Thousands enjoy 'epic occasion' as new lifeboat arrives on coast

Wells RNLI’s Shannon class lifeboat Duke of Edinburgh arrived in the town on Saturday, October 8, and was greeted by sunshine and cheers.

The Launch a Memory lifeboat arrived at the quay at 5.30pm, carrying with it 15,000 names of loved ones featuring the lifeboat’s letters and numbers - RNLI 13-46 - displayed on the vessel’s hull.

Peter Rainsford, Wells lifeboat chairman, said: "It was absolutely fabulous. The sun was shining. We probably had about 2,000 people on the quay.

"It was an epic occasion."

Wells RNLI's new state of the art lifeboat makes waves as it arrives into the town on October 8. (Image: Leanne McColm)

The new lifeboat was accompanied into the quay by the station’s current lifeboat Doris M.Mann of Ampthill and their D class inshore lifeboat.

They were also joined by the lifeboat station’s previous lifeboat Ernest Tom Neathercoat, which served between 1965 and 1990, and the Lucy Lavers, which served as the station’s relief lifeboat in 1962 and from 1963 to 1964.

Wells RNLI's new lifeboat was accompanied into the quay by the station's lifeboat Doris M.Mann of Ampthill and their D class inshore lifeboat. (Image: Leanne McColm)

To mark the lifeboat’s arrival, Blakeney Old Wild Rovers sang sea shanties.

Mr Rainsford said: "The crew did demonstrations of how fantastically manoeuvrable she is. It was very impressive to see up close."

The new Wells RNLI lifeboat the Duke of Edinburgh arrives at Wells Quay on October 8. (Image: RNLI)

On Saturday afternoon, the lifeboat, designed and built by the RNLI, made passage from Lowestoft.

For the previous two weeks, the crew had been training on the boat, which is different from the previous vessels.

Crew onboard the Duke of Edinburgh wave at people gathered on Wells Quay. (Image: Leanne McColm)

The Shannon class is the fastest all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.

It was funded in part through an appeal in the local Wells community and by the Civil Service charity The Lifeboat Fund.

Although the new lifeboat station is not yet open to the public, further information on when there will be opportunities to see the lifeboat will be released in the coming weeks.

The state-of-the-art Shannon class lifeboat, named Duke of Edinburgh in memory of the late HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, made the final part of its voyage home to Wells on October 8. (Image: Leanne McColm)

Mr Rainsford said: "The ‘Launch a Memory’ campaign, while a fundraiser for the charity, is also a way for us to say thank you to those people who support the lifeboat service and our volunteer lifeboat crews.

"It’s humbling to know that every time our new Shannon class lifeboat launches it will carry the names of 15,000 loved ones.

"We’re incredibly thankful to all those who have helped to make this happen," he added.

The sky glows during sunset as the new Wells lifeboat the Duke of Edinburgh arrives at the town's quay. (Image: Leanne McColm)

The Duke of Edinburgh, the new Wells RNLI lifeboat, arriving on Saturday, October 8. (Image: Leanne McColm)

The new RNLI lifeboat the Duke of Edinburgh was greeted by thousands of people as it arrived into Wells Quay for the first time on October 8. (Image: Leanne McColm)

The arrival of the new Shannon class RNLI lifeboat at Wells on October 8 was described as an 'epic occasion'. (Image: Leanne McColm)

The sun shone and people cheered when Wells RNLI's new state of the art lifeboat arrived in the town. (Image: Leanne McColm)

Crew onboard Wells RNLI's new lifeboat wave at people gathered on the quay. (Image: Leanne McColm)

Crew onboard a D class inshore lifeboat at Wells Quay. (Image: Leanne Mc Colm)

The RNLI's new lifeboat - with the operational number 13-46 - arriving into Wells Quay. (Image: Leanne Mc Colm)

The Launch a Memory lifeboat arrived in Wells Quay on October 8, carrying with it 15,000 names of loved ones in its decals, 'RNLI13-46'. (Image: Leanne McColm)