A campaign to add the names of loved ones in their memory to a new lifeboat for the fishing town of Whitby has closed after surpassing its target of more than 10,000 nominations.

The new Shannon class lifeboat will carry the number 13-49 as well as the names, which will appear in the ‘decals’ – the lettering and numbering on the lifeboat’s hull.

An all-weather lifeboat, it will be named ‘Lois Ivan’ after Mr George Ivan Stone, and his late partner Lois, who left a generous legacy to the RNLI, the majority of which has funded the new lifeboat.

It is hoped the new lifeboat will arrive in Whitby in June, after a week-long passage from Poole where the boat has been built. It is expected the lifeboat will be escorted in, as per tradition, into the harbour.

Whitby's current all-weather lifeboat, the George and Mary Webb. She is set to be retired and replaced by a Shannon Class lifeboat that will bear the name of 10,000 loved ones in their memory.

Whitby RNLI Station chairman, Mike Major said: "It has been really quite moving listening to and reading the reasons behind people's donations in memory of their loved ones. It will be with great pride that the crew bring the lifeboat through the harbour, to her new home bearing those names.”

After the lifeboat arrives a period of intense training will begin for the volunteer crew. During the initial few weeks of training, before the new lifeboat is fully operational, the current Trent class, George and Mary Webb, will remain on service. The Shannon will be at sea daily as crew undergo training, so the lifeboat may not be always visible within the harbour.

Whitby RNLI Coxswain Howard Fields said: "The crew are really excited to get started, the hard work will start when the lifeboat arrives, and our volunteers put in extra hours of training to become competent on the new lifeboat. It is an exciting change for them and we are sure the people of Whitby will enjoy seeing the new lifeboat on exercise at sea as it becomes part of the furniture in the harbour.”

There are also plans to display names of the loved ones at the lifeboat station so they can be viewed by the donors.

At a cost of £2.5M, the Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. Having waterjet propulsion instead of traditional propellers makes the Shannon the RNLI’s most manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat.

The names of 10,000 loved ones will be remembered on Whitby's new £2.5m lifeboat