Hoverlloyd
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Hoverlloyd operated a cross-Channel
hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...
service between
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Originally registered as ''Cross-Channel Hover Services Ltd'' in 1965, the company was renamed Hoverlloyd the following year. It was initially owned by a partnership between the
Swedish Lloyd Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
and the
Swedish American Line Swedish American Line ( sv, Svenska Amerika Linien, abbr. SAL) was a Swedish passenger shipping line. It was founded in December 1914 under the name Rederiaktiebolaget Sverige-Nordamerika and began ocean liner service from Gothenburg to New Y ...
shipping companies. On 6 April 1966, Hoverlloyd commenced operations from Ramsgate Harbour to Calais Harbour, operated the
SR.N6 The Saunders-Roe (later British Hovercraft Corporation) SR.N6 hovercraft (also known as the ''Winchester'' class) was essentially a larger version of the earlier SR.N5 series. It incorporated several features that resulted in the type becoming ...
hovercraft while awaiting the completion of the considerably larger
SR.N4 The SR.N4 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 4) hovercraft (also known as the ''Mountbatten'' class hovercraft) was a combined passenger and vehicle-carrying class of hovercraft. The type has the distinction of being the largest civil hovercraft to have ...
ferries. In addition to competing with traditional ferries, it had a fierce rivalry with hovercraft operator
Seaspeed Seaspeed was a British hovercraft operator which ran services in the Solent and English Channel between 1965 and 1981, when it merged with a rival to form Hoverspeed. Seaspeed was a jointly owned subsidiary of railway companies British Rail ( ...
, which also operated SR.N4s on the cross-
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
route. In 1969, in conjunction with the arrival of the first SR.N4s, Hoverlloyd re-positioned its services to run between purpose-built hoverports. The 1970s were years of optimism and growth for Hoverlloyd. Following initial difficulties, the company's fleet achieved a very high reliability record, having consistently operated more than 98 percent of scheduled crossings while maintaining an unblemished safety record throughout the firm's existence. Hoverlloyd possessed excellent operational bases, a hovercraft-friendly route, a fleet capable of generating returns on investment, and good quality staff. By 1980, it was operating a fleet of four SR.N4s. In 1981, in response to increasing operating costs and intensifying competition, Hoverlloyd opted to merge with its long-term rival Seaspeed to form
Hoverspeed Hoverspeed was a ferry company that operated on the English Channel from 1981 until 2005. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd. Its last owners were Sea Containers; the company ran a small fleet of two high-speed SeaCa ...
.


Background and formation

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, British inventor Sir Christopher Cockerell had, in cooperation with British aerospace manufacturer
Saunders-Roe Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. History The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe (see Avro) and John Lord took a co ...
, developed a pioneering new form of transportation, embodied in the form of the experimental
SR.N1 The Saunders-Roe SR.N1 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 1) was the first practical hovercraft. The concept has its origins in the work of British engineer and inventor Christopher Cockerell, who succeeded in convincing figures within the services and in ...
vehicle, which became widely known as the
hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...
.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 82. 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 The SR.N4 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 4) hovercraft (also known as the ''Mountbatten'' class hovercraft) was a combined passenger and vehicle-carrying class of hovercraft. The type has the distinction of being the largest civil hovercraft to have ...
, a large cross-
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
capable of seating up to 418 passengers along with 60 cars, and the
SR.N5 The Saunders-Roe SR.N5 (or ''Warden'' class) was a medium-sized hovercraft which first flew in 1964. It has the distinction of being the first production-built hovercraft in the world. A total of 14 SR.N5s were constructed. While Saunders-Roe ...
, the first commercially active hovercraft.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 238, 595. The origins of Hoverlloyd can be traced back to a decision made by
Swedish Lloyd Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
shipping company in 1964 to investigate the possibility of operating a hovercraft service, which was then a pioneering and untried concept to any business. The company soon formed a partnership with
Swedish American Line Swedish American Line ( sv, Svenska Amerika Linien, abbr. SAL) was a Swedish passenger shipping line. It was founded in December 1914 under the name Rederiaktiebolaget Sverige-Nordamerika and began ocean liner service from Gothenburg to New Y ...
, owned by Brostroms Rederi AB; both companies were keen to take the lead in what they viewed as an emerging and potentially lucrative market, having identified the heavily trafficked ferry services between the ports of
Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
, UK, and
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
, France, as being ripe for disruption by the new hovercraft technology.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 478. Accordingly, the two firms jointly formed a new venture to address this market; this entity was originally named the ''Cross-Channel Hover Services Ltd'', which was registered as a British company in 1965. The company was renamed to ''Hoverlloyd Ltd'' during the following year. Despite being largely regarded as being a single company, Hoverlloyd was in fact structured as two separate companies, one being based in France and the other in the UK.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 467.


