The Shannon Class relief lifeboat George and Frances Phelon arrived in the port yesterday from Poole, ready to train Falmouth crews in this new type of vessel before it becomes the temporary station lifeboat for the port when the Severn Class boat Richard Cox Scott is finally withdrawn from service early next year.

In the meantime all of the crews here will be undergoing training with RNLI staff coxswains experienced in handling the Shannon boats.

The first crew with deputy coxswain Adam West underwent an intensive training course at Poole last week. This included mechanics familiarising themselves with the engines.

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The £2.5m George and Frances Phelon was named after Bradford couple Mr and Mrs Phelon after they left £3million to the RNLI. The boat is the RNLI’s first Legacy lifeboat whereby thousands of names of people who donated to the charity are incorporated on the bow RNLI logos.

An official naming ceremony took place in Poole, Dorset, in April 2022. The two year old boat has been in storage at Poole, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft as no suitable mooring was available at Great Yarmouth.

The lifeboat, originally planned to be the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston boat, has now joined the RNLI’s relief fleet. The RNLI said: “This means that the lifeboat, with your loved one’s name onboard, will be available to serve at stations all around the UK and Ireland, being called into action wherever the need is greatest.”

The current Severn Class lifeboats such as Falmouth's Richard Cox Scott - the largest boats in the RNLI fleet - are being withdrawn from service.

The RNLI said previously: “ Falmouth RNLI will receive the RNLI’s newest, state of the art Shannon class lifeboat in 2025, replacing the current, Severn class lifeboat, Richard Cox Scott which is reaching the end of its operational life.”

The Shannon boats with a speed of 25 knots cost £2.2m to build. The Shannon lifeboat was designed to be launched and recovered from a beach and can also be launched from a slipway or lie afloat.

Whilst the Severn is the largest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet at 17 metres long the Shannon is the smallest of the ALB (All-weather Lifeboats) at 13 metres long. However, what the Shannon lacks in length the technology in this futuristic lifeboat is of a higher standard.

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the RNLI fleet. Designed entirely in house by a team of RNLI engineers and built at the RNLI’s all weather lifeboat centre in Poole, Dorset, the charity harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure this new lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century rescue service.