Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Lifeboat Station maintains two rescue boats – the 14-metre ‘Trent’ class SAMARBETA – Swedish for ‘Working Together’ – used for its seagoing rescues and the Seahorse IV – an Atlantic 75 rigid inflatable used for river and inshore rescues.
Seahorse IV
The Atlantic 75 Class Inflatable Lifeboat (ILB) is based on the Atlantic 21, which it is gradually replacing. Developed at the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat centre at Cowes in 1992, it is slightly longer and broader than the “21” and its name is derived from its length of nearly 7.5 metres.
The Atlantic 25 can operate in both daylight and darkness and can launch in conditions up to near gale force 7. In the event of a capsize, a crew member activates a gas bottle to inflate the righting bag. The lifeboat turns upright in a few seconds. The engines are inversion-proofed so they can restart after a few seconds.
First built in 1993, Atlantic 75s can be differentiated from the Atlantic 21 by their
operational numbers – 75s are over 700 and 21s under, for example B-710 and B-595.
Specifications
Length: | 7.3m (24ft) |
Crew: | 3 |
Speed: | 32 knots |
Displacement: | 1,450kg (3,200lb) |
Endurance: | 3 hrs at maximum speed |
Launch: | Trolley, floating boathouse, davit |
Construction: | GRP hull with hypalon-coated nylon tube |
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