve fleet795Frank and William Oates1937 1937–1951 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr Oates, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,835. Sold 1964.Renamed Seren-Y-Mor, fishing / trip boat at Tenby, September 2025. 1952–1955 1956–1963 Reserve fleet 1963–1964 796 Herbert John 1937 – () x Liverpool-class lifeboat, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,838. Destroyed by fire at the builder's yard, 18 June 1937.797Howard D1937 1937–1948 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, gift of Mr T. B. Davies, built by Saunders-Roe of Cowes, costing £3,623. Under German control at St Helier 1940–1945. Sold 1964.Floating display, at Jersey Maritime Museum, July 2025. 1948–1953 1953–1956 1956–1962 Reserve fleet 1962–1963 1963–1964 Reserve fleet 798 Ann Isabella Pyemont 1937 1937–1965 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, gift of Mr J. Pyemont, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,908. Sold 1966.Renamed Ann Isabella LO 61, modified (shortened stern) fishing boat, at Blakeney, Norfolk, December 2025. 799Helen Sutton1937 1937–1952 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, funded via the executors of the late Mrs Sutton, built by Saunders-Roe of Cowes, costing £3,637. Sold 1958 to Guatemala Lifeboat Service, taking up service in 1959. See below. 1952–1958 Reserve fleet800Sarah Ann Austin1937 1937–1961 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs S. A. Walker and gift of the governors of the charity Skelton Bounty, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £3,896. Sold August 1965.As Sarah Ann Austin on River Deben at Woodbridge, Suffolk, October 2023. 1962–1965 Reserve fleet825Herbert John1939 1939–1952 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs S. A. Walker and gift of the governors of the charity Skelton Bounty, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £4,054. Sold 1966.Renamed Sea Drift, Paua, and Alexis. Restored to original condition as Herbert John at Southwold, June 2024. 1952–1966 827George and Elizabeth Gow1939 1939–1943 Aberdeen No.2 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mrs E. L. Gow, built by Morgan Giles of Teignmouth, costing £4,709. Sold 1965.Renamed Clan Mackenzie, later The Gow. Now restored to original condition as George and Elizabeth Gow on the Yonne (river) at Migennes, France, December 2024. 1943–1946 RAF, Azores 1947–1962 Aberdeen No.2 1962–1964 Reserve fleet831Caroline Oates Aver and William Maine1939 1940–1948 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacies of Mrs Aver and Miss Maine, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £4,290. Sold July 1960.Last reported as fishing boat Caroline and William at Barmouth, 1969. 1948–1960 Ferryside832Lucy Lavers1939 1940–1959 Aldeburgh No.2 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Mr Laver and the estate of Mr E. J. Williams, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £4,455. Re-engined with twin 47-hp Parsons Porbeagle 4-cyl. diesel engines, 1963. This lifeboat was one of the Little Ships of the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.Sold 1968. Fully restored tour boat at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, December 2025. 1959–1964 Reserve fleet 1964 1964–1968 Reserve fleet833The Cuttle1940 1940–1953 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Miss L. F. Cuttle, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £4,444. Sold August 1966.Lost off the Île d'Oléron, France, 6 October 1967. 1953–1964 1964–1966 Reserve fleet834Jose Neville1941 1941–1964 x Liverpool-class lifeboat, legacy of Miss E. Neville, built by Groves and Guttridge of Cowes, costing £4,474. Sold August 1966.Renamed Concorde LT 267, fishing vessel at Southwold, Renamed Valas by 2001, at Slaughden Quay, Aldeburgh, July 2024. 1964–1966 Reserve fleet

Twin engine All twin-engined Liverpool-class lifeboat were x