H-class rescue

hovercraft A hovercraft (: hovercraft), also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and various other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the ...

serve the shores of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as a part of the

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 ...

inshore fleet. A modified Type 470TD design built by

Griffon Hoverwork Griffon Hoverwork Ltd (GHL) is a British hovercraft designer and manufacturer. It was originally founded as Griffon Hovercraft Ltd in 1976, based in Southampton. The firm set about the development of its own product range, launching its first ...

, they were developed to operate in tidal areas such as

Morecambe Bay Morecambe Bay is an estuary in north-west England, just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of . In 1974, the second largest ga ...

, where strandings by incoming tides can have fatal consequences; and in waters too shallow for normal craft. Hovercraft were also assigned to three other stations, , , and . In 2016, the New Brighton Hovercraft H-005 ''Hurley Spirit'' was reassigned to . 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.

Fleet

References

External links

RNLI Fleet
Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats Hovercraft {{UK-org-stub