Hovertravel
TypeLimited Company
IndustryPassenger transportation
Founded1965
HeadquartersRyde, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Area served
Solent, Isle of Wight, Southsea
OwnerBland Group
Number of employees
100-200
ParentBland Group
Websitewww.hovertravel.co.uk

Hovertravel is a ferry company operating from Southsea, Portsmouth to Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK. It is the largest passenger hovercraft company currently operating in the world since Hoverspeed stopped using its craft in favour of catamarans and subsequently ceased all ferry operations in 2005.

Hovertravel is now the world's oldest hovercraft operator,[1] and this service is believed to be unique in western Europe.[2] Although Hovertravel has claimed that it is the world's only commercial passenger hovercraft service,[3] there is a regular winter-only operator in Estonia.[4] The operator's principal service operates between Southsea Common on the English mainland and Ryde Transport Interchange on the Isle of Wight : the crossing time of less than 10 minutes makes it the fastest route across The Solent from land to land.[5] This service commenced operations in 1965, Hovertravel currently operates two 12000TD hovercraft on a single route between Ryde and Southsea. Additionally, Hovertravel has frequently operated other routes throughout the United Kingdom, typically as charter services.

History

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, British inventor Sir Christopher Cockerell had, in cooperation with British aerospace manufacturer Saunders-Roe, developed a pioneering new form of transportation, embodied in the form of the experimental SR.N1 vehicle, which became widely known as the hovercraft.[6] British manufacturer Saunders-Roe proceeded with work on various hovercraft designs, successfully developing multiple commercially viable vehicles in the mid-1960s. These included the SR.N4, a large cross-Channel ferry capable of seating up to 418 passengers along with 60 cars, and the SR.N5, the first commercially-active hovercraft.[7]

An SR.N6 at Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight, 1965

Hovertravel first commenced operations during July 1965, initially leasing a pair of SR.N6 hovercraft, a stretched model of the SR.N5 capable of seating up to 38 passengers, from the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC).[8] An initial service between Ryde, Southsea and Stokes Bay, Gosport, was established. At its onset, it was planned to run a seasonal summer service to provide a unique experience orientated towards tourists visiting the region; despite this intention, a high level of regular travellers and commuters used the service to the extent that a year-round service became viable.[8]

Early on, Hovertravel faced direct competition from another hovercraft operator, the British Rail-owned Seaspeed with its rival Cowes-Southampton route. Eventually, Hovertravel took over running of the route on behalf of Seaspeed; however, in 1980, the decision was taken to discontinue the Cowes-Southampton service due to rising costs and increased competition from Red Funnel's hydrofoils, instead concentrating its resources on the Ryde-Southsea service, which was viewed as being more viable.[8]

In addition to its scheduled services, Hovertravel was also quick to enter the charter market.[8] Its hovercraft proved to be of particular value to hydrocarbon exploration and seismographic surveys, which would see Hovertravel craft deployed to barren deserts, frozen arctic conditions, and previously unexplored areas of the world. During 1968, one such expedition by a single SR.N6 successfully traversed the perilous Orinoco river during an exploratory mission deep into the Amazon rainforest.[8] While the SR.N6 had helped to prove the value of hovercraft, it was not without its flaws; due to its dependency on aviation-derived technologies, Hovertravel's fleet became increasingly expensive to maintain over time, while its high noise output was not an attractive feature either.[8]

AP1-88 Double-O-Seven arriving at Southsea after crossing from the Isle of Wight

As a result of high oil prices following the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis, the economics of the first generation of commercial hovercraft was badly hit, undermining operators' profitability and provoking customer requests for vehicles with greater fuel efficiency.[9] The BHC achieved several advances throughout the 1970s, improving its skirt technology to increase durability and require less power, while propulsion changes helped to drive down operating costs and thereby improve the hovercraft's commercial viability.[9] While early craft had been powered by gas turbine engines, which were frequently similar to the turboshaft engines used on helicopters; advances in diesel engines enabled their application to a new generation of hovercraft.[10][11] Hovertravel elected to procure the newly developed British Hovercraft Corporation AP1-88, a medium-size diesel-powered hovercraft.[8]

Prior to the delivery of Hovertravel's first AP1-88 hovercraft in 1983, extensive trials were performed of the vehicle to evaluate it.[8] It was found to be considerably more economic to operate and to purchase, costing half the price of the older SR.N6 in both respects.[12][10] The quieter and more economical AP1-88 was credited by Hovertravel as having revitalised the industry; the type soon entirely replaced the SR.N6 and form the bulk of the company's hovercraft fleet into the 21st century.[8]

By the turn of the century, Hovertravel was reportedly transporting almost 1 million passengers per year across its fleet, while its services were sometimes running at an interval of every 15 minutes at particularly busy points of the day. In order to cope of demand, the company sought a suitable replacement for its aging AP1-88s.[8] While a single BHT-130 hovercraft was operated for four years, it proved to be un-economical for on the relatively short Isle of Wight route, being better suited to longer routes, such as around Edinburgh. Thus, another type of hovercraft was sought to serve the Isle of Wight service.[8]

Hovertravel's close relationship with hovercraft manufacturer Griffon Hoverwork has facilitated its preferences and requirements to shape the development of new hovercraft. During 2010s, while defining what would become the 12000TD hovercraft, Griffon Hoverwork drew on passenger-orientated analysis supplied by Hovertravel.[13] Hovercraft would later acquire this vehicle, on which the passenger experience was enhanced over earlier vehicles in multiple ways; such enhancements included the incorporation of noise-minimisation measures, increased external visibility, and accessibility accommodations.[13] Production of this new twin-diesel engine hovercraft, designated 12000TD commenced in 2015 with deliveries starting during the following year. The type has been hailed as Hovertravel's quietest and most economically viable hovercraft to date.[8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic two of the company's hovercraft were modified to take stretchers and a temporary landing point was opened in Southampton to allow patients to be transferred to its hospital.[14]

