Name D-class (IB1) Cost £39,000 | Preceded by D-class (EA16) Built 2001– | |
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Builders Inshore Lifeboat Centre, Cowes Operators Royal National Lifeboat Institution | ||
The D-class (IB1) lifeboats are inflatable boats serving in the UK's RNLI inshore lifeboat (ILB) fleet. Although they are known as the "IB1" at times, they are the latest development of the D-class lifeboat and as such are mainly referred to as a "D-class".
This class of lifeboat is one of the smallest operated by the RNLI, and they are becoming a common sight at lifeboat stations round the coast. Unlike other members of the ILB fleet, the D-class (IB1) does not have a rigid hull. All others with the exception of the Arancia, hovercraft & ALB tenders are rigid inflatable boats.
The IB1 normally has a crew of two or three and is primarily used for surfer/swimmer incidents as well as assisting in cliff incidents where the casualty is near the water. The very nature of its work requires a swift response, and the IB1 can normally be afloat within five minutes of the pagers going off.