The Severn class is the largest lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The class, which is long, was introduced into service in 1996. It is named after the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. The lifeboats are stationed at 33 locations around the coasts of the Great Britain, Ireland, and the Channel Islands, and can provide coverage up to out to sea.
All of the following fleet details are referenced to the 2026 Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society Handbook, with information retrieved directly from RNLI records.
History In the 1980s the RNLI's fast and all-weather lifeboats provided coverage out to sea, operating at up to to cover the distance in two hours in good weather. However, the RNLI felt that they needed the capability to extend their coverage to radius, which would require lifeboats with a top speed of . This resulted in the Severn and lifeboats.
The prototype Severn was launched in 1991 and named Maurice and Joyce Hardy (ON 1179). Trials started the following year and lasted until 1998. In 1995, the boat was de-named. Problems were encountered during the trials with the "skegs" that protected the propellers. These were designed to protect the hull by breaking off should the boat hit rocks, but the first ones were too easily broken. Crashing through heavy seas at full speed also caused damage to the hull, too.
The prototype was transferred to training work in 1998, renamed Peter and Marion Fulton (ON TL-02), ultimately being withdrawn in 2004, and sold in 2005. In 2008, it was in use as a dive boat at Buckie, carrying the name Gemini Storm. She was then sold to Montrose Marine Services Ltd in 2011 and renamed Eileen May. Latterly, she was sold 2019 into private ownership, last reported as a charter boat based at Dumfries.
The first production Severn was 17-02 The Will (ON 1201). It had been built in 1995 by Berthon Boat Co (Builders of 21 of the 46 Severn-class lifeboats) for , but had to undergo several modifications before it was fit for service. It was eventually placed in the relief fleet in 1996, and shown to many lifeboat stations, where the class was expected to be deployed. The crew at Falmouth Lifeboat Station were so impressed, that they pressed the RNLI to station it there, until their own boat was built. It operated at Falmouth from January 1997 until December 2001, when it was replaced by 17-29 Richard Scott Cox (ON 1256). In the meantime, 17-18 Tom Sanderson (ON 1238) had been deployed at Stornoway in 1999. After its time at Falmouth, The Will returned to the relief fleet until 2019, when it was the first Severn Class assigned to undergo the Severn Life Extension Programme, (see below). Construction of the Severn-class continued until 2005.
In 2015, the Canadian Coast Guard commissioned a version of the Severn class, modified for the extreme conditions found off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. Now known as the Bay-class lifeboat, the last of 20 boats, Baie de Gaspé, was completed in 2025.
In January 2025, 17-29 Richard Scott Cox (ON 1256) was the first production Severn class to be formally retired from service.
Description
Severns are constructed of fibre reinforced composite material, and their hard chine semi-displacement hull is built so that it will stay afloat with two of its five compartments flooded. For added manoeuvrability, in addition to twin engines, the Severn also has a bow thruster fitted. The propellers are enclosed so that the Severn can take ground without damaging them. A inflatable boat can be deployed by an on-board crane for use in shallow water or confined spaces.
Severns have comprehensive electronics systems that include full MF and VHF DSC radio equipment, differential GPS navigator, an electronic chart system, VHF radio direction finder, radar and weather sensors. Provision for survivors includes comprehensive first aid equipment including stretchers, oxygen and Entonox. They carry a portable salvage pump in a water-tight container, and can also carry out pumping and fire-fighting tasks using the engine-driven general service pump.
Severn Life Extension Programme In 2020, the RNLI started to design a Severn Life Extension Programme (SLEP), with the intention of extending the fleet's lifespan by 25 years. This involved taking an existing boat and fully refitting it from the hull up. The addition of modern electronic systems and shock mitigating seats similar to those found on the Shannon class lifeboats were among many upgrades. In July 2022 it was announced that the prototype was almost complete and would soon be ready for sea trials.
In early 2025 the RNLI announced that, following a fleet review, the Severn Life Extension Programme would not be continued beyond the two boats already in the programme. Instead, Severn-class boats would be progressively withdrawn over the next fifteen years.
