RNLB William and Kate Johnstone (ON 682)
RNLB William and Kate Johnston (ON 682) is a lifeboat that was stationed at New Brighton in the English county of Cheshire from the summer of 1923 until 1950. The lifeboat was designed as a prototype by James R. Barnett who was a consulting naval architect to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. She was the first Barnett-class lifeboat and at the time of her launch, she was the largest lifeboat in the world. Design and construction Th motor lifeboat, designed by naval architect James R. Barnett, consulting naval architect to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), was a radical departure from their previous motor rescue boats, typically of around . She was not self-righting as priority was given to an ability to reach port with a larger number of the rescued and to speed, even when awash. She was long with a beam of close to and a draught of . The hull was constructed of timber and was divided into fifteen watertight compartments. The lifeboat was also the first motor lifeboat to be built with flush decks, similar to earlier steam driven lifeboats. There was a semi-enclosed deck shelter which housed the on-deck helm position and which helped to