Airline Industry Culture

Unlike its rival, Seaspeed, Hoverlloyd recruited its sales and traffic personnel from the airline industry. The company was fortunate to hire the majority of its staff following the collapse of
British Eagle British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline that operated from 1948 until it went into liquidation in 1968. It operated scheduled and charter services on a domestic ...
in 1968. As such, the company operated more like an airline than a shipping company. Crew uniforms were sourced from the
British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
depot at
London Gatwick Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after Hea ...
. The traffic manual was based on the defunct airline's standard operating procedures. Moreover, tickets and boarding passes were documents based on airline industry format.


Early operations


Ramsgate to Calais Route

Prior to commencing operations, the company exercised great attention in the selection of the most advantageous route, as well as the optimal sites to establish bases at. It decided to focus its attention on the
Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...
to
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
route, having identified this as possessing the perfect set of circumstances for a successful hovercraft route. Favourable factors at
Pegwell Bay Pegwell Bay is a shallow inlet in the English Channel coast astride the estuary of the River Stour north of Sandwich Bay, between Ramsgate and Sandwich in Kent. Part of the bay is a nature reserve, with seashore habitats including mudflats and ...
included a 10 miles out shelter from prevailing weather conditions when near the
Goodwin Sands Goodwin Sands is a sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying off the Deal coast in Kent, England. The area consists of a layer of approximately depth of fine sand resting on an Upper Chalk platform belonging to the same geologi ...
, while day-to-day timings could be adjusted to take advantage of both tides and winds. There was no need to negotiate the stone-walled entrances which would have been the case with Dover Harbour either.Least to say, the company was severely restricted as to its course of action. Folkestone was naturally out of the question because the harbour was run by British Rail. Moreover, there was no welcome from Dover to secure a hold lease at the Eastern Docks with British Rail members on the harbour board exercising their vetoes. This left Ramsgate as the only viable option. Hoverlloyd commenced operations from Ramsgate Harbour to Calais Harbour on 6 April 1966. Initially, the company operated an interim fleet of
SR.N6 The Saunders-Roe (later British Hovercraft Corporation) SR.N6 hovercraft (also known as the ''Winchester'' class) was essentially a larger version of the earlier SR.N5 series. It incorporated several features that resulted in the type becoming ...
hovercraft; services with these craft were passenger-only. Upon the launch of these services, it was publicly acknowledged that the SR.N6 was unable to compete with conventional ferries in terms of ticket price alone. Despite this, hovercraft services held a competitive advantage in that they were significantly faster than these ferries, being able to rapidly traverse the English Channel with 'flight times' reportedly as low as 22 minutes. In addition to the provision of an initial revenue stream, SR.N6 operations provided valuable operating experience, guiding future routing decisions via knowledge of dominant weather conditions and such factors. These experiences were transferable to the company's larger hovercraft, however their vast difference in size and manoeuvrability somewhat dulled the value of such experiences.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 481-483. In particular, while the
Goodwin Sands Goodwin Sands is a sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying off the Deal coast in Kent, England. The area consists of a layer of approximately depth of fine sand resting on an Upper Chalk platform belonging to the same geologi ...
were historically avoided as a threat to conventional vessels, the hovercraft could easily operate in their vicinity without hindrance, free of other traffic concerns.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 484-491. Between 1969 and 1977, Hoverlloyd took delivery of a total of four significantly larger
SR.N4 The SR.N4 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 4) hovercraft (also known as the ''Mountbatten'' class hovercraft) was a combined passenger and vehicle-carrying class of hovercraft. The type has the distinction of being the largest civil hovercraft to have ...
hovercraft, capable of carrying 30 vehicles and 254 passengers; the type quickly replaced the SR.N6s on the Ramsgate-Calais link. The first craft was purchased at a cost of £1.2 million from the
British Hovercraft Corporation British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC) was a British hovercraft manufacturer that designed and produced multiple types of vehicles for both commercial and civil purposes. Created with the intention of producing viable commercial hovercraft in March ...
.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 596. The SR.N4s were given the names ''Sure'', ''Swift'', ''Sir Christopher'', and ''The Prince of Wales'' respectively. In 1969, in conjunction with the arrival of the first SR.N4s, Hoverlloyd re-positioned its services to run between purpose-built hoverports.
Pegwell Bay Pegwell Bay is a shallow inlet in the English Channel coast astride the estuary of the River Stour north of Sandwich Bay, between Ramsgate and Sandwich in Kent. Part of the bay is a nature reserve, with seashore habitats including mudflats and ...
, near Ramsgate, hosted one newly built hoverport, while a similar facility just east of Calais harbour was shared between Hoverlloyd and its rival Seaspeed. The development of suitable hoverports for the SR.N4 fleet had not come cheaply; Hoverlloyd incurred a significant cost to develop suitable infrastructure to facilitate its future operations, and thus commenced service after a relatively short prototype testing period.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 505. Early on, hovercraft operations proved to be prone to disruption and abrupt cancellations on the part of adverse weather conditions, which were unfortunately common to the Channel.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 479. However, the impact of unfavourable conditions was eased over time by various modifications and improvements to the craft, such as increasingly durable rubber 'skirts', which had sustained damage from rough seas as well as ordinary wear-and-tear.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 521-523, 529. Other initial issues, such as
hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...
unreliability and equipment failures, were also partially attributable to worker unfamiliarity with the craft. A side effect of the hovercraft's high speed was a relatively bumpy ride. Benefits of the hovercraft configuration included an unmatched turnaround time, partly enabled by the ability to disembark/embark cars at both ends of the craft, whilst simultaneously facilitating the movement of foot passengers via two main exits on the port and starboard cabins. The capabilities of its SR.N4s were significantly augmented in 1973 with the delivery of the Mk.II modifications.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 474, 531-540.


