Waveney-class lifeboat

	Falmouth lifeboat 44-001, now in the RNLI Heritage Collection at Chatham Historic Dockyard.
Class overview
Builders	USCG, Curtis Bay, USA (44-001); Brooke Marine, Lowestoft (44-002 – 007); Groves & Guttridge, Cowes (44-008 – 015); Bideford Ship Yard (44-016 – 019); Fairey Allday Marine, Cowes (44-020 – 022);
Operators	Royal National Lifeboat Institution; Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Australia; Royal NZ Coastguard Federation; Sea Rescue Institute of Namibia; Canadian Lifeboat Institution; ADES Uruguay;
Preceded by	Rother, Solent
Succeeded by	Arun, Mersey, Trent, Tyne
Built	1964–1982
In service	1964–1999
Completed	22
Retired	22
Preserved	1
General characteristics
Type	motor lifeboat
Displacement	18–19 tons
Length	44 ft 10 in (13.67 m)
Beam	12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
Draught	4 ft 2 in (1.27 m)
Propulsion	Two diesel engines (various models)
Speed	15.4 knots (17.7 mph)
Range	190 nautical miles (350 km)
Crew	5

The Waveney-class lifeboat was the first class of lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) capable of operating at speeds in excess of 10 knots (12 mph). Based on an American design, 22 saw operational service between 1964 and 1999 at the RNLI's stations around the coast of the United Kingdom and Ireland. After being superseded by faster boats in the 1990s, many were sold for further use with lifeboat services abroad, notably in Australia and New Zealand.

The class name comes from the River Waveney, which discharges into the North Sea at Great Yarmouth.