The Tyne-class lifeboat was a class of lifeboat that served as a part of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution fleet until 2019. They were named after the River Tyne in North East England.
They were designed to be launched from slipways or operate in shallow waters where hitting the bottom is a concern. The class was introduced in 1982, and the last boat was built in 1990.
The Tyne-class was superseded by the , which is 7 knots faster than the Tyne class. However, only 27 Tamars were built, compared to 40 Tynes, leaving the remaining Tynes on station to be replaced with the latest lifeboats.
The two prototype boats were built in 1982: 47-001 City of London (ON 1074) and 47-002 Sam and Joan Woods (ON 1075). Following completion of the test programme, City of London entered service at in November 1983 while Sam and Joan Woods was put into service in the relief fleet in 1984, by which time the first production boats were under construction.
Eventually forty boats were built. The last, Hermione Lady Colwyn (ON 1158), went into service at in September 1990 and served at that station until 2010 when she was withdrawn and sold, the only Tyne not to record over twenty years' service. The RNLI had retired the first of the class in 2006 although eight of the earliest boats were sold to China for further duties in 2007 and 2008. Selsey received a new lifeboat in 2017 after almost 34 years' service by Tyne-class boats, the longest of any station.
The last Tyne class boat in RNLI service was at Wicklow and this was withdrawn on 4 April 2019.
14 Tyne-class lifeboats continued in service with other rescue services around the world. As of March 2025, 11 are still listed in service, but as updates for eight boats in China are not forthcoming, and only one boat at Ningbo still showing any activity, the number of Tyne-class lifeboats still in service is believed to be four.
The unusual design of this lifeboat derives from the requirement to deploy from slipway stations built for previous generations of lifeboats, with limited clearance. The Tyne also lies afloat at stations where the approaches, or operating areas, are particularly shallow. As the lifeboat's propellers are protected by heavy bilge keels, she is particularly well suited to operate where there is a danger of hitting the bottom, or tapping as it is known colloquially.
The Tyne has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure.
Three different engines were employed: The first two were powered by the 8V71TI. However, this unit was at the end of its production life, and the later 6V92TA was installed on the remaining 38 boats. Selected boats were upgraded to the 6V92TA DDEC in 1997.
During the course of production the weight of the boats increased by over 1 ton; this required an increase in superstructure volume to preserve the self-righting capability, resulting in the height of the aft cabin being raised. Later, further doubts about the self-righting capability resulted in air bags being added to the aft cabin roof.
Operated by ADES Uruguay
Operated by the Sri Lankan Lifeboat Institution
Operated by the Jersey Lifeboat Association
Operated by the Seychelles Coast Guard
Operated by the Canadian Lifeboat Institution