The McLachlan-class lifeboat was one of a group of rigid-hull Inshore lifeboats, developed after the success of the smaller Inshore lifeboats, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The lifeboats, re-designated as lifeboats in 1972, operated from 1967 to 1988.
History Following the success of the introduction of small fast Inshore lifeboats in 1963, it was quickly seen that a larger class of Inshore boat would bridge the gap between the smaller D-class, and the standard All-weather lifeboats. These boats would have a rigid hull, capable of being moored afloat, and offering the option of being a boarding boat, but still be fast, and easy to launch. The first of these was the lifeboat in 1966.
The McLachlan-class lifeboat was the second type of the rigid-hull fast Inshore lifeboats in service with the RNLI from the 1960s. It was designed by J. Allen McLachlan MRINA, a naval architect, former RNLI chief draughtsman and partner at longtime yacht and lifeboat designers G. L. Watson & Co. of Glasgow.
The first trial boat, numbered 18-02 by the RNLI, was built by W. A. Souter of Cowes. The boat was constructed from three layers of mahogany with foam-filled watertight compartments, and was noted by its use of a 'ragged chine hull', with nine chines that cushioned the hull and reduced pounding. The helm was in a standing position, in a sunken bridge deck, with a weathershield in front of the controls. A 90-hp Evinrude engine gave a speed of 20.9 knots.
In September 1969, following successful trials, the RNLI placed an order for four boats with boatbuilder William Osbourne of Littlehampton, to be constructed with GRP hulls, fitted with twin sterndrive Ford 60-hp marinised petrol engines, and each costing £3,400. 18-02 would later be fitted with twin 47-hp Perkins diesel engines. William Osborne built a further five McLachlan lifeboats in the 1970s.
Most McLachlan-class boats remained afloat, but two were kept on carriages, one at , being launched down a long slipway, and one at , IOM, was launched with the aid of a tractor.
In 1972, it was decided to reclassify the 17 and 18-foot boats from Offshore to Inshore lifeboats, and their numbers were changed according; 18-02 becoming A-503, up to 18-008 becoming A-508.
Although not classed as lifeboats, two further McLachlan designed boats were constructed for use as Boarding boats at Humber Lifeboat Station, (BB-239) and (BB-240). All the McLachlan lifeboats had been retired by the late 1980s, with the exception of the prototype boat, which went on to be a boarding boat at until 1994.
Notable service At 22:30 on 13 September 1975, lifeboat A-504 (formerly 18-004) was launched into an easterly gale, to a motor-boat wrecked on the rocks, at the foot of a sheer cliff, on the north side of Brean Down promentory. Five men were now standing on a rocky ledge, at danger of being swept into the rising tide. Bringing the lifeboat as close as possible, despite grounding several times, a line was thrown, and with one man wading out to the boat, the other four were hauled through the water to the lifeboat. Helm Julian Morris was awarded the RNLI Bronze Medal, with crew members Bernard Watts and Ian Watts both accorded the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum. The boat is now on display in the RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
McLachlan lifeboat fleet All of the following fleet details are referenced to the 2026 Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society Handbook, with information retrieved directly from RNLI records.
Built Station Comments18-02A-5031967 1967–1970 EastneyPrototype. After service details unknown. 1971 1971 1971–1972 1973–1980 1980–1994 Humber Boarding Boat 18-004 A-504 1970 1970–1983 On display in the RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard. 18-005A-5051970 1970–1971 EastneySold in 1988.Last reported undergoing restoration at RW Davies, Saul Junction Marina, 2018. 1972–1973 1974–1975 Eastney 1977–1987 18-006A-5061971 1972–1973 Last reported as transferred to the Bristol Lifeboat Museum (now closed) in 1980. 1972–1979 Relief fleet 1979–1980 18-007A-5071971 1972–1973 Sold in 1989.Undergoing Restoration at Exmouth, Devon, 2024. 1973–1976 1977–1983 18-008A-5081971 1971–1974 EastneySold in 1988. 1976–1979 1980–1988 –A-5091972 1972–1976 Sold in June 1988. 1978 1978–1988 Relief fleet–A-5101973 1973–1974 Sold in 1989.Private ownership, Bristol, August 2020. Restored in original livery, on display at RNLI 200 event in Poole in 2024. New ownership in Kinsale, Ireland, August 2024. 1975–1984 1984–1987 (Boarding Boat)–A-5111973 1973–1982 Sold in 1985.Renamed Kim O. For sale at Stokesley, N. Yorks. (eBay), December 2023. 1984–1985 Relief fleet–A-5121974 1975–1987 Scrapped in 1988. 1988
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
References
External links
RNLI Fleet