Douglas RNLI has said farewell to its old lifeboat.

The departure of the Mersey class RNLB Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge follows the arrival of its replacement earlier this month.

A big crowd gathered at Douglas’s Inner Harbour to welcome the RNLB Betty Huntbatch – the fastest-ever lifeboat to be stationed in the island’s capital.

The Trent class lifeboat will give Douglas RNLI a 25-knot vessel for the first time, providing a significant upgrade to the station’s emergency response capabilities along the local and surrounding coastline.

Crew training is continuing on the Betty Huntbatch.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old lifeboat it replaces is off to a well-earned retirement.

Due to technical issues it was unable to be sail back to Fleetwood so instead she was lifted by Isle of Man Heavy Crane Services on to a waiting trailer.

Douglas had originally been allocated a Shannon class lifeboat to replace the ageing Mersey.

A review was carried out by the RNLI last year to determine the most appropriate lifeboat to serve Douglas - and where it should be based.

But discussions continue with the Manx government over a long-term solution for a new lifeboat station, the current one on Battery Pier being beyond life expectancy and will ultimately most likely be demolished.

The station’s Mersey-class all-weather boat had been stationed on the liner berth near Victoria Pier due to a safety issue with the winch in the old boathouse.

Betty Huntbatch served Hartlepool RNLI for 19 years before being replaced with a Shannon-class boat last year.

An RNLI spokesperson described the relief lifeboat as an ‘interim solution’.

She said the all-weather lifeboat will be in operation from a berth as agreed with the Isle of Man Government, while ‘discussions continue around a permanent solution and the long-term future’.