RNLB ''Spirit of Lowestoft'' (ON 1132) is a Tyne-class lifeboat which was stationed at

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. The lifeboat began its service at the station in 1987 and was replaced by a Shannon class boat in 2014.

Notable rescues and awards

On 29 August 1996, ''Spirit of Lowestoft'' was launched, along with the

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the English county, county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the int ...

Lifeboat ''Freddie Cooper'' (ON 1193) to assist the yacht ''Red House Lugger'' which had sent out a mayday signal during a storm. The yacht was approximately southeast of Lowestoft.''Lifeboat Gallantry'' RNLI medals and how they were won. Edited by:Barry Cox. Published:Spink, London, 1998. Page 403/404. On arrival, the lifeboats found that the P&O cargo ferry ' was sheltering the yacht. The lifeboats evacuated the yacht's crew, and the ''Lugger'' was towed to

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...

, with the rescue taking around 12 hours in total. On 27 November 1996, coxswain of the ''Spirit of Lowestoft'', John Cathpole received the RNLI bronze medal for his part in the rescue.

Museum exhibit

Since 2019, ''Spirit of Lowestoft'' has been one of the lifeboats exhibited at the

Chatham Historic Dockyard The Historic Dockyard Chatham is a maritime museum on part of the site of the former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham in Kent, South East England. Chatham Dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6 km²) and was one of the Royal Navy's main facilit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spirit of Lowestoft Lifeboats of Suffolk 1987 ships Tyne-class lifeboats