“The duty of the RNLI is to save anybody who is at sea, regardless of where they've come from, where they're going, who they are, and people just seem to be overlooking this fact."
If successful there might be a second vessel called 'The Galloping Grimes' or 'The Hovering Hopkins'.
Nigel Farage - the former UKIP leader - had criticised the charity, claiming it was being used as a “taxi service for illegal trafficking gangs”.
"This is simply incredible," RNLI fundraising director Jayne George said.
Crews described being on the receiving end of an “angry mob” after coming back from a rescue, with members of the public shouting at the migrants to go “back to France”.