RNLB Spirit of Lowestoft

RNLB Spirit of Lowestoft (ON 1132) is a Tyne-class^[1] lifeboat which was stationed at Lowestoft^[2] in the English county of Suffolk.^[3] The lifeboat began its service at the station in 1987 and was replaced by a Shannon class boat in 2014.

Spirit of Lowestoft
History
Owner	Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Builder	Fairey Marine, Cowes, Isle of Wight
Official Number	ON 1132
Station	Lowestoft
Cost	£2.5 million
Sponsored by	The Lowestoft Appeal with other gifts and legacies
Christened	1987
Acquired	1987
General characteristics
Type	Tyne class
Tonnage	31.5 tonnes
Length	52 ft 5 in (15.98 m) overall
Beam	18 ft 0 in (5.49 m)
Draught	1.35m
Installed power	Twin turbo Diesel engine of 1,015 bhp (757 kW) each
Propulsion	2 X fixed pitch 5 blade propellers
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h)
Range	10 hours at 25 knots (46 km/h)
Capacity	4,600 litres/1,000 gallons
Crew	7 crew including a doctor

Notable rescues and awards

On 29 August 1996, Spirit of Lowestoft was launched, along with the Aldeburgh Lifeboat Freddie Cooper (ON 1193) to assist the yacht Red House Lugger which had sent out a mayday signal during a storm. The yacht was approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Lowestoft.^[4] On arrival, the lifeboats found that the P&O cargo ferry MV Norking was sheltering the yacht.^[4][5] The lifeboats evacuated the yacht's crew, and the Lugger was towed to Harwich, with the rescue taking around 12 hours in total. On 27 November 1996, coxswain of the Spirit of Lowestoft, John Cathpole received the RNLI bronze medal for his part in the rescue.^[4]

Museum exhibit

Since 2019, Spirit of Lowestoft has been one of the lifeboats exhibited at the Chatham Historic Dockyard.^[6]