The Diamond Jubilee 16-23 nos. ON1303 will be arriving on Saturday (November 11) at Ramsgate RNLI station to become the station’s new all-weather lifeboat.
The Diamond Jubilee is a self-righting Tamar class originally from Eastbourne RNLI station and named in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. The naming ceremony was carried out by the Earl and Countess of Wessex in July 2012 however the lifeboat first took to the water on 6th February on the 60th Anniversary of the day the Queen ascended to the throne and took part in pageant on the River Thames over the Diamond Jubilee weekend in June of 2012.
The RNLI designs and assigns lifeboats to stations around the UK and Ireland according to where they can save the greatest number of lives in the most effective way. The most appropriate lifeboat for a specific station may change over time depending on water use and risks changing in that area.
After a review it was decided that the Tamar class was more suitable to Ramsgate’s current service calls and so the current boat which is a Trent class, Esme Anderson, will, after a refit, go to Eastbourne.
The volunteer crew will leave on Thursday to collect the boat from Poole and overnight in Dover then bring her back to Ramsgate hoping to arrive about 1pm on Saturday.
Operational duties allowing, she hopes to be accompanied into the harbour by Walmer and Margate’s lifeboats as well as Ramsgate’s own inshore lifeboat Claire and David Delves and all weather lifeboat Esme Anderson. It will be lovely to have a boat named after a Royal event in England’s only Royal Harbour.
Weather permitting members of the Royal Temple Yacht Club hope to be out on the water to greet the new boat.
A re dedication service is expected to take place next year.
