The first of a new slipway launched class of lifeboat, known as the Tamar class, has been allocated to Tenby lifeboat station by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The new lifeboat, costing £2m, has been funded by the generous bequest of Mr. Haydn Miller, and is to be named 'Haydn Miller' in honour of the donor.

The Tamar is expected to be put on service in September 2005, after trials are completed with the pre-production version earlier next year.

The Tamar class is the latest design of RNLI all-weather lifeboat and features state of the art 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 class, the Tamar will be bigger - 16 metres as opposed to 14 - and faster, with a speed of 25, rather than 17 knots.

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.

Tenby has been chosen as the home for the first Tamar because a new station, which is designed to accommodate the changed shape of the lifeboat, is nearing completion.

Fred Broomhead, lifeboat operations manager at Tenby, said: "It's absolutely brilliant. The new lifeboat station is well underway, so will be complete when the Tamar arrives.

"The crew are all keen to get going, and are looking forward to training on board the new lifeboat before she officially comes on service.

"We've had our Tyne class Sir Galahad since 1986 and I can't deny we're going to miss her. She's a fine boat and has served her crew well, but we have to recognise that things move on in lifeboat design.

"The extra speed of the Tamar will be really useful and will certainly help us to save more lives."