steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
Seaside Heights, New Jersey
Seaside Heights is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 2,887,Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster to open in the United States and the first Euro-Fighter 320 model in the world. It replaced Star Jet, which was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
History
After the Star Jet roller coaster was destroyed (along with a large portion of the Casino Pier) during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it took almost three years until permission was granted to rebuild; this permission to rebuild included a new roller coaster. After swapping land with the city, however, it was decided that this new coaster would not be built on the pier over the water (as the 1970 Jet Star and the 2002 Star Jet had been), but it would instead be built over the beach to prevent a repeat of what had happened with the hurricane.
In late 2016, it was announced that the roller coaster replacing Star Jet would be a
Euro-Fighter
The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of E ...
manufactured by
Gerstlauer
Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany.
History
In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the Anton Schwarzkopf-o ...
. The coaster was named Hydrus and opened in May 2017. New Jersey governor Chris Christie was present for a
ribbon-cutting
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.
ceremony on May 26 which occurred several weeks after a soft opening of the ride.
Layout and theme
Hydrus has the characteristic steeper-than-vertical (97 degree) drop of all Euro-Fighter coasters. The coaster (a Euro-Fighter 320) is similar to 320+ model Euro-Fighters, but it eliminates the final helix at the end. Elements include a
loop
Loop or LOOP may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live
* Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets
* Loop Mobile, an ...
heartline roll
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Com ...
. There are two eight-person cars, each with lap-bar restraints. The owners of Casino Pier have said that the name Hydrus references the constellation of the same name, and the "Jet Star" and later "Star Jet" names of the previous Casino Pier coasters.
Reception
The coaster has been included in rankings of top 2017 coasters from
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
and ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...