There were celebrations in Pembrokeshire on Friday as Angle's new Tamar class lifeboat was named by HRH Prince Michael of Kent.

The lifeboat was funded from a £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons, a branch of the freemasons, and by RNLI supporters in Pembrokeshire, who donated over £400,000.

HRH Prince Michael of Kent, The Grand Master of the Order of Mark Master Masons, named the lifeboat Mark Mason during an afternoon ceremony.

Angle's Tamar, which was declared operational on March 23, has already proved her worth, having already launched on five rescue missions. Call-outs have included escorting a fishing vessel taking on water, assisting a power boat with engine problems, searching for two missing boys and investigating a sighting of red flare.

John Allen-Mirehouse, RNLI lifeboat operations manager at Angle, said: "The volunteer RNLI crew have really got to grips with this fantastic new boat and can't praise her enough. She is faster, which means they can reach casualties more quickly, but she is also a more comfortable, safer ride, which is especially important as many of our shouts are long towing operations."

An appeal to fund the new lifeboat was launched in Birmingham in 2006, to celebrate the historic links between the city and the sea.

RNLI supporters in Pembrokeshire also threw their weight behind the fund-raising drive, which raised just over £400,000.

The £1.6M donation from the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons completed the task to foot the bill of the £2.7M lifeboat.

Mr. Allen-Mirehouse added: "We can't express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the fund-raising appeal which has made this dream a reality for Angle. The naming ceremony is the culmination of three years of hard work and the ceremony gives us the opportunity to thank the Grand Lodge of the Mark Master Masons and the people of Birmingham and Pembrokeshire who have given so generously."

The ceremony was attended by RNLI chairman, Admiral Lord Boyce, who accepted the new lifeboat on behalf of the RNLI Council. The service of dedication was led by the team vicar, Rev. Matthew Dobbs, Angle Parish Church, and included music by Pembroke Silver Brass Band and Pembroke Choir.

The Tamar class is the latest design of RNLI all-weather lifeboat and features cutting edge technology to enhance its lifesaving capabilities.

The new lifeboat replaces the station's Tyne class all-weather lifeboat, which was built in 1986.

Compared to the Tyne, the Tamar is bigger - 16 metres as opposed to 14 - and faster, with a speed of 25, rather than 17 knots. Extensive modifications have been carried out to the boathouse and the slipway at Angle to allow the new larger lifeboat to operate.

The Tamar has more safety features built in to protect the crew, including a new seat design that will reduce loadings on crew members' spines in rough weather.

A new on board computer known as SIMS (Systems and Information Management System) further improves safety because a lot of the lifeboat's functions can now be managed remotely. This means the crew do not have to move around the boat while underway, reducing the risk of accidents. Using SIMS also allows better task sharing between crew members, as the various functions required to operate the lifeboat can be accessed via screens at any of the six crew positions.

Choir's contribution

As previously mentioned, Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir took part in the celebrations.

"The choir's offerings were naturally of a nautical nature bearing in mind the occasion, with the Lifeboat Song prominent," said the choir's press secretary Anthony Stewart.

Later in the day, the choir repaired at speed from Angle to the Cleddau Bridge Hotel for light refreshment, as they were booked to entertain the visiting Masons, wives, companions and guests prior to their scheduled dinner.

In action

Just two days after the naming ceremony, the new lifeboat was in action again.

At 7.06 am on Sunday, Milford Haven Coastguard received a telephone call from Dublin coastguard requesting assistance to a 31-foot sailing yacht, Betty Boop, with five persons on board which had lost its rudder and was drifting.

Irish Coastguards were able to keep communications with the vessel and Milford Haven Coastguard tasked Angle's all-weather lifeboat to assist.

The vessel was some 65 miles south-west of St. Anne's Head and took the lifeboat three hours and 19 minutes to get on scene.

The vessel was then taken in tow and steamed towards Dunmore East, Southern Ireland, where they were met by the Dunmore East lifeboat and the tow was handed over to the Irish.

The yacht was taken safely into shore with all persons on board safe and well.