H-class lifeboat

H-class rescue hovercraft serve the shores of the United Kingdom as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet. A modified Type 470TD design built by Griffon Hoverwork, they were developed to operate in tidal areas such as Morecambe Bay, where strandings by incoming tides can have fatal consequences; and in waters too shallow for normal craft.

Hovercraft were also assigned to three other stations, New Brighton, Hunstanton, and Southend-on-Sea. In 2016, the New Brighton Hovercraft H-005 Hurley Spirit was reassigned to Hoylake.

In 2023, trials were carried out by the RNLI, assisted by the team at Hoylake station, to evaluate different crafts being considered as a potential successor to the current hovercraft.