Competition with Seaspeed

Hoverlloyd was not the only hovercraft operator that decided to move on the cross-Channel market at the time; a rival company
Seaspeed Seaspeed was a British hovercraft operator which ran services in the Solent and English Channel between 1965 and 1981, when it merged with a rival to form Hoverspeed. Seaspeed was a jointly owned subsidiary of railway companies British Rail ( ...
, owned by
British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
, was established and launched its own competing route between Calais and Dover. The two firms would compete with one another, as well as incumbent ferry operators, for market share throughout Hoverlloyd's existence.


Heyday of operations

Hoverlloyd principally concentrated on the Ramsgate to Calais link throughout the life of the company. By 1979, a typical day's operation at Pegwell Bay Hoverport involved 27 daily departures, starting as early as 6:00am and ending late in the evening; that year, 1.25 million passengers travelled by Hoverlloyd services on this route.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 14. Furthermore, rival Seaspeed proved incapable of matching the reliability record of Hoverlloyd, which consistently operated over 98 per cent of scheduled crossings while maintaining an unblemished safety record throughout the firm's existence.Paine and Syms 2012, p. 481. In 1975, Hoverlloyd was reportedly operating its fleet at near-maximum capability throughout the peak season; this feat was successfully repeated during the following year and again the year after that. According to Paine and Syms, the company had an attitude of optimism and confidence at the time, as it continued to expand its operations.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 561-563.