Services

Solent Flyer at the Ryde hovercraft terminal, 2018
Freedom 90 at Ryde, 2008

For several decades, Hovertravel had operated a hovercraft ferry route between the mainland of the United Kingdom (UK) from Southsea across the Solent to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. During low tide, the hovercraft travels over sand flat at a distance of a mile to reach Ryde's hover port. By 2008, this service was the last regular route served by hovercraft anywhere in the UK.[15] That same year, Southsea Terminal was refurbished to extend its lifetime and improve its facilities; alterations included a new wall separating the hoverport and the esplanade, as well as new lighting, toilet blocks, and a clean up of the site.[16]

During October 2017, both of the Griffon Hoverwork 12000TD hovercraft were temporarily taken out of service due to several technical and reliability issues, including instances of engine failure. A pair of AP1-88s were taken out of reserve to operate the service in their place.[17] The 12000TD returned to regular service three weeks later.[18]

Hovertravel has occasionally been chartered to operate temporary hovercraft services across the Firth of Tay between Carnoustie and St Andrews, typically in connection with major golf tournaments, demand being amplified by insufficient hotel accommodation available at Carnoustie. Additionally, between 16 July and 28 July 2007, the Solent Express was chartered to operate an experimental service across the Firth of Forth (marketed as "Forthfast") between Portobello, Edinburgh, and Kirkcaldy in conjunction with Scottish transport firm Stagecoach Group.[19]

1972 accident

On 4 March 1972, Hovertravel's SR-N6 012 capsized off Southsea, with a loss of five lives, including a single missing person who was presumed drowned. The craft had been en route from Ryde to Southsea with 26 people on board, including the crew; it had been about a quarter of a mile (400 metres) offshore when it was hit by an unusually large wave, causing the vehicle to capsize.[20] All visible survivors were rescued from the sea, while the hovercraft itself was towed ashore at Southsea.[21] The captain of the SR.N6 was praised for his prompt efforts to rescue the people on board.[22] This incident was the world's first fatal accident involving a commercially operated hovercraft, and the first fatal accident involving a hovercraft in the United Kingdom.[23]

Fleet

Solent Express leaving Ryde

Presently, Hovertravel operates a pair of 12000TDs, produced by sister company Griffon Hoverwork, called Solent Flyer and Island Flyer. Each craft is outfitted with 78 seats, access to the passenger cabin is provided via two doorways located on the bow of the vehicle. The pilot operates the craft from a central wheelhouse. Powered by a pair of diesel engines, the 12000TD can travel at speeds of up to 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) while hovering around 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above the surface.

    Model Number Name In Service Out Service
    SRN6 012 1972
    SRN6 GH2014 Sea Hawk 1977 1983
    SRN6 025 1968 1980
    SRN6 026/GH2012 1966 1981
    SRN6 130/GH2013 1965 1980
    SRN6 GH2035 Freedom 1974 1982
    AP1-88 GH2087 Tenacity 1983 1990
    AP1-88 GH2088 Resolution 1983 1987
    AP1-88 GH2083 Perseverance 1985 1988
    AP1-88 GH2107 Double-O-Seven 1989 2003
    AP1-88 GH2114 Freedom 90 1990 2018
    AP1-88 GH2108 Courier 1990 2000
    AP1-88 GH2124 Idun Viking 1997 2002
    AP1-88 GH2132 Island Express 2002 2017
    BHT130 GH2142 Solent Express 2007 2011
    Griffon 12000TD GH2160 Solent Flyer 2016 Present
    Griffon 12000TD GH2161 Island Flyer 2016 Present

    References

    Citations

    1. ↑ "BBC – Hovercraft on the Isle of Wight". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
    2. ↑ Parkinson, Justin. "What happened to passenger hovercraft?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
    3. ↑ "Our Hovercraft". Hovertravel. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
    4. ↑ "Laevaliiklus". Tytk (in Estonian). Retrieved 12 January 2024.
    5. ↑ "Hovertravel – Homepage". www.hovertravel.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
    6. ↑ Paine and Syms 2012, p. 82.
    7. ↑ Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 238, 595.
    8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "The History of the Hovertravel". Hovertravel. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
    9. 1 2 Hewish 1983, p. 297.
    10. 1 2 Paine and Syms 2012, p. 190.
    11. ↑ Hollebone 2012, p. 234.
    12. ↑ Hollebone 2012, p. 28.
    13. 1 2 "Profiles: Griffon Hoverwork". Land Sea & Air. August 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
    14. ↑ "Coronavirus: Red Jet and Hythe Ferry crossings suspended". BBC News. 15 April 2020. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2020. 
    15. ↑ "Local History". BBC. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
    16. ↑ "New lease of life for hovercraft terminal". Portsmouth Today. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
    17. ↑ "Southsea to Ryde hovercraft taken out of service". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
    18. ↑ "Southsea to Ryde hovercraft back in use after breakdowns". BBC News. 28 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
    19. ↑ "Stagecoach – Fife – forthfast". www.stagecoachbus.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
    20. ↑ "Hovercraft Casualty". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 20 December 1972. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
    21. ↑ "1972, The Hovercraft". Thirty Two Years in the Ambulance Service. Portsmouth and Hampshire (UK). Archived from the original on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
    22. ↑ "Hovercraft capsize disaster off Hampshire coast recalled 50 years on". BBC News. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
    23. ↑ "Hovercraft Accident". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 6 March 1972. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

    Bibliography

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