Arrival date set for Tyneside RNLI station's new life saving boat
South Tyneside’s closest RNLI station will be allocated a new boat in the coming weeks.
A new all weather lifeboat will be on hand to support people off the South Tyneside coast from next month.
Tynemouth RNLI Station is set to welcome a new, more modern, Tamar class all-weather lifeboat replacing the station’s current Severn class lifeboat, 17-34 Osier.
The current boat has been at the station since 2021.
The change forms part of a wider RNLI fleet modernisation programme announced in 2025, with a number of lifeboats around the coast being replaced and updated to ensure crews continue to have the best possible equipment to save lives at sea.
The new Tamar class lifeboat, 16-19 Irene Muriel Rees, was built in 2011. Most recently it was part of the RNLI’s relief fleet.
Tynemouth RNLI Coxswain Vincenzo ‘Enzo’ Stifanelli said: “The Tamar is a very capable all-weather lifeboat and will be ideal for the range of shouts we are tasked to. It's a more modern platform for our crews to continue to save lives at sea.
“The crew are really looking forward to welcoming the new boat to our station.
“Although it will be sad to say goodbye to Osier, we are excited for the future and look forward to continuing our lifesaving work with Irene Muriel Rees for many years to come.”
Built in 2011, The Tamar was the first lifeboat to be fitted with SIMS, an RNLI innovation that has transformed the way crews operate their lifeboats and improving safety.
SIMS, which stands for Systems and Information Management System, allows the crew to control and monitor many of the lifeboat’s functions without having to leave their seats.
Volunteer crew members from Tynemouth will undertake familiarisation and operational training at the RNLI College in Poole, ahead of the lifeboat entering service at the station
The new boat is set to arrive at Tynemouth on the 11 July, around midday. Further details will follow on social media.
Tynemouth has been home to a Severn class lifeboat since 1998 with 17-20 Spirit of Northumberland, before it was withdrawn in 2021 and replaced by Osier.
Despite being based in North Shields, the station supports call-outs across South Tyneside.