A new Atlantic 85 class lifeboat has gone into service at the Lough Swilly RNLI station in Buncrana.
The ‘Davdot’, which arrived at the Buncrana base last night, replaces the ‘Minnie and Ernest George Barry’, which has been based on the Swilly since 2007.
The new lifeboat has been funded by English couple Dorothy and David Robinson, who live in Surrey.
The ‘Davdot’ will be officially named at a special naming ceremony and service of dedication at the Lough Swilly RNLI base in Buncrana in the near future.
Meanwhile, in its almost 19 years at Lough Swilly RNLI, the ‘Minnie and Ernest George Barry’ launched 265 times, with its volunteer lifeboat crews rescuing 233 people, five of whom were listed as lives saved.
The new Atlantic 85 lifeboat is one of the fastest in the RNLI’s fleet with a top speed of 35 knots. The lifeboat design allows room for four crew members and is powered by two 115horsepower engines. The radar allows the crew to operate effectively in poor visibility and it also comes with VHF direction-finding equipment.
******************
RNLI statement in full –
A new Atlantic 85 class lifeboat has gone on service at Lough Swilly RNLI in County
Donegal. The lifeboat, which arrived at the Buncrana lifeboat station last night
(Wednesday 8 April), replaces the Minnie and Ernest George Barry, which has been
used to save lives at sea off the Inishowen peninsula since 2007.
Volunteer lifeboat crew completed familiarisation training last night, with their first
exercise on the Davdot.
The new lifeboat has been funded by English couple Dorothy and David Robinson, who
live in Surrey. The couple have been generously supporting the RNLI’s lifeboats and
shore works since 2003, including most recently providing a new bunkroom for the crew
at Wandsworth Riverside Lifeboat Station in London and now the new Atlantic 85 class
lifeboat which the Irish Coast Guard has officially declared a search and rescue asset at
Lough Swilly RNLI.
Dorothy Robinson was first inspired to support the charity by her late parents: ‘My
father was a lieutenant commander serving on the destroyer, the Indefatigable, during
World War Two,’ she explains. ‘My mother used to help the RNLI collect donations on
Scarborough seafront where they had retired there. We both admire the dedication of
all the staff and volunteers in the RNLI and have tried to repay that by contributing to
their lifeboat stations.’
The Davdot will be officially named at a special naming ceremony and service of
dedication at Lough Swilly RNLI in the near future.
Meanwhile, in its almost 19 years at Lough Swilly RNLI, the Minnie and Ernest George
Barry launched 265 times, with its volunteer lifeboat crews rescuing 233 people, five of
whom were lives saved.
The Atlantic 85 lifeboat is one of the fastest in the RNLI’s fleet with a top speed of 35
knots. The lifeboat design allows room for four crew members and is powered by two
115 horsepower engines. The radar allows the crew to operate effectively in poor
visibility and it also comes with VHF direction-finding equipment.
The lifeboat has a manually operated self-righting mechanism which combined with
inversion-proofed engines keeps the lifeboat operational even after capsize. The
lifeboat can also be beached in an emergency without causing damage to its engines or
steering gear.
The Atlantic 85 which was introduced to the RNLI fleet in 2005, carries a full suite of
communication and electronic navigation aids, as well as a searchlight, night-vision
equipment and flares for night-time operations.
Speaking following the arrival of the new lifeboat, Joe Joyce, Lough Swilly RNLI
Lifeboat Operations Manager said:
‘We are extremely grateful to Dorothy and David for
their generous donation which has funded our new lifeboat. As we welcome a new
lifeboat, there is also a sense of nostalgia among us today too as we bid a fond farewell
to the Minnie and Ernest George Barry which provided us with nearly two decades of
reliable service. During its time here at Lough Swilly, the Minnie and Ernest George
Barry saved lives and brought many more people safely to shore and we hope the
donor’s family will be just as proud as we are, of its many achievements.
‘We are looking forward to this new chapter and to being the custodians of the Davdot,
which will allow our volunteers to go on to rescue and save many more lives in the
years to come.’
