Kippford lifeboat station has always operated a D class inshore lifeboat. The D class has been the workhorse of the RNLI for more than 40 years. It is small and highly manoeuvrable, making it ideal for rescues close to shore in fair to moderate conditions such as those which exist along the Solway Firth coastline.  It has a single outboard engine and can be righted manually by the crew following a capsize.  The design of the D class has continued to evolve since its introduction in 1963.  Kippford has just taken delivery of the latest version of the D Class which was introduced in 2003, replacing its previous D Class boat, D-553 David Whitehead, which went into service at Kippford  on July 6th, 2000.  The new boat was officially launched in November this year by HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Category: Inshore Introduced: 1963 (latest version in 2003) Length: 5m Range: 3 hours at maximum speed Speed: 25 knots Weight: 436kg Crew: 2/3 Construction: Hypalon-coated polyester Launch type: Trolley or davit

The D-Class in action (courtesy of RNLI) The Kippford Lifeboat Crew Click logo to visit the official website of the RNLI