D-class lifeboat (Humber)

Class overview
Name	D-class (Humber)
Operators	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Built	1981–1982
In service	1981–1994
Completed	2
Retired	2
General characteristics
Class & type	Humber
Complement	2 or 3

The D-class (Humber) lifeboat is a class of inflatable boat operated between 1981 and 1994 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Only 2 were built, one for the Relief fleet, and one used as a Boarding Boat.

Utilization

For more than 60 years the D-class has served as the workhorse of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat (ILB) fleet. The D-class is one of the few RNLI types not to feature a rigid hull. The D-class was specifically designed as a light and highly manoeuvrable rapid response craft, especially suited to close shore work.

RNLI Fleet

Op. No. [a]	Name	In service [1]	Station	Comments
D-284	Unnamed	1981–1988	Relief fleet
D-285	Unnamed	1982–1994	Boarding Boat

1. Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat.

References

1. Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 72–78.