The current lifeboat at Oban is one of the new breed of fast, all-weather lifeboats. Our boat, Mora Edith MacDonald, is a Trent class, capable of speeds of up to 25 knots. She came on service at Oban in July 1997 and since then has been called upon over 1300 times saving almost 100 lives. Built at William Osborne yard in Littlehampton, West Sussex in 1996, she was the 23rd of the 14 meter-long Trent class to be built, hence her number, “14-23” – the fleet now numbers some 33 boats.

14-23 remains permanently afloat in a sheltered, deep-water berth next to the station. The boat is alongside a slip allowing casualties to be landed comfortably in all wind directions and at any state of the tide. Ladder access also enables the crew to embark more safely and speedily.

14-23 - Mora Edith MacDonald
Official handover: May 1998
Cost: £1.175m
Funding: Bequest from Miss Mora Edith MacDonald, together with the bequests of Mrs Janet Boyd Finlay-Maclean, Mrs Harriett Elizabeth Willis Gaunt and Mrs Annie Thomson Hart.