The Waveney-class lifeboat was the first class of lifeboats operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) capable of operating at speeds in excess of . Based on an American design, 22 saw operational service between 1964 and 1999 at the RNLI's stations around the coast of the United Kingdom and Ireland. After being superseded by faster boats in the 1990s, many were sold for further use with lifeboat services abroad, notably in Australia and New Zealand.
The class name comes from the River Waveney, which discharges into the North Sea at Great Yarmouth.
In the 1960s the RNLI's fleet consisted of motor lifeboats of limited speed due to the shape of their hulls. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) had developed a 44-foot motor lifeboat which planed across the surface of the water, the consequence of which is a reduced wetted surface area to the hull, and therefore a much higher speed. One was built for the RNLI by the USCG in Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard, Maryland, and this was put through extensive trials and proved capable of operating in restricted spaces, even though the propellers lacked the usual protection afforded to lifeboats.
The prototype was never given a name although the crews nicknamed it "The Yank". It entered trials in 1964 but the first production boats did not start to emerge until 1967. After six had been placed in service, there was a hiatus which lasted until 1974 when production was restarted, which then continued through until 1982, by which time 22 were in service. The entire fleet was replaced between 1996 and 1999 as new and lifeboats came into service, but many were sold for further use as lifeboats or pilot boats.
The boats launched in 1967 and 1968 were built by Brooke Marine at Lowestoft and those in 1974/75 by Groves and Gutteridge in Cowes. The 1976/77 batch came from Bideford Ship Yard and the last three from Fairey Marine in Cowes.
Two long versions were built, as the first of a proposed fleet of lifeboats, but the class was cancelled in favour of the lifeboat, with a different hull shape and improved crew facilities.
The steel hull is long and wide, drawing of water. The hull is divided into seven watertight compartments including two survivor compartments and a crew space. The coxswain operates the boat from an open wheelhouse. Powered by a pair of diesel engines, it has an operating radius of .
40-001 was built with twin Cummins V6 engines, which were replaced in 1973, with the Ford Mermaid 595T 6-cylinder engines. These too were replaced in 1982, with the Caterpillar 3208T
40-002 â 40-007 were all built by Brooke Marine, and featured twin Cummins V6 engines. These were all replaced between 1979 and 1983 with the Caterpillar 3208T
Groves and Guttridge of Cowes built the next eight boats (40-008 â 40-015), all equipped with the General Motors 8V53, which were never replaced.
Four further boats (44-016 â 44-019), built by Bideford Shipyard, were given the Ford Mermaid 595T, with all engines being replaced between 1978 and 1982, with the Caterpillar 3208T.
Finally, the last three boats, (44-020 â 44-022), built by Fairey Allday Marine, received the Caterpillar 3208T from new.
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