The Barnett-class lifeboat consists of three types of non self-righting displacement hull lifeboats, operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) from its stations around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, between 1923 and 1988.
History The Barnett-class lifeboat was designed in 1923 by James Rennie Barnett, OBE, MINA, the Consulting Naval Architect for the Institution, and was named after him. The boat was a significant development in lifeboat design, as it was the first RNLI lifeboat to have twin engines and twin screws.
Previously, every lifeboat carried a full set of sails, and even lifeboats fitted with engines had to maintain their sailing qualities. The Barnett-class was the first motor-powered lifeboat dependent solely on its engines. The engines sat in separate watertight engines rooms. Each engine was itself watertight, and would continue to run if the engine-room was flooded, with the engine entirely submerged. The air-intakes were located well above the water-line, even if the boat is waterlogged, and with the exception of the first of this type, the exhausts were carried up two funnels amidships.
The lifeboats had an open aft cockpit with a shelter ahead of it. There were fore and aft survivor cabins below deck, with seating for 24. If required, the boat could carry up to 130.
The boat adopted an idea from the Dutch Life-boat Service, and has a life-saving net fitted amidships, to assist with the recovery of survivors into the boat. Equipment included a line-throwing gun, an electric searchlight and an electric capstan, with electric lighting throughout. An oil spray was fitted in the bows, used to dampen the effects of waves around the lifeboat, and a fire-extinguishing plant, worked from the deck, could throw jets of Pyrene fluid to all vital parts of the casualty boat.
This type of lifeboat was intended only for stations where long distances may have to be covered, and where the life-boat can lie afloat. After making a tour round the British Isles, the first of the type was placed at on the River Mersey in 1923.
60-foot Barnett History When it was introduced in 1923, the 60-foot Barnett-class lifeboat was the largest and fastest lifeboat operated by the RNLI. The boats pioneered many features which were to become standard on future lifeboats. They were, however, too large to be slipway launched, and had to be moored afloat, at a time when the RNLI preferred to keep lifeboats in boathouses. As a result, only four were built.
Description The first Barnett-class lifeboats were long x beam, with a draught of . The boats were powered by two 80-bhp DE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, designed by the RNLI, with three built by Weyburn Engineering, and the fourth by J. Samuel White. The engines give a maximum speed of 9 knots. Maximum speed could be maintained even in very severe weather, with the lifeboat carrying sufficient petrol to travel 310 miles at full speed. The fourth, and final boat, Princess Mary (ON 715), stationed at Padstow Harbour, was long, due to a forward raked bow.
The boat had a displacement of just over 44 tons. It was divided into fourteen water-tight compartments, fitted with seventy air cases. Construction was with a skin and keel made of teak, ribs of Canadian rock-elm, and a stem and stern-post of English oak.
The boats served their stations well until the early 1950s, when they were replaced by 52-foot Barnett-class.
Fleet ON Name Built Station Comments 682 William and Kate Johnston 1923 Gift of Mr S. Johnston, Mrs Kendall, and the Liverpool LB fund, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, with twin 80-hp Weyburn DE6 6-cyl. petrol engines, costing £16,084. Sold December 1950.Stored for restoration at Sandon Half Tide Dock, Liverpool, December 2024. 693 1926 1926–1951 Legacy of Mr J. Mackie, built by S. E. Saunders of Cowes, with twin 80-hp Weyburn DE6 6-cyl. petrol engines, costing £15,821. Sold November 1951.Renamed Southern Cross, later Achilleus. Now Griselda, an open hull, aground at Keils House, Tayvallich, Argyll, December 2024.696Robert and Marcella Beck1926 1926–1943 Legacy of Mr R. A. Beck, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, with twin 80-hp White DE6 6-cyl. petrol engines, costing £14,536. Sold June 1952.Renamed Blaskbeg. Now Idle Hours at Lemmer, Netherlands, October 2025. 1943–1947 Iceland (RN) 1947–1952 715 Princess Mary 1929 1929–1952 lifeboat, gift of P&O Shipping Co., built by S. E. Saunders of Cowes, with twin 80-hp Weyburn DE6 6-cyl. petrol engines, costing £14,602. Sold June 1952.Renamed Aries. The Aries was the first small powered craft to make the double crossing of the Atlantic Ocean without the use of sail. Severe storms were encountered on each leg; an outward voyage of 33 days, and the return trip of 23 days. Last reported as a yacht at Ibiza, October 2022.
51-foot Barnett (Stromness-class) History The 60-foot Barnett was too large and heavy to be slipway launched and so the type was designed as a scaled down version which would be able to be stationed at a greater number of locations. The class is sometimes referred to as the "Stromness" after the first station to receive one.
Description
The 51-foot Barnett had an open aft cockpit with a shelter ahead of it giving access to the engine room. Ahead of the engine room was a survivor cabin and there was a forward shelter ahead of the mast. The class, with the exception of ON 860, was powered by twin 60-bhp Weyburn CE6 6-cylinder petrol engines, with a single exhaust funnel ahead of the aft shelter.
