Rother-class lifeboat

The Rother-class lifeboat was a self-righting lifeboat operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution around the coast of the United Kingdom and Ireland between 1972 and 1995. They were based on the 37 ft (11 m) Oakley-class lifeboat.^[1]

Privately owned former Rother-class lifeboat Ex RNLB Harold Salvesen departing Donaghadee
Class overview
Builders	William Osbourne, Littlehampton Groves & Gutteridge, Cowes
Operators	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded by	Oakley
Succeeded by	Mersey
Built	1972–1982
In service	1973–1993
Completed	14
Retired	14
General characteristics
Displacement	13 tons
Length	37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Beam	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Draught	3 ft 6 in (1.07 m)
Propulsion	2 x 52 hp Ford Thornycroft 250 diesels
Speed	8 knots (9.2 mph)
Range	180 nautical miles (330 km)
Complement	7

History

The Rother-class was the final displacement hull lifeboat produced by the RNLI. As a result of the decision to have fast lifeboats at all all-weather stations they had a shorter than usual career and none of the 14 built reached 20 years service. The 1982 built RNLB James Cable (ON 1068) was the last displacement hull boat in RNLI service when withdrawn from Aldeburgh in December 1993.

Design

The Rother-class was a development of the 37 ft (11 m) Oakley boat, like its predecessor primarily intended for carriage launching, although 6 of the 14 went to slipway stations. A major change was the abandonment of the Oakley's complicated water ballast self-righting system. The Rother achieved its self-righting ability from its extended watertight superstructure and all had an enclosed wheelhouse with the radar mounted on the roof. Twin 52 hp Ford Thorneycroft 250 four-cylinder diesels gave a maximum speed of 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) and at this speed the range was around 180 nautical miles (210 mi; 330 km). The boats built for Walmer and Aldeburgh had strengthed hulls for beach launching over skids.

Fleet

Note: Op No.s 37-01 to 37-26 were allocated to Oakley-class lifeboats, the Rother-class continuing the series from 37-27.

ON[a]	Op. No.[b]	Name	Built	In service[2]	Station	Launching method	Comments[2]
998	37-27	Osman Gabriel	1972	1973–1992	Port Erin	Slipway	Sold March 1993. Renamed Anita, last seen in 2014 working as a pleasure boat at Dirhami, Estonia.
				1992–1993	Relief fleet
999	37-28	Diana White	1973	1973–1991	Sennen Cove	Slipway	Sold 1992. Renamed Joseph Day but by February 2017 it was awaiting restoration as Diana White on a farm at Mangatangi, New Zealand.
1000	37-29	Mary Gabriel	1973	1974–1990	Hoylake	Carriage	Sold October 1992. Reported in December 2022 as being a trip boat at Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
				1990–1992	Rhyl	Carriage
1022	37-30	Harold Salvesen	1973	1974–1986	Amble	Afloat	Sold October 1992. Reported in July 2019 to be working as a pleasure Boat at Burton, Pembrokeshire.
				1986–1992	Relief fleet
				1992	Rhyl	Carriage
1023	37-31	J. Reginald Corah	1974	1975–1992	Swanage	Slipway	Sold June 1995. By June 2022 it had been renamed Louise 2-G-B-H and was operating as a pleasure boat at Guldborg in Denmark.
1024	37-32	The Hampshire Rose	1974	1975–1990	Walmer	Beach	Sold October 1992. Reported in December 2022 to be a charter boat doing lifeboat trips at Ilfracombe in Devon.
				1990–1991	Relief fleet
				1991	Anstruther	Afloat
				1991–1992	Relief fleet
1046	37-33	Silver Jubilee (Civil Service No. 38)	1977	1978–1991	Margate	Carriage	Sold March 1994. Reported in March 2022 to be in unaltered condition but working as a pleasure boat at Yonkers, New York.
				1991–1993	Relief fleet
1047	37-34	Horace Clarkson	1977	1977–1987	Moelfre	Slipway	Sold May 1993. In December 2022 it was reported to be in unaltered condition but working as a pleasure boat at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk.
				1987–1993	Relief fleet
1048	37-35	Alice Upjohn	1976	1977–1992	Dungeness	Carriage	Sold 1995 to Ivan Talley Rescue in Greymouth, New Zealand. By September 2019 it was working as the pleasure boat Alice Upjohn at Queenstown, New Zealand.
				1992–1995	Relief fleet
1054	37-36	Shoreline	1979	1979–1982	Blyth	Slipway	Sold February 1994. Renamed Porta Maggie, later Mairi Bhan. Reported in April 2023 to be working as a pleasure boat at Corpach in Scotland.
				1982–1993	Arbroath	Slipway
1055	37-37	Duke of Kent	1982	1979–1993	Eastbourne	Slipway	Sold June 1995. It was working as a survey boat at Tayport in Scotland Harbour but returned to Eastbourne in 2017 for restoration, standing near the Inshore Lifeboat Station.
1063	37-38	Princess of Wales	1982	1982–1992	Barmouth	Carriage	Sold May 1993. Renamed Glow-worm. Reported in May 2022 to be a pleasure boat stored at Portraine in Ireland.
				1992–1993	Relief fleet
1064	37-39	The Davys Family	1981	1981–1986	Shoreham Harbour	Slipway	Sold July 1995. Renamed The Mary Heather, seen ashore as a holiday let on the Cuan Sound, Seil in Scotland.
				1986–1993	Relief fleet
1068	37-40	James Cable	1982	1982–1993	Aldeburgh	Beach	Sold August 1994 for further use as a lifeboat in Uruguay, renamed ADES 13 Agustin Carlevaro. By April 2015 it was a workboat named Nauti II at Montevideo.

1. ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
2. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.