RNLB ''William and Kate Johnston'' (ON 682) is a lifeboatShips For All: By Bowen, Frank C: Published by Ward, Lock & Co., Ltd, London and Melbourne: Second Edition that was stationed at

New Brighton New Brighton is the name of several places, sports teams etc.: Australia * New Brighton, New South Wales, a town near Ocean Shores Canada * New Brighton, Calgary, Alberta, a neighborhood * New Brighton (Gambier Island), a settlement in British ...

in the English county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

from the summer of 1923Heroes All!, The story of the RNLI, By Beilby, Alec: Published By Patrick Stephens Ltd (1992): until 1950. The lifeboat was designed as a prototype by James R. BarnettRescue at Sea: By Evans, Clayton: Published by Conway (2003): who was a consulting naval architect to the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

. She was the first ''Barnett''-class lifeboat and at the time of her launch, she was the largest lifeboat in the world.

Design and construction

Th motor lifeboat, designed by

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture occupations Design occupations Architecture, Occupations ...

James R. Barnett James R. Barnett, Sr., (May 31, 1842January 20, 1917) was an American medical doctor, banker, and Republican politician. He served two years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing northern Winnebago County. Biography Barnett was born ...

, consulting

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture occupations Design occupations Architecture, Occupations ...

to the

(RNLI), was a radical departure from their previous motor rescue boats, typically of around . She was not self-righting as priority was given to an ability to reach port with a larger number of the rescued and to speed, even when awash. She was long with a beam of close to and a draught of . The hull was constructed of timber and was divided into fifteen watertight compartments. The lifeboat was also the first motor lifeboat to be built with flush decks, similar to earlier steam driven lifeboats. There was a semi-enclosed deck shelter which housed the on-deck helm position and which helped to keep the crew out of bad weather. Below deck there was also a cabin which could accommodate up to twenty four people; if necessary, the Barnett-class lifeboat was capable of carrying a total of 130 rescued people. The ''William and Kate Johnston'' was driven by twin propellers which were housed in tunnels and powered by two DE5-type six-cylinder submersible petrol engines of 80 horsepower, also designed by Barnett. Each engine, with a separate fuel and cooling system, was housed in its own watertight chamber, and was capable of running even if the engine room became flooded and the engine was entirely submerged. The engines' air intakes were set well above the waterline even when the boat was waterlogged. The ''Barnett''-class could cruise at and had an operating range of . The Barnett-class boats were also the first for the RNLI to rely solely on their engines for motive power, although they were equipped with a small staysail and trysail for stability purposes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:William And Kate Johnston 1923 ships Barnett-class lifeboats Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels New Brighton, Merseyside