Sale to Brostroms Rederi AB

From initial losses of -£250,000 in 1968 and -£164,000 in 1969, Hoverlloyd returned a profit in 1972 and continued to do so until 1980 with profit margins of 10.5% in 1976, 10.0% in 1977 and 7.0% in 1978. In 1976, with the company financially attractive, Brostroms Rederi AB decided to purchase Swedish Lloyd's stake in Hoverlloyd, becoming the sole owner of the entire operation. Hoverlloyd would remain a wholly owned subsidiary of Brostroms Rederi AB until 1981.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 614-617. According to authors Robin Paine and Roger Syms, Hoverlloyd possessed excellent operational bases, a hovercraft-friendly route, a fleet capable of generating returns on investment, and good quality staff.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 474. Specifically, the company's customer-facing staff were strictly drilled and trained for their roles; stewardesses were required to maintain a high level of presentability, being compelled to wear their hair up, wear white gloves, and instructed how to apply their makeup. Presentability and enthusiasm were considered to be competitive advantages over the rival Seaspeed's services. Staff typically displayed a high level of loyalty to the company, an outcome which has been attributed to the company's amenable management style, which positively affected industrial relations.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 467-469. Crew received extensive safety training, including weekly drills, so that they were able to readily respond to a wide range of emergency situations.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 551-553.


Duty Free Sales

Hoverlloyd sold various
duty-free A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...
goods on board their SR.N4s during the cross-Channel transit. These sales comprising a meaningful portion of the service's overall revenue; thus the company strongly emphasised the importance of onboard sales amongst their staff. For example, in 1979, 30% of operating profits was accountable to duty-free sales.


Coach Services

For many years, Hoverlloyd operated a successful express coach/hovercraft/coach service from London to a number of near European cities with fares which were considerably cheaper than comparable air fares that were available at the time; the most frequent service was London - Paris, while London - Brussels had fewer departures. In 1978, these were the only two destinations; London - Amsterdam was added during 1979. On the UK side, the coaches were operated with Hoverlloyd liveried coaches provided by Evan Evans Ltd - at that time a subsidiary of
Wallace Arnold Wallace Arnold (Barr & Wallace Arnold Trust) was one of the UK's largest holiday motorcoach tour operators. History Wallace Arnold was founded in 1912 and was named after two of its founders Wallace Cunningham and Arnold Crowe. In 1926, the Bar ...
Tours of Leeds. Coaches did not cross the channel, although the hovercraft was able to readily accommodate standard-height coaches with luggage space at the rear. Hoverlloyd examined various additional coach services; while considerable exploration of launching services reaching into the German market was performed, licensing issues allegedly proved to be complex enough to prevent further expansion.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 465-467.


Further Sea Routes

Hoverlloyd held ambitions to launch scheduled services to various other destinations throughout its life. Tentative plans to operate from Southend-on Sea to
Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
in Belgium were mooted but ultimately never progressed.


Economics of large hovercraft operation


Rising oil prices

Each SR.N4 was powered by an arrangement of four
Bristol Proteus The Bristol Proteus was the Bristol Engine Company's first mass-produced gas turbine engine design, a turboprop that delivered just over 4,000 hp (3,000 kW). The Proteus was a reverse-flow gas turbine. Because the second turbine drov ...
gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directi ...
engines; while these were marinised and proved to be one of the hovercraft's more reliable systems, they were relatively fuel-hungry, consuming significant amounts of aviation-grade
kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
. As the worldwide oil crisis of the 1970s caused fuel prices to rise sharply, the operation of the SR.N4 became increasingly uneconomic, especially in comparison to slower, diesel-powered ferries.


Non-Freight Business

Unlike ferry operators, Hoverlloyd was wholly reliant on non-freight business (cars and foot passengers), and unable to offset a decline in demand with other forms of business activities.


Debt Servicing

Hoverlloyd was a highly leveraged company with debt accounting for one-third of operating profits in 1976 and 1977 to two-fifths in 1978, three-fifths in 1979 and four-fifths in 1980.


Supply Chain

The closure of the
British Hovercraft Corporation British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC) was a British hovercraft manufacturer that designed and produced multiple types of vehicles for both commercial and civil purposes. Created with the intention of producing viable commercial hovercraft in March ...
restricted support options, meaning that maintenance of the craft became more costly over time, and that neither like-for-like replacements or improved successor hovercraft were likely to be developed. Thus, ''Sure'' was taken out of service in 1983 and cannibalised for parts to keep the rest of the fleet operating. These combined factors gradually worsened Hoverlloyd's balance sheet as time progressed and demanded economies of scale, and consolidation of operations.


