Shannon lifeboat kudos keeps coming

The latest Shannon class RNLI to be equipped with DuroWipers pantographs has been launched on the Isle of Man.

Named Ann and James Ritchie 2, the £2.2 million lifeboat was named during a ceremony that took place on Saturday 2 July 2022 at Ramsey Bay.

Noel Gould, MD, DuroWipers, said: “It’s amazing to see each new lifeboat launched equipped with our pantographs. The Shannon rebuild project, which has now lasted for ten years, has helped to solidify the reputation of our wipers in the market today.”

Quality assured

Ann and James Ritchie 2 is the 42nd Shannon class lifeboat to be built out of a planned 50.

The Shannon class lifeboat is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers. They need long-lasting robust quality wiper systems as they are often called to perform rescues in the very harshest of sea conditions.

All DuroWiper systems have the unique patented twin drive shafts and rotary mechanism giving a smooth and powerful stroke.

The mechanism allows the system to accelerate and decelerate with each stroke giving blades and arms a longer life and doing away with the need for spares.

To this end, DuroWipers offers extended and lifetime warranties for its products which the RNLI, MoD and Royal Navy have all taken advantage of.

The RNLI’s latest Shannon class Launch a Memory lifeboat is currently under construction at the RNLI’s HQ in Poole. This is also being equipped with DuroWipers.

Shannon number 13-47, or Anstruther, Scotland, is the fourth memory lifeboat to carry thousands of loved ones’ names in memory of those that have supported the charity.

The charity is currently trying to raise money to build a new £100,000 lifeboat station to house it https://rnli.org/support-us/give-money/give-to-a-special-appeal/anstruther-appeal