Larne RNLI to officially name new Shannon class lifeboat Machiko Nancy
A new Shannon class lifeboat for Larne RNLI is to be officially named ‘Machiko Nancy’ during a ceremony at the East Antrim Boat Club at 2pm next Saturday (July 18).
The lifeboat which went on service in February this year has been largely funded by donor Michael Cameron and his late wife Machiko, via the Cameron Family Charitable Foundation. Machiko was one of the founders of that charity.
Machiko was born in Vancouver, Canada in August 1954 and was of Japanese Canadian heritage. In November 1980, she married Michael who was working in Vancouver at the time. In 1989, they moved to the West Midlands and began to develop their careers from there.
Machiko was a hardworking business manager, having qualified as an accountant in both Canada and England and Wales. When she retired in 2010, she devoted her energy to gardening and dancing. Following a short illness, she passed away at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in September 2020. Mr Cameron will be attending the naming ceremony.
The Machiko Nancy replaces the station’s all-weather Trent class lifeboat, Dr John McSparran, which served the community off the Larne coast for a quarter of a century.
The Shannon is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making her the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat yet.
Designed entirely in-house by a team of RNLI engineers, the RNLI harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure the lifeboat meets the demands of a 21st century search and rescue service.
The Shannon class lifeboat was designed to be launched and recovered from a beach via a fast and safe launch and recovery system while it can also be launched from a slipway or lie afloat.
The lifeboat was also funded by the late Mrs Maureen Beryl Bruce Murray. Maureen trained as a doctor during the war. Her class was moved to Exeter for safety, eventually being returned to Croydon later in the war. The day after starting again in Croydon, one of the dormitories was hit by a doodlebug killing all the students, something Maureen never forgot. Maureen practised as a GP in Croydon eventually becoming the senior partner of the practice. She was also involved in the local NHS governing bodies, becoming Chairman of the Croydon Hospital Trust.
Speaking ahead of next week’s naming ceremony, Jonathan Shirley, Larne RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: "This is a special day for our lifeboat volunteers, our families and all our supporters as we prepare to officially name our wonderful new lifeboat in memory of Machiko Nancy. We are proud custodians of this lifeboat, which will go on to rescue and save many lives in the years ahead.”
Larne RNLI was established in 1994 and since then, the station’s all-weather and inshore lifeboats have launched 707 times with its volunteer crews coming to the aid of 775 people, 43 of whom were lives saved.