The class name comes from the River Mersey which flows into the Irish Sea in north west England.

During the 1960s and 1970s the RNLI introduced fast lifeboats capable of considerable greater speeds than the 8 knots (15 km/h) of existing designs.

In 1982 the steel-hulled Tyne-class came into service which could be launched down a slipway but weighed 25 tons so was not suitable for being moved across a beach on a carriage.

Its propellers are fully protected from damage when launching or in shallow water, by partial tunnels and two bilge keels.

At the national level ADES Uruguay is part of the National Emergency Committee and at the international level it is part of the IMRF (International Maritime Rescue Federation)[13] Operated by Bote Salvavidas de Valparaiso, Chile