Severn-class lifeboat fleet RNLI active fleet ON Op. No. Name Built StationMMSI Comments 1202 Albert Brown 1994 1996– 232001910 Legacy of Mrs V. M. Brown, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,580,000. 1203 17-04 Spirit of Guernsey 1995 1997– 232001940 Gift of the Guernsey LB appeal, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Halmatic, costing £1,500,000. 1216 17-05 Pride of the Humber 1996 1997– 232002440 Gift of the Humber LB appeal, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Halmatic, costing £1,500,000. 1217 17-06 David Kirkaldy 1996 1997– 232002450 Gift of Mr D. Kirkaldy, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,580,000. 1218 17-07 John and Margaret Doig 1996 1996– 232002460 Legacy of Miss M. Doig, plus other legacies, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,580,000. 1219 17-08 Helmut Schroder of Dunlossit II 1996 1997– 232002470 Gift of Mr B. Schroder and Mrs G. Mallinckrodt, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,580,000. 1221 17-10 Michael and Jane Vernon 1996 1997– 232002490 Gift of Lerwick LB Appeal, plus gifts and other legacies, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,580,000. 1229 17-11 The Whiteheads 1997 1997– 232003049 Legacy of Olive Elsie Whitehead, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,725,000. 1230 17-12 Edna Windsor 1997 1998– 232003050 Legacy of Mrs E. Windsor, plus other legacies, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,725,000. 1231 17-13 Margaret Foster 1997 1998– 232003051 Legacy of Mrs M. E. Foster, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,725,000. 1232 17-14 Charles Lidbury 1997 1998– 232003052 Legacy of Miss M. Lidbury, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,725,000. 1235 17-15 Bryan and Gordon 1997 1998– 232003133 Legacies of Mr B. C. Griffiths and Mrs G. W. Griffiths, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,725,000. 1236 17-16 Violet Dorothy and Kathleen 1998 1998– 232003134 Legacy of Miss V. J. Matton, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,725,000. 1238 17-18 Tom Sanderson 1998 1999– 232003136 Legacy of Mr T. Sanderson, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,725,000.No crane. 1241 17-19 Ernest and Mary Shaw 1998 1999– 232003139 Gift from the estate of the late Ernest Shaw and hs widow Mary, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,725,000. 1243 17-21 David and Elizabeth Acland 1999 1999– 232003141 Legacies of Mrs D. Woods, Miss M. Lamb, Mr N. Sutton, Mrs T. Young and Mr W. Holman, plus other gifts, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,725,000. 1244 17-22 Myrtle Maud 1999 2000– 232003142 Legacy of Mrs M. M. Campbell-Orde, plus other legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,725,000. 1248 17-24 Bon Accord 2000 2000– 232004399 Gift of the Aberdeen LB appeal, legacy of Miss Janette Reid, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,725,000. 1249 17-25 Eric and Susan Hiscock (Wanderer) 2000 2001– 232004401 Legacy of Mrs S. Hiscock, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,800,000. 1250 17-26 Henry Alston Hewat 2000 2001– 232004402 Legacy of Miss Catherine Hewat, plus local appeal and other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,800,000. 1255 17-28 Alec and Christina Dykes 2001 2001– 232004407 Legacies of Mrs C. Dykes and Mr Robert Buchanen, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,800,000.125717-30William Gordon Burr2001 2002–2008 Relief fleet232004409Legacies of Mrs N. Burr, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,800,000. 2008– 1261 17-32 Ernest and Mabel 2002 2002– 235005118 Gift of Miss Beryl Taylor, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Souters, costing £1,800,000.126317-34Osier2002 2002–2021 Relief fleet235005119Gift of Mr P. A. G. Acke, built by Green Marine / DML, costing £1,900,000. 2021– 1264 17-35 Sybil Mullen Glover 2002 2003– 235005121 Legacy of Mrs D. S. Glover, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Souters, costing £1,900,000. 1265 17-36 Ivan Ellen 2002 2003– 235005122 Legacies of Mr H. I. Leech, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,900,000. 1268 17-37 William Blannin 2002 2003– 235007809 Legacy of Mr K. M. Williams, built by Green Marine / DML, costing £1,900,000. 1270 17-39 Elizabeth Fairlie Ramsey 2003 2003– 235007798 Legacies of Mrs E. M. Ramsey, Miss J. Towers and Mrs I. P. Soular, built by Green Marine / DML, costing £1,900,000. 1271 17-40 Julian and Margaret Leonard 2003 2003– 235007797 Legacies of Mr J. M. Leonard and Mrs M. Leonard, built by Green Marine / DML, costing £1,900,000. 1273 17-42 The Taylors 2003 2004– 235007795 Legacies of Mrs V. R. E. Taylor and Miss A. A. Cluness, built by Green Marine / DML, costing £1,900,000. 1276 17-43 2004 2004– 235010875 Legacy of Mrs B. Broadhead, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Souters, costing £1,900,000. 1277 17-44 Annette Hutton 2004 2004– 235010876 Legacies of A. Hutton, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,900,000. 1201 17-51 1994 tbc 232001890 SLEP upgrade 1242 17-52 Owen Clarkson 1999 tbc () 232003140 SLEP upgrade
RNLI relief fleet ON Op. No. Name Built StationMMSI Comments 1237 17-17 Fraser Flyer(Civil Service No.43) 1998 1999– Relief fleet 232003135 Gift of the CISPOTEL fund, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / FBM Ltd, costing £1,725,000. 1254 Volunteer Spirit 2000 2001– Relief fleet 232004406 Funded by RNLI branches and guilds, to mark the RNLI 150th Anniversary, built by Green Marine / Souters, costing £1,800,000. 1260 17-31 Roger and Joy Freeman 2002 2002– Relief fleet 235005115 Legacies of Hilda Freeman, plus other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / DML, costing £1,800,000. 1262 17-33 Beth Sell 2002 2002– Relief fleet 235005116 Legacies of Mrs M. E. Sell and Mrs H. C. Wells, plus other legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,900,000. 1269 17-38 Daniel L. Gibson 2002 2003– Relief fleet 235007799 Legacies of Mr J. Gibson, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,900,000.127217-41Christopher Pearce2003 2003–2024 235007796Legacies of Mr C. M. Pearce, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,900,000. 2025– Relief fleet 1278 17-45 The Duke of Kent 2004 2005– Relief fleet 235013842 Combination of six legacies, built by Green Marine / Souters, costing £1,900,000.127917-46Margaret Joan and Fred Nye2004 2004–2008 Relief fleet235010878Legacies of Miss J. Nye, Miss C. Willis, Mrs M. Howarth, and other gifts and legacies, built by Green Marine / Berthon Boat Co., costing £1,900,000. 2008 2008– Relief fleet
RNLI retired fleet