Greathead-class lifeboat

Mr Henry Greathead's lifeboat
Class overview
BuildersHenry Greathead of South Shields
Operators
Built1789–1810
In service1789–1880
Completed48
Retired48
Preserved1
General characteristics
TypeLifeboat (rescue)
Length22 ft (6.7 m) to 31 ft (9.4 m)
Beam8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) to 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
PropulsionOars
Crew8–12

Greathead-class lifeboats are a class of lifeboat built by Henry Greathead of South Shields between 1789 and 1810, following a competition to design a lifeboat.

Of 48 boats constructed, only one survives to this day. The Zetland can be found on display at the Zetland Lifeboat Museum and Redcar Heritage Centre, in Redcar, North Yorkshire.

Of over 1000 vessels listed on the National Historical Ships Register, Zetland, alongside vessels including HMS Warrior (1860), HMS Trincomalee and Cutty Sark, is one of just 200 vessels regarded to be of "pre-eminent National or Regional significance", known as the National Historic Fleet. Of these 200 vessels, only five are older than the Zetland, with two such vessels being Mary Rose and HMS Victory.