New Shannon class lifeboat Machiko Nancy officially named at Larne RNLI
- Pat Nolan
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
Saturday 18 July 2026
Larne RNLI has officially named its new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat Machiko Nancy during a special naming ceremony and Service of Dedication held at East Antrim Boat Club on Saturday afternoon.
The state-of-the-art lifeboat, which entered operational service in February this year, has been largely funded through the generosity of donor Michael Cameron via the Cameron Family Charitable Foundation. During the ceremony, Michael Cameron had the honour of naming the lifeboat in memory of his late wife, Machiko Nancy Cameron, one of the foundation's founders.
Machiko was born in Vancouver, Canada, in August 1954 and was of Japanese-Canadian heritage. She married Michael in 1980 while he was working in Vancouver, before the couple relocated to the West Midlands in 1989. A qualified accountant in both Canada and England and Wales, she enjoyed a successful career as a business manager before retiring in 2010 to pursue her passions for gardening and dancing. Following a short illness, she passed away at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in September 2020.
The formal proceedings began with Michael Cameron handing the lifeboat into the care of the RNLI. RNLI Chief Executive Peter Sparkes accepted the vessel on behalf of the charity before officially placing it into the care of Larne Lifeboat Station.
Larne RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Jonathan Shirley accepted the lifeboat on behalf of the station and said volunteers were looking forward to writing a new chapter in the station's history.
"As Lifeboat Operations Manager, it is my responsibility to authorise the lifeboat's launch when requested, and to send a message to the crew asking them to get to the station as quickly as possible, and sometimes in weather conditions which are very inclement and where others would be returning home."
"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 in the fleet. Designed entirely in-house by a team of RNLI engineers, the RNLI harnessed cutting-edge technology to ensure the lifeboat met the demands of a 21st century search and rescue service."
"The Machiko Nancy replaces our Trent class all-weather lifeboat, Dr John McSparran, and we know, just like our outgoing lifeboat that served us so well over the last quarter of a century, that this new Shannon will go on to be an exemplary search and rescue asset for many years to come."
The Service of Dedication was led by the Very Rev. Fr Manuelito Milo, the Rev. David Lockhart and the Rev. Dr Colin McClure. During the ceremony, the lifeboat was officially named Machiko Nancy before a traditional bottle of sake was poured over the vessel's side ahead of its ceremonial launch, watched by family members, friends of the station and supporters.
The new Shannon class lifeboat was also funded through a generous legacy from the late Mrs Maureen Beryl Bruce Murray. A doctor who trained during the Second World War, Maureen later became a respected GP in Croydon and eventually Chairman of the Croydon Hospital Trust. Her admiration for the RNLI was inspired by holidays on the Cornish coast and her experiences examining pilots during the war. Following her retirement, a tree was planted in her honour in the grounds of Croydon Hospital.
Larne RNLI has been serving the local community since its establishment in 1994. Since then, the station's volunteer crews have launched its all-weather and inshore lifeboats on 708 occasions, coming to the aid of 775 people, with 43 lives saved.