''Red Jet 1'' was a high speed catamaran passenger ferry operated by
Red Funnel
Red Funnel, the trading name of the Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited,[Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...]
and
Cowes
Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...
on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
. She was built by
FB Marine in 1991 and was the first
waterjet propelled craft to operate on the route.
Specification
''Red Jet 1'' is long, with a beam of . Powered by 2
MTU 12V 396 Series TE 84 diesel engines, each driving a Marine Jet Power waterjet, she could complete the crossing between the two terminals in 22 minutes, cruising at .
Originally designed to carry 120 passengers, this was increased to 130 in 1993 and to 138 in 1998.
History
After undergoing trials she was christened by Lady Stuart on 15 February 1991, subsequently entering service on 6 April. Her introduction led to the withdrawal of the
hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
ferry ''
Shearwater 3''.
Between August and September 2008, she was chartered by the
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom.
History
Stagecoach was born out of deregulation of the British express coach market in the early ...
to operate a trial service in
Torbay. By this time she was operating as the reserve boat covering off-peak services and overhauls.
In 2009, she was withdrawn from service and, along with her sister craft, ''
Red Jet 2'', sold to Caspian Mainport for service in the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
. The two craft left Southampton on the ''La Rochelle'' bound for
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
on 14 May.
She was renamed ''CM Jet 1'' and used on Caspian's ferry routes. in 2018 she was repurposed for use as an offshore supply ship and renamed ''SA Jet 1''.
See also
*''
Red Jet 2''
*''
Red Jet 3
MV ''Red Jet 3'' is a passenger catamaran ferry formerly operated by Red Funnel on their route from Southampton to Cowes on the Isle of Wight along with sister ships ''Red Jet 4'', '' Red Jet 5'' and ''Red Jet 6''. She was built by Fairley Ma ...
''
*''
Red Jet 4
MV ''Red Jet 4'' is a passenger catamaran ferry operated by Red Funnel on their route from Southampton to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, along with sister ships ''Red Jet 6 and Red Jet 7.''
She was built by North West Bay Ships in Hobart, Tasmani ...
''
*''
Red Jet 5
MV ''Schiopparello Jet'' is a passenger catamaran ferry, formerly known as ''Bo Hengy'' and ''Red Jet 5''. She operates on routes from Piombino to the Tuscan archipelago on behalf of ferry operator Toremar (''Toscana Regionale Marittima''). Sh ...
''
*''
Red Jet 6
MV ''Red Jet 6'' is a high-speed Catamaran ferry constructed for Red Funnel in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight as the sixth member of the company's expansive ''Red Jet'' line of catamarans.
Red Funnel announced in May 2015 that they had placed ...
''
*''
Red Jet 7
MV ''Red Jet 7'' is a British high speed catamaran ferry operated by the ferry company Red Funnel on its Southampton-Cowes route, alongside the company's other current Red Jets '' 4'' and '' 6''. Constructed on site at the Wight Shipyard wher ...
''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Jet 1
Ferries of England
Ferry transport on the Isle of Wight
1991 ships
Individual catamarans
Ships of Red Funnel