Thursday 12^th  August at 6.15 p.m

New Lifeboat on Service

 The brand new €3 million Severn Class lifeboat “Annette Hutton” which arrived in Castletownbere on Bank Holiday Monday last is now officially on service. The lifeboat crew underwent training in the RNLI Lifeboat College in Dorset and at the station in Castletownbere. The new faster and more sophisticated lifeboat required intensive and specific training for all crew in all operational areas. The boat was officially put  on service as Castletownbere Lifeboat on Thursday 12^th  August at 6.15 p.m. much to the delight of the local community.

Mr Owen Medland, Deputy Divisional Inspector for Lifeboats in Ireland , commented: “This is the culmination of many weeks of hard and intensive training for Castletownbere lifeboat crew. I feel the addition of another Severn lifeboat to the Irish RNLI fleet will ensure the fastest and best lifeboat cover on the County Cork coastline”.

The new lifeboat has already responded to three emergencies including assisting a vessel taking water of Mizen Head yesterday afternoon. The existing class Arun class lifeboat will leave Castletownbere early next week and will join the relief fleet serving at lifeboat stations around the Irish and U.K. coastline as required.