The Atlantic 85 B-Class Lifeboat

The Atlantic 85 is part of the B-class of lifeboats that serve the shores of the United Kingdom and Ireland as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet. The Atlantic 85 is the third generation B-class Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) developed from the Atlantic 21 and the later Atlantic 75. The Atlantic design of the B-class of lifeboats is named after Atlantic College, where the design was originally developed.

Speed

When it comes to racing to the scene, the B class Atlantic 85 lifeboat is one of the fastest in the fleet; her top speed is 35 knots powered by two 115hp 4-stroke engines.

Although she’s an inshore lifeboat, designed to operate in shallower water, the B class can handle fairly challenging open sea conditions too – force 7 near gale winds in daylight and force 6 at night.

Maneuverability

The B class lifeboat is ideal for rescues close to shore, near cliffs and rocks – areas inaccessible to our all-weather lifeboats.

The Atlantic 85 is also capable of being beached in an emergency without sustaining damage to her engines.
Most B class lifeboats are launched into the sea from a carriage, with the help of a launch and recovery vehicle such as a tractor. They can also be lowered into the sea using a davit system (a shore-mounted crane) and some are kept in floating boathouses.

Medical Equipment

The medical equipment stowed aboard includes:

• Oxygen and full resuscitation kit,
• Fully Kitted Responder bag
  
• Frac Straps
  
• C-Spine collars
  
• Multi-purpose ambulance pouch.
• PS-3 stretcher.

In addition, all of our crew complete the RNLI's Casualty Care course.
At Bundoran we are also very lucky to have two Advanced Paramedics, a Paramedic and trained EMTs on our crew.

Navigation & Communications

• Fitted and hand-held VHF (very high frequency) radio
  
• Crew Intercom
  
• Onboard global positioning system (GPS)
  
• Radar
  
• VHF direction-finding (VDF) equipment (Atlantic 85 only)
  
• Electronic chart plotter.

Systems and Information Management System (SIMS)

• The RNLI Systems and Information Management System (SIMS) is a computer
  or integrated network of computers that provide information about, and control of
  some, of the various electronic, electrical and mechanical systems on board the
  RNLI lifeboat fleet.
• The primary function across the entire fleet is the chart system, with other systems specific to particular classes of lifeboat.
• On the Atlantic 85, SIMs allows the crew to:
  • Integrate Chart Plotter with Radar
    
  • Set up and manage various types of search patterns
    
  • Track other vessels in the vicinity using AIS
    
  • Track EPIRB / SART alerts using Direction FInder
    

Safety

With no wheelhouse on the B class lifeboat, the crew are exposed to the elements at all times and rely on their protective kit to keep them safe and warm.

Many rescues take place at night and can involve being close to dangerous cliffs and man-made structures, or searching caves and crevices.

In addition to night vision equipment, the B class lifeboat carries a searchlight and parachute illuminating flares to light up the surrounding area, helping to keep crew members safe as well as locate those in need of help.

The Atlantic 85 has room for more kit and four crew members compared to three on the Atlantic 75, but both have space for a high number of survivors.

The B class has a manually operated righting mechanism in the event of a capsize which involves inflating a bag on top of the roll bar.

Her engines are inversion-proofed so that they shut down should she capsize and can be restarted after she has been righted

B-834 "William Henry Liddington"

The current Bundoran Lifeboat is named William Henry Liddington in memory of the father of the donor Mr. John Grover Liddington.

On leaving a legacy to the RNLI, Mr. John Grover Liddington requested that two lifeboats be purchased and named in memory of his parents. Our sister lifeboat, Annette Mary Liddington, is on station at Beaumaris, Wales. We are eternally grateful to the Liddington family for their generosity. The Bundoran Lifeboat was dedicated in a ceremony in May 2010 but went on service in 2009.

Technical Specifications

Survivor capacity: 20Maximum speed:

• Atlantic 85 – 35 knots

Range / endurance:

• Atlantic 85 – 3 hours maximum

Length:

• Atlantic 85 – 8.44 m

Beam / width:

• Atlantic 85 – 2.85m

Draught / depth:

• Atlantic 85 – 0.53m

Displacement / weight:

• Atlantic 85 – 1.8 tonnes

Fuel capacity:

• Atlantic 85 – 210 litres
  

Engines:

• Atlantic 85 – 2 x Yamaha 4-stroke engines at 115hp each
  

Construction:

• Hull: carbon fibre and foam core laminate.
  
• Structure: includes epoxy glass and foam sandwich layup.
• Inflatable collar: hypalon-coated nylon.

Number in fleet:

• Atlantic 85 – currently 75 at stations and 20 in the relief fleet
  

Identification

• All lifeboats have a unique identification number.
  
• The first part indicates the class so B class lifeboats start with B.
  
• The numbers after the dash refer to the build number. So the first B class Atlantic 85 was given the number B-801.