Hoverspeed Hovercrafts.

didn’t Airfix ‘do’ a kit of one ?? 😮
Neil

Yes, in 1/144 scale and it´s still available … (at least my model-dealer still has two of them).

The last two SRN-4 Hovercraft were withdrawn from service in September 2000. I made a special trip down to Dover just a couple of weeks before their withdrawal, to capture these unique beasts. They are both at Lee-on-Solent and there are rumours they have been sold, but are still there under the care of the Hovercraft Museum. All British Military hovecraft had serials within aircraft ranges and they have always been regarded as more aircraft than ships as they can ‘fly’ anywhere on land and well as sea.

The Hoverloyd one was broken up a few months back. They still have the two “royal” SRN4s.

didn’t Airfix ‘do’ a kit of one ?? 😮
Neil

The last two SRN-4 Hovercraft were withdrawn from service in September 2000. I made a special trip down to Dover just a couple of weeks before their withdrawal, to capture these unique beasts. They are both at Lee-on-Solent and there are rumours they have been sold, but are still there under the care of the Hovercraft Museum. All British Military hovecraft had serials within aircraft ranges and they have always been regarded as more aircraft than ships as they can ‘fly’ anywhere on land and well as sea.

almost aviation, just very low level.. 😀 I think theres a hovercraft museum down on the south coast thats got one.. it was on that channel 4 prog where they restored bits of mechanical old tatt for people.. actually there may be more aviation content as I think they had RR Tyne engines a la Belfat, Vanguard etc.. :confused:
Neil.

edit: looks like they were Proteus rather than Tynes..

Didn’t the captains have to had some sort of pilot’s licence as well, or have I dreamt that?

One of my favourite TV programmes from my youth was “The World about Us” where they took an SRN-6 (?) down the Amazon I think. Wish they would repeat it some time.

There are very tentative plans to investigate the possibility of a Hovercraft service from Southend to London or a circular route Southend-Kent Coast-London-Kent Coast-Southend.

Its all down to money, its not cheep to operate even more to set up.

The hovercraft museum at Lee on Solent is based in some sheds that date back to the RNAS in 1917. The house next door that now houses the Coastguards was built by my great grandfather but that is just additional information.

In the early 1970s, the site was used by the IHTU, the interservice Hovercraft Trials Unit, and just about every type of hovercraft was tested there. In the early days it was things like the SRN1 (I remember that on the slipway) the short-lived SRN2 and the big SRN3 that ended its days as a target somewhere. The Cushion Craft models were also there sometimes. By the time they got into their stride it was mostly SRN5s and SRN6s. The bus to school would often have to stop to let one pass on the slipway and there was always the smell of jet fuel. BY the mid-seventies they were also testing BH7s, (they have one of those there now) and one of those on test for the Iraqi military as I remember, took a stray bullet fired from the Browndown ranges.

SRN6s were operated from Southsea on the service to Ryde and in the late 1960s there was a short-lived service from Stokes Bay to Ryde with the SRN6. A couple of hundred yards past that slipway was the Army ranges at Browndown and hovercraft would operate there. That was a barrel of laughs when were were trying to do our O levels at Gosport Grammar school and all you could hear was hovercraft noise. They were loud. We could hear the Lee on Solent ones from my Mum’s house in Stubbington.

This was back in the days when we would also get the odd Phantom into Lee. Going past on the bus almost made school worthwhile, well that and Karen Martin!

Biggest disaster in this country, IMHO is when some idiot decided they were aircraft. It put a zero, minimum, on the end of all the costs. Something that “flies” a few feet above the water/ground and will happily float if the engine(s) stop is not an aeroplane.

The SRN 4’s were really impressive beasts. I only ever did one return cross-channel trip on one and it was certainly an experience.

First one I flew on was Swift from Ramsgate to Calais in 1973 with Hover-Lloyd. The return was on one with a more regal name, Princess Anne or Margaret I don’t remember which.

The channel crossings were given flight numbers. It was very noisy on board and unless the sea was calm it was very bumpy as well. I recall as a young boy insisting that we went right up to the front seats. Visibility mid channel was nil as a result of the sea lashing the windows.

Over the years I travelled on all of the HoverLloyd fleet and laterly Seaspeed. There was always a peculiar sight that I recall through my child’s eye as the Hovercraft first came into view. The props were mounted one per corner like chimney sweeps brushes and there seemed to be a heat haze through which they immerged prior to the whole craft taking shape. There is nothing quite like it really.

Doubtful, there was only passeneger hovercraft between Pompey & the IoW ….

Not disputing you but it was a long time ago … I seem to remember dad having his red cortina (historical but it never flew) … but as time goes on the memory obviously fades and gets confused!!

everything you ever wanted to know (!) is here by the looks of things… 😀

http://www.hovercraft-museum.org/mussrn4.html

Neil

I do recall as a child being taken to the Isle of Wight on a car carrying Hovercraft when my father was a rep and had to go there on business.

Doubtful, there was only passeneger hovercraft between Pompey & the IoW :confused:
I used to skive off school & go to the IoW on em, very smooth until ya hit a BIG wave….

I assume those are the large four prop car carrying craft that plied their trade between the South coast and Calais?

I do recall as a child being taken to the Isle of Wight on a car carrying Hovercraft when my father was a rep and had to go there on business.

almost aviation, just very low level.. 😀 I think theres a hovercraft museum down on the south coast thats got one.. it was on that channel 4 prog where they restored bits of mechanical old tatt for people.. actually there may be more aviation content as I think they had RR Tyne engines a la Belfat, Vanguard etc.. :confused:
Neil.

edit: looks like they were Proteus rather than Tynes..

Do you mean the SRN 4? They were took out of service a few years ago, but theres two at the Hovercraft Museum on the site of an old RNAS airfield, think it was HMS Daedalus.