A chapter in RNLI history passed through Isle of Man waters this weekend as the last operational Mersey class lifeboat made its final voyage across the Irish Sea.

RNLB Leonard Kent, the final serving Mersey class lifeboat in the RNLI fleet, arrived in Manx waters on Saturday as part of her passage from Ardglass, Northern Ireland, to Fleetwood Marina, where she is to be decommissioned and sold out of service.

The journey marked the formal end of the Mersey class after nearly four decades of operational use.

After leaving Ardglass at 8am with a volunteer crew from Newcastle RNLI and an RNLI staff coxswain from Portrush, the lifeboat crossed to the Isle of Man.

During a tour around the island, she was met at sea by RNLI lifeboats from Peel, Ramsey, Port St Mary, Port Erin and Douglas, underlining the island’s strong RNLI presence.

The Mersey class lifeboat later moored in Douglas Harbour at around 5pm, where the crew received an overnight welcome from Douglas RNLI, including Manx hospitality at the Welbeck Hotel.

Early on Sunday morning, Leonard Kent departed Douglas for her final crossing, reaching Fleetwood shortly before midday. There, she was greeted by crowds of onlookers and RNLI volunteers as her engines were shut down for the final time.

RNLI Fleetwood operations manager Andy Willson commented: 'The passage for the last Mersey class has certainly been a “one crew moment”, with everyone in our RNLI family pulling together and crews from the Isle of Man going out to meet them and providing hospitality overnight.

‘I understand how emotional that would be for the crew - we all get very attached to our boats'.

The RNLI’s 37-year-old Mersey fleet has now been fully replaced by the newer Shannon and Atlantic 85 class lifeboats.