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This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation. There are no postcards for sale on this website
Hovertravel
This page is devoted to postcards and photographs of Hovertravel.
An alphabetical list of ships
shown on this page is shown below. Below this is the
Fleet List
in chronological order.
The world's longest running hovercraft service, Isle of Wight based Hovertravel Ltd, celebrated its 40th anniversary in July 2005. Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Sir Christopher Cockerell, hovercraft inventor, launched the world's first passenger hovercraft route on 24th July 1965, providing a fast, cross-Solent link between Ryde on the Isle of Wight and Southsea in Portsmouth. The amphibious nature of the vessels enabled the public to travel directly into and out of Ryde town by sea for the first time, without having to trek ½-mile to the end of Ryde Pier. At low tide, the sea recedes right out to the end of the pier, so conventional ferries have never been able to dock in town. Since its inauguration, more than twenty-one million passengers have travelled the short distance between Ryde and Southsea with Hovertravel, which remains one of only two scheduled year-round hovercraft services in the world. For service details see:-
www.hovertravel.co.uk
In 1965 the average hovercraft crossing over the Solent took approximately 8 minutes from land to land. Forty years later, Hovertravel is still the fastest cross-Solent service. With its current vessels that have a much larger passenger capacity than the early models, Hovertravel can still maintain an average crossing time of less than 9 minutes. The fastest rival service takes 22 minutes once the
pier train ride
is included.
Technological developments and increased passenger demand have seen the hovercraft design grow over the years from the original 18 and 38 seat SRN5s and SRN6s to today's larger, more powerful (but quieter) 95-seat AP1-88 /100S models. Hoverwork, the company's hovercraft design and manufacturing subsidiary, is built their first BHT130 hovercraft for the Solent route. Manufactured on the Isle of Wight, the large 130-seat hovercraft
Solent Express
is a diesel-powered hovercraft providing 36 extra seats compared to previous fleet members
Freedom 90
of and
Island Express
. After a lengthy development phase, she arrived at Ryde in March 2007 to undertake sea trials. She entered revenue service on 8th June 2007
Hovercraft not Illustrated
In addition to the craft illustrated below, 025's sister craft
Swift
at
Hoverlloyd
was bought and used by Hovertravel. The SRN6 Mk1 craft 022, 024 and 028 were also all bought second hand and used on the Solent. SRN6 006 and 016 were also chartered (006 was later purchased). The
Sea Hawk
and
Sea Eagle
(ex-Seaspeed craft 009 and 011) were used between 1978 and 1982 (one bought and one chartered). Finally, the Australian-built AP1-88 craft
Courier
was used for many years on the Solent, a 100 seater set up for 89. These will be added to the main history when images are obtained.
(Thanks to Warwick Jacobs for this information)
Hovercraft on this Page:-
GH2031 - RN6-025
- Hovertravel: 1968-1980
GH2012 - SRN6-026
- Hovertravel: 1966
GH2013 - SRN6-130
- Hovertravel: 1965-1980
GH2035 - Freedom
- Hovertravel: 19xx-1983
GH2087 - Tenacity
- Hovertravel: 1983-1990
GH2088 - Resolution
- Hovertravel: 1983-1987
GH2089 - Perseverance
- Hovertravel: 1985-1988
GH2107 - Double-O-Seven
- Hovertravel: 1989-2003
GH2124 - Idun Viking
- Hovertravel: 1998-2002
GH2119 - Freedom 90
- Hovertravel: 1990-
GH2132 - Island Express
- Hovertravel: 2002-
GH2142 - Solent Express
- Hovertravel: 2007-
Liv Viking
Associated Pages:-
Hoverlloyd
Hoverspeed
Hovertravel
- this page!
Seaspeed
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
www.hovertravel.co.uk
- Official Hovertravel Website
www.srn6.com
- Detailed history of SRN-6 craft by Mark Porter
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Hovertravel Fleet List
GH 9001/GH 2031 - SRN6-025
(SRN6 - Hovertravel: 1968)
Launched in March 1966,this craft became the
Sure
part of
Hoverlloyd’s
"Swift and Sure" operation. The craft was used on
Hoverlloyd’s
inaugural cross-channel run on 6 April 1966, and on 25 April 1966 carried President de Gaulle across "La Manche". On 30 April the channel service started in earnest, and 025 was employed on the route between Ramsgate Harbour and Calais.
The craft was returned to BHC, who chartered her to Hovertravel on 1 April 1968 to complement SR.N6 130 on the Ryde to Southsea service. Hovertravel’s second machine, 026, was at this time in South America for the renowned Amazon expedition. On 25 June 1968, while returning to BHC's works at East Cowes for maintenance, 025 hit SR.N6 016 at the end of the Cowes breakwater. It was low tide, and neither of the pilots could see each other's craft. Fortunately, nobody was injured and 025 sustained only minor damage to the bow. The other craft was damaged amidships and was driven to BHC's slipway for repairs.
