H-class lifeboat
RNLI hovercraft H-007 Samburgh at New Brighton in 2015 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | H-class rescue hovercraft |
| Builders | Griffon Hoverwork |
| Operators | Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) |
| Preceded by | None |
| Built | 2002–2009 |
| In service | 2002–present |
| Completed | 7 |
| Active | 7 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 3.86 tonnes |
| Length | 8.04 m (26.4 ft) |
| Beam | 3.36 m (11.0 ft) |
| Draught | N/A |
| Propulsion | 2 × VW 1.9 turbo diesels |
| Speed | 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h) |
| Endurance | 3 hours |
| Capacity | 10 |
| Complement | 2–4 |
The H-class lifeboat is not a traditional lifeboat, but a rescue hovercraft, deployed at four stations around the United Kingdom, as part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Inshore fleet.
A modified Type 470TD design, built by Griffon Hoverwork, they were developed to operate on intertidal mudflats and sand, such as Morecambe Bay, in waters too shallow for normal craft, where strandings by incoming tides can have fatal consequences.
A Hovercraft was first assigned to Morecambe in 2002, followed by Hunstanton in 2003, and at Southend-on-Sea and New Brighton in 2004. In 2016, the New Brighton Hovercraft H-005 Hurley Spirit was reassigned to Hoylake.
In 2023, trials were carried out by the RNLI, assisted by the team at Hoylake station, to evaluate different crafts being considered as a potential successor to the current hovercraft.