Douglas RNLI station will be the first in the Isle of Man to get its hands on the latest and most advanced lifeboat.
The Shannon-class boat is 50 per cent faster than the Tyne-class boat she will replace. She's due for delivery in 2016, when the current Douglas lifeboat Sir William Hillary will be more than 25 years old.
A proto-type Shannon-class boat was widely admired by lifeboat crews when she toured lifeboat stations around the Island last weekend.
Operating with water jets not propellers the Shannon will offer crews a safer, smoother ride on rough seas thanks to a shock-absorbing suspension system.
Douglas RNLI press officer Mike Howland says the boat's greater speed is a big step forward:
Pictured: Shannon class lifeboat.
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