Around 2,000 people gathered on the Battery Pier and Fort Anne Jetty on Sunday to watch the last slipway launch of the the Douglas RNLI Lifeboat, Sir William Hillary.

Volunteer lifeboat press officer, Mike Howland, said: ’The launch was altogether magic. The turnout was amazing: bigger than even we expected. The response to ours and others’ posts on social media has been quite frankly humbling with a lot of support and praise for what the RNLI on the island does.’

Sir William Hillary’s eventual replacement, Shannon, is scheduled to go into service once its berthing facility has been constructed. In the meantime Douglas RNLI will receive a Mersey class lifeboat to operate from the lifeboat station.

But this is not quite the end for Sir William Hillary, which has served the Isle of Man for 29 years. It will continue its life saving service, operating afloat from Douglas harbour’s liner berth, to give the crew time to familiarise themselves with the new lifeboat.