Whilst 025 only ran for part of 1968 with Hovertravel, her sister craft
Swift
at
Hoverlloyd
was bought and used by them. the Mk1 craft 022, 024 and 028 were also all bought second hand and used on the Solent.
Text:
www.srn6.com
© Copyright Mark Porter 1988, 2000
Shoesmith & Etheridge postcard N1925 of an SRN6 at Southsea.
Under magnification, serial appears to 025.
GH2013 - SRN6-130
(SRN6 - Hovertravel: 1965-1977)
SR.N6 130 was launched in July 1965, and started Hovertravel's Solent service on 24th July. The craft was soon carrying around 1,000 passengers per day. The service was formally inaugurated by Earl Mountbatten on 4th August 1965. By 10th October 1965 85,570 passengers had been carried, and a hardstanding had been laid at Southsea. All three terminals now had hardstandings, the other terminals being at Stokes Bay, Gosport and Ryde, Isle of Wight.
The craft was modified over the winter of 1967 by BHC. On 1st April 1968 the craft re-opened the Solent services with a 50/50 skirt fitted. From 21st until 27th March 1969 the craft was converted for a charter on the Waddenzee, in the Netherlands. On 28th March it left for Waddenzee. Hoverwork, Hovertravel's sister company, were carrying out a charter at Texel, Waddenzee until April with SR.N6 013 and 024. On 25th June 1969 the craft were back on the Isle of Wight. On 11th April 1970 the craft left for the Netherlands for a Hoverwork survey with Seismos/NAMM, with SR.N6 012. The craft returned to the Isle of Wight on 8th June 1970. For the remainder of 1970 the craft was on the Hovertravel service. In 1971 it was refitted after 11,000 hours of use. In 1976 it was prepared for a potential charter in Sweden, but this did not materialise.
On 4th August 1976 the craft arrived at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire for a British Gas seismic survey in Morecambe Bay. On 8th August it started the three month operation. In June 1977 the craft went to Abu Dhabi for a seismic survey that was completed in October 1979. The craft was left in Abu Dhabi. It has been reported that the remains of the craft's cabin was used as a store for fishermen, near the airport. The craft completed 22,707 running hours.
Text:
www.srn6.com
© Copyright Mark Porter 1988, 2000
Norman postcard D19035 of SRN6 serial 130 at Southsea.
Valentine's postcard ET.4796R of SRN6 serial 130 at Southsea.
G.Dean (Sandown) postcard D.126 of SRN6 serial 130.
W.J.Nigh postcard KIW437 of SRN6 serial 130 at Southsea.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.6170 of SRN6 serial 130 at Ryde.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard SS.6039 of SRN6 serial 130.
E.T.W.Dennis postcard S.4326 of SRN6 serial 130 at Southsea.
Postcard of SRN6 serial 130 at Ryde.
Photo Precision postcard PT22771 of SRN6, posted 1974.
W.J.Nigh postcard KIW688 of SRN6 serial 026 and 130 (right).
Photographic Greetings Co postcard 2456 of
GH2013.
Postcard of SRN6.
GH2012 - SRN6-026
(SRN6 - Hovertravel: 1966-1981)
This craft was completed in May 1966 and joined SR.N6 130 on Hovertravel’s Solent routes on 16 May. The two machines were used on the Ryde to Southsea service, and also between Ryde and Stokes Bay, Gosport and the longer Southsea to Sandown service, which started on the day after 026 was delivered. The craft were both heavily utilised during the summer seasons, but only one craft was needed for the rest of the year.
SR.N6 026 was taken off the Solent in November 1967 and was prepared for a charter by her owner's subsidiary company, Hoverwork. The charter was undertaken in South America for the Geographical Magazine, and resulted in the craft going where no powered craft had gone before. On 30 December 1967 she was shipped to Manaus in Brazil on the M.V. Cyril, arriving in February 1968. A sales demonstration was given first, with the craft travelling from Manaus to Peru and back between 7 and 30 March. Amongst the craft's complement was Michael Bentine, who helped to set up the demonstration, which involved 1500 miles of hovering. The Geographical Magazine Expedition started on 12 April 1968 and lasted for twenty-eight days. The craft was not greatly modified, other than the removal of several rows of seats at the rear of the cabin and the fitting of three 45-gallon tanks on either side deck. These tanks were not directly connected to the craft's fuel system, so fuel transfer had to be undertaken at various stops along the 2440 mile long journey. Following the expedition, a sales demonstration was carried out jointly with the British Hovercraft Corporation in Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil and Argentina. The craft returned to the Isle of Wight on 10 September.