Merger and rationalisation

By 1980, in the midst of a
global recession A global recession is recession that affects many countries around the world—that is, a period of global economic slowdown or declining economic output. Definitions The International Monetary Fund defines a global recession as "a decline i ...
, it was obvious that cross-Channel hovercraft operation could only continue economically if the two operating companies merged, with consequent rationalisation. Hoverlloyd's owners were adamant: If the merger did not take place, operations would cease. Hoverlloyd had already been put for sale in October 1979 as a going concern but had not attracted interest. Finally, in 1981, Hoverlloyd and Seaspeed merged to create the combined
Hoverspeed Hoverspeed was a ferry company that operated on the English Channel from 1981 until 2005. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd. Its last owners were Sea Containers; the company ran a small fleet of two high-speed SeaCa ...
.Merger approved ''
Modern Railways ''Modern Railways'' is a British monthly magazine covering the rail transport industry which was published by Ian Allan until March 2012, and Key Publishing since then. It has been published since 1962. The magazine was originally based in She ...
'' issue 395 August 1981 page 343
Hoverlloyd services under the Hoverspeed banner from Ramsgate were subsequently withdrawn after the 1982 season and the four ex-Hoverlloyd craft were thereafter based at Dover and gradually withdrawn from service between 1983 and 1993 to be used for spare parts for Hoverspeed's remaining SR.N4 fleet.Paine and Syms 2012, pp. 616-626.


Ramsgate hoverport

For a time, the hoverport at Pegwell Bay was used as an administrative and engineering base by
Hoverspeed Hoverspeed was a ferry company that operated on the English Channel from 1981 until 2005. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd. Its last owners were Sea Containers; the company ran a small fleet of two high-speed SeaCa ...
after all passenger services had ceased. However, the former activity moved to Dover in October 1985 and the latter (mainly used for craft overhauls) in late December 1987 with the buildings demolished in 1992. The hovercraft pad, car-marshalling area and approach road are the sole identifiable features that remain at the site.


Fleet

Built as Mk.I unless specified otherwise. * 01 – GH-2004 ''Swift'', Hoverlloyd – converted to Mk.II specification for February 1973, broken up in 2004 at the
Hovercraft Museum The Hovercraft Museum, in Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, England is a museum run by a registered charity dedicated to hovercraft. The museum has a collection of over 60 hovercraft of various designs. Situated at HMS ''Daedalus'' by the larg ...
. * 02 – GH-2005 ''Sure'' 1968, Hoverlloyd – converted to Mk.II specification in 1972, broken up in 1983 for spares * 03 – GH-2008 ''Sir Christopher'' 1972, Hoverlloyd – converted to Mk.II specification in 1974, broken up 1998 for spares * 04 – GH-2054 ''The Prince of Wales'', Hoverlloyd – built as Mk.II, scrapped in 1993 following an electrical fire All four ex-Hoverlloyd craft were eventually broken up and none remains.


In Popular Culture


Film Industry

The SR.N4 GH-2005 ''Sure'' starred in
La Gifle ''The Slap'' (french: La Gifle) is a 1974 French / Italian comedy film directed by Claude Pinoteau. Cast * Lino Ventura - Jean Douléan * Annie Girardot - Hélène Douléan * Isabelle Adjani - Isabelle Douléan - la fille de Jean et d'Hélène ...
with a very young
Isabelle Adjani Isabelle Yasmina Adjani ; born 27 June 1955) is a French actress and singer of Algerian and German descent. She is the only performer in history to win five César Awards for acting; she won the Best Actress award for ''Possession'' (1981), ''O ...
and in ''
The Black Windmill ''The Black Windmill'' is a 1974 British spy thriller film directed by Don Siegel and starring Michael Caine, John Vernon, Janet Suzman and Donald Pleasence. It was produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown. Plot Two schoolboys are playin ...
,'' starring
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...
, both released in 1974. The SR.N4 is also featured in the 1980 film ''
Hopscotch Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object, called a lagger, into numbered triangles or a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces and retrieve the object. It is a ch ...
'' starring
Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...
and
Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...
.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Paine, Robin and Roger Syms
"On a Cushion of Air."
''Robin Paine'', 2012. .


External links

{{Commons category, Hoverlloyd
Hoverlloyd: Monopolies and Mergers Commission report, 1981


Hovercraft Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom Thanet