D-class lifeboat (RFD 320)

Class overview
Name	D-class (RFD 320)
Builders	RFD
Operators	Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Preceded by	D-class (RFD PB16)
Succeeded by	D-class (RFD PB16)
Built	1966–1967
In service	1966–1983
Completed	6
Retired	6
General characteristics
Class & type	RFD 320
Complement	2 or 3

The D-class (RFD 320) lifeboat is a class of inflatable boat operated between 1967 and 1983 by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

They were manufactured by R.F.D. Co.Ltd of Gadalming, Surrey, a company founded by engineer Reginald Foster Dagnall. Over time, RFD became a synonym for "Rapid Flotation Devices".

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.

There were only six D-class (RFD 320) boats in the RNLI Fleet, and all were utilised as Boarding Boats.

RNLI Fleet

Op. No. [a]	Name	In service [1]	Station	Comments
D-77	Unnamed	1967–1980	Boarding Boat (Y1)
D-78	Unnamed	1967–1976	Boarding Boat (Y2)
D-79	Unnamed	1967–1981	Boarding Boat (Y3)
D-80	Unnamed	1967–1983	Boarding Boat (Y4)
D-118	Unnamed	1966–1980	Boarding Boat (Y6)
D-119	Unnamed	1966–1976	Boarding Boat (Y7)

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.