In 1969 026 was back at work on the Solent, with a new colour scheme of orange side decks and a white cabin, with the tail unit and machinery area painted black. She stayed on the Ryde to Southsea route until 9 May 1971,whereupon she went to Terschelling in Holland for a charter to Petroland until 28 June. On 15 August 1971, the craft was damaged while being lifted aboard a ship en route to a survey in Sfax, Tunisia. The craft missed the survey and was back on the Solent service once repairs had been carried out. In 1974 she travelled under her own power to Eemshaven for a logistics charter to Nederlandse Pipalaiding Constructie Co. Over four hundred hours were accumulated moving equipment and crews over the shallow waters of the Waddenzee. After fourteen weeks the operation ended and 026 returned to the Isle of Wight. The craft was then prepared for a ferry charter in the Stockholm Archipelago, and was on standby at St. Helens – Hovertravel’s maintenance base on the Isle of Wight - during the first two months of 1975. In the event, the winter was reasonably mild and ice did not form, so 026 did not go to Sweden. Until the introduction of the AP1-88s she was used as a standby craft, while the larger SR.N6 Mk1S craft operated on the Solent route.
Hoverwest of Weston-super-Mare used the craft, now named
Skylark
, on a service in the Bristol Channel. This service started on 23 May 1985,but about six weeks later had stopped, and 026 returned to Hovertravel at St. Helens. The hovercraft had accumulated 19,804 operating hours by this time. She was refurbished and shipped to Canada in February 1987. Her new owners were North Coast Air Services, a seaplane operator, who started hovercraft operations in April 1987. SR.N6 026 was used to carry passengers and freight between Prince Rupert and an Indian reservation on an island. Two routes were operated from Prince Rupert, one was a fifty mile round trip to Fort Simpson, and the other a one hundred mile return trip to Kitkatla. Early in 1988 North Coast Air Services stopped operations, and the hovercraft remains in Canada.
Text:
www.srn6.com
© Copyright Mark Porter 1988, 2000
J.Salmon postcard 1-58-04-32D of SRN6 serial 026 at Southsea.
W.J.Nigh postcard KIW688 of SRN6 serial 026 (left) and 130.
Bennett Publications postcard of SRN6 serial
GH2012
at Southsea.
Island Tourist Products (Shanklin) postcard 2/455 of two SRN6 hovercraft at Ryde.
GH2012
is on the left, running without the "nun's cowl" on the dorsal covers.
GH2035 - Freedom
(SRN6 - Hovertravel: 19xx-1983)
Built by Air Vehicles Ltd at St Helens from a new centre section and sections from SR.N6 012 and the two SR.N5 craft that were converted to the Mk5 standard. On 11th August 1974 it entered service on the Solent route with Hovertravel. The craft was refurbished at the end of 1975 by Hovertravel and Air Vehicles. The craft was delivered to Eurosense in April 1984, and was renamed "BEASAC". This craft is no longer in operation.
Text:
www.srn6.com
© Copyright Mark Porter 1988, 2000
J.Arthur Dixon postcard PIW22562 of
Freedom.
W.J.Nigh postcard KIW831 of
Freedom.
Photograph of
Freedom
at Southsea.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, June 1976.
Photograph of
Freedom
at Southsea.
Photo: © Ian Boyle, August 1977.
GH2087 - Tenacity
(AP1-88 - Hovertravel: 1983-1990)
W.J.Nigh postcard WJN1522 of
Tenacity.
Fincom postcard 100POR of
Tenacity.
W.J.Nigh postcard WJN1577 of
Tenacity
(left) and
Resolution.
GH2088 - Resolution
(AP1-88 - Hovertravel: 1983-1987)
J.Arthur Dixon postcard PIW25815 of
Resolution.
W.J.Nigh postcard WJN1577 of
Tenacity
and
Resolution
(right)
.
GH2089 - Perseverance
(AP1-88 - Hovertravel: 1985-1988)
Fincom postcard GSP102 of
Perseverance
at Southsea.
Dennis postcard S.043108L of
Perseverance
at Southsea.
Salmon postcard of
Perseverance.
GH2107 - Double-O-Seven
(AP1-88/100 - Hovertravel: 1989-2003)
W.J.Nigh postcard WJN1712 of
Double-O-Seven.
J.Arthur Dixon postcard PIW29113 of
Double-O-Seven
(right) and
Freedom 90
at Ryde.
Photo: Patrick Eden.
Salmon postcard of
Idun Viking
and
Double-O-Seven
(left)
at Ryde.
GH2114 - Freedom 90
(AP1-88/100S - Hovertravel: 1990- )
W.J.Nigh postcard WJN1747 of
Freedom 90
at Ryde.
Salmon postcard of
Double-O-Seven
and
Freedom 90
(left)
at Ryde.
2 variations of a postcard of
Freedom 90
at Southsea.