R.N.L.B CITY OF BELFAST

This colourful mural is dedicated to the Donaghadee lifeboat, R.N.L.B. CITY OF BELFAST. The prefix to her name, as is the case in all lifeboat names, stands for 'Royal National LifeBoat'. 

She was an Arun-Class lifeboat built in 1985, and this new class of all-weather rescue boat, capable of higher speeds, was designed to replace the existing slower lifeboat fleet back in the day.

Donaghadee Lifeboat Station in County Down, Northern Ireland, is 19 miles east of Belfast, and has had a lifeboat stationed there on active service since 1910. The R.N.L.B. CITY OF BELFAST visited Wicklow Port in 1985 on her delivery voyage and stayed overnight, berthed at the South Quay in Wicklow Town.

Her skipper on this occasion was the very experienced Willie Lennon who, along with the rest of the crew, was accompanied by his daughter, Ruth. She was remarkable in the sense that she joined the lifeboat service the previous year in 1984 and as a result, she became recognised as the first female to serve on an offshore lifeboat in those days. 

Ruth Lennon served as a volunteer for the following 20 years, and her nursing background was invaluable to the lifeboat service. Different members of the Lennon family were involved in the lifeboat service during that time, and are possibly still very much at the helm!

It was nice to hear that several members of Wicklow Lifeboat Station joined the crew for the remainder of their journey to Donaghadee. I was so impressed with this vessel that I was inspired to add her to my gallery at the East Pier, as she signalled the arrival of a newer class of offshore lifeboats, capable of higher speeds.

She went on to serve until 2003 when she was replaced by a Trent Class Lifeboat. After a spell in the relief fleet, she was sold to China for further service as a lifeboat under the name, HUAYING 394.

As well as a photo of my mural of the R.N.L.B CITY OF BELFAST, I feature a photo of the lifeboat berthed at the South Quay, Wicklow Town, back in 1985, courtesy of Tommy Dover.



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