The final boat of the class, RNLB Southern Africa (ON 860), was built in 1949, fourteen years after the end of regular production, and was more akin in deck layout to the first five boats built around the same time. This boat was powered by two 60-bhp Ferry VE6 6-cylinder diesels and was in effect a prototype for a post war production run of diesel powered boats. However, it was overtaken by events as James Barnett turned to midships cockpits and the new boats emerged as the class the following year. The only other 51-foot Watson to receive diesel engines was Peter and Sarah Blake (ON 755) which was re-engined with twin Ford based 65 bhp Parsons Barracuda diesels in 1965. In 1976, Southern Africa (ON 860) also received Barracudas while serving in the relief fleet and this boat was the final member of the class in service when retired in 1981.
Fleet ON Name Built Station Comments702J.J.K.S.W.1928 Legacies of Miss J. Moody of Derby, Mr J. P. Trail of London, Mr W. M. Aitken of Edinburgh, Mr E. J. Hanson of Belper, and Mr W. Notting of Bush Hill Park, built by S. E. Saunders of Cowes, costing £13,643. Sold 1965.Became a workboat named Jon Dee (BS 19). Broken up at Dickies, Bangor, County Down, August 2000. 1955–1964 Reserve fleet717A.E.D.1929 1929–1950 Legacy of Capt. W. A. Dobie, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £10,119. Sold 1957.Last reported at Fuengirola, Spain, February 1992. 1951–1957 7181929 1929–1954 Legacy of Mrs H. Richardson, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £10,469. Sold 1959. Broken up at Barry Docks in 1976. 1954–1959 Reserve fleet719Queen Victoria1929 1929–1940 From RNLI funds, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £10,481. Sold May 1958.Destroyed by fire on the River Hamble in 1978. 1940–1941 Reserve fleet 1941–1945 1945–1954 1954–1958 Reserve fleet720City of Glasgow1929 1929–1953 From RNLI funds, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £10,198. Sold 1959.Last reported as yacht Elfred at Barry Docks, destroyed in the 1970s. 1953–1959 Reserve fleet731Lady Jane and Martha Ryland1930 1930–1958 Legacy of Mr W. Ryland, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £10,414. Sold 1969.Renamed The Lady Jane. At the Old Mill Boatyard, Old Mill Creek, Dartmouth, Devon, April 2025. 1958–1969 Reserve 733Mary Stanford1930 1930–1959 Legacy of Mr J. Stanford, built by Saunders-Roe of Cowes, costing £9,403. Sold 1969.Restored and on display, at Cliff Walk, Ballycotton, Ireland since 2015. 1959–1968 Reserve fleet734George Shee1930 1930–1958 From RNLI funds, built by Saunders-Roe of Cowes, costing £9,614. Sold December 1958.Used as a lifeboat in Guatemala from 1959. 1958 Reserve fleet 735 William and Clara Ryland 1930 1930–1957 Legacy of Mr W. Ryland, built by Saunders-Roe of Cowes, costing £9,413. Sold 1958.Renamed Ryland. Houseboat at Hundred of Hoo Sailing Club, Hoo Peninsula, December 2020, sank at moorings in December 2023, now under restoration, August 2024.754Lloyds1932 1932–1957 Gift of the members of Lloyd's of London, built by Groves & Guttridge of Cowes, costing £9,443. Sold January 1970.On hard standing, Sandwich Marina, Kent, May 2023. 1957–1969 Reserve fleet755Peter and Sarah Blake1932 1932–1958 Legacy of Miss S. Blake, built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, costing £8,978. Re-engined with twin 65-hp Parsons Barracuda diesel engines, 1975. Sold October 1972.Undergoing conversion to houseboat, at Fox's Marina, Ipswich, September 2025. 1958–1972 Reserve fleet776The Rankin1935 1935–1961 Legacy of Miss M. D. Rankin, built by Groves & Guttridge of Cowes, costing £9,122. Sold 1970.Renamed Penny Dragon, later Perseverance. Working as a pleasure boat at Tipner Boating and Angling Club, Portsmouth, November 2025. 1961–1969 Reserve fleet860Southern Africa1949 1949–1967 Funded by the Southern Africa branch of the RNLI, built by Rowhedge Ironworks of Rowhedge, Essex, with twin 60-hp Ferry VE6 6-cyl. diesel engines, costing £20,592. Re-engined with twin 65-hp Parsons Barracuda diesel engines, 1975. Sold July 1981.Renamed Valparaiso III, later Southern Africa. Pleasure boat at the Clyde Boatyard, Glasgow, December 2023. 1967–1981 Reserve fleet
52-foot Barnett (Mk. I) All 52-foot Barnett (Mk. I) lifeboats were long x beam, manufactured between 1950 and 1955 by J. Samuel White, and powered by twin 60-hp Ferry VE6 engines. All were subsequently fitted with air-bags for self-righting capability, and most had a Wheelhouse and Radar fitted in the 1960s/70s.
Fleet