Your legacy lifeboat updates
See your legacy lifeboat in person
Join us at the All-weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole on 20 and 21 September 2025, where you can see your legacy lifeboat in person. You’ll be able to get up close to the lifeboat to find your loved one’s name and learn more about the lifeboat’s story so far – as well as its incredible lifesaving journey yet to come.
You can now apply for free tickets for this special event. Tickets are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. So if you’d love to come along, please make sure you apply as soon as you can.
Before applying for tickets, please read our FAQs carefully, as they include all the important information you need to know about the event.
The final stage of the build
It’s an exciting time at the All-weather Lifeboat Centre. Up until this point, your legacy lifeboat has been built in two separate parts – the wheelhouse and the hull.
But they will soon be joined together, and then our technicians will do the final fittings. Windows and seats will be installed, and electronic cables will be connected as one system. Then, your legacy lifeboat will be powered on for the very first time.
Launch and trials
Once the build is complete, your lifeboat will begin its harbour acceptance trials. In the harbour, the team will follow set procedures to check everything is working before going out to sea. These include a stability check, to make sure the lifeboat could self-right if needed, and a hose test, to check for leaks.
Next, it will be taken out for its sea trials. The Operations Proving Team will test the lifeboat thoroughly, making sure it’s operating correctly. Once it has passed its sea trials, your legacy lifeboat will be officially accepted into the RNLI fleet.
Kilkeel Lifeboat Station
Your legacy lifeboat will be stationed at Kilkeel in Co Down, Northern Ireland. Established in 1986, the lifeboat station covers an area with one of the largest fishing fleets in the UK. The station originally had a D class lifeboat, before an Atlantic 21 B class lifeboat was placed on service there in 1992. The crew at Kilkeel currently operate an Atlantic 85 B class lifeboat Frank William Walton.
The all-weather capabilities of the Shannon class legacy lifeboat will ensure the crew can launch into any conditions, allowing them to brave the roughest seas to save lives.
Legacies help save lives
The RNLI is dedicated to saving lives at sea but, as an independent charity, relies on the generosity of the public and the commitment of thousands of volunteers.
Gifts in Wills help to provide the kit and training that protect RNLI volunteer crews at sea, and 6 in every 10 lifeboat launches are only possible due to the extraordinary kindness of supporters leaving a gift to the RNLI in their Will.
How the Shannon came to the rescue in 2024
604 LAUNCHES
1,440 TOTAL HOURS THE SHANNON FLEET WAS ON SERVICE
703 PEOPLE HELPED AROUND THE UK AND IRELAND
42% OF ALL SHANNON LAUNCHES WERE IN DARKNESS
Leave a dedication
We would love to hear the heart-warming stories about your loved one whose name will be on the side of the Kilkeel legacy lifeboat – and celebrate their connection to the RNLI.
To help share your stories and pay tribute to your loved one, we’ve created a web page with our partner MuchLoved. It’s a very special community filled with supporters like you. You can use it to honour the person you miss in the most fitting way for you and your family.