07/04/2008

Bessie comes to Baltimore

Wednesday April 9th sees the arrival of a second RNLI Lifeboat in Baltimore. The existing 47 foot Tyne class lifeboat, the Hilda Jarrett will be partnered by a smaller, faster inshore boat capable of reaching an incident rapidly and particularly useful off beaches and in shallow waters. The new lifeboat is a B class Atlantic 75. She is a rigid inflatable vessel with twin outboard engines capable of a speed of 32 knots and carries a crew of 3. The boat assigned to Baltimore is called ‘Bessie’ and is Atlantic 75 number B708.
Local builders Pat Collins and Mike Sheehy are busy making a home for Bessie at the pier in Baltimore. She will sit on her launching trailer in a new compound beside the ice plant and launch off the slipway using a tractor. Storage units in the compound will house all the associated equipment.

The boat and her crew will begin a period of intensive training this weekend and those interested in seeing Bessie in action should be sure to visit Baltimore on Sunday.

After crew training and trials are completed it is expected that the new lifeboat will enter service in the middle of May. It is hoped that Bessie will become as familiar a sight as the Hilda Jarrett around our locality and make a significant contribution to safety at sea.

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