The N.300 Naviplane was a French 30-ton multipurpose
Air-cushion vehicle built by SEDAM (''Société d'Etude et de Développement des Aéroglisseurs Marins'') for the Naviplane series of Aéroglisseur (
Hovercraft
A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious 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, or air cushion, ...
).
This was a series of multi-skirt hovercraft built by SEDAM using and developing the skirt designs by French engineer
Jean Bertin
Jean Henri Bertin (5 September 1917 – 21 December 1975) was a French scientist, engineer and inventor. He was born in Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He is best known as the lead engineer for the French experime ...
. The series included the
Naviplane N102, the Naviplane N300 and the
N500 Naviplane, the N300 Naviplane was the first full-scale Naviplane designed for commercial use.
Production
Two N.300 were built by SEDAM:
* Baie des Anges
* La Croisette
Operators
* Société Naviplane (1969): both N300 used from
Nice Airport
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
with connections to Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Monaco and San-Remo.
* Gironde local government (1972): Baie des Anges used for ferry service between the Pauillac, Blaye and Lamarque with modifications to carry 38 passengers and 4 cars
*
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
(1972): La Croisette was loaned to the Navy for evaluation in
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
Fate
After 1973 both craft were stored by SEDAM in Pauillac until the firm ceased operations. Baie des Anges was sold to restaurateur in Maubuisson as floating restaurant, but plan never materialized. Returned to SEDAM, Baie des Anges and La Croisette were scrapped after 1983.
Specifications (N.300)
*Overall length:
*Overall Beam:
*Overall Height:
*Skirt height:
*Cushion area:
*Deck area:
*Gross weight: 30 metric tonnes
*Payload: 11.5 metric tonnes
*Seating capacity: up to 110
*Fuel capacity: 2 tons
*Maximum speed (calm water): 65 knots (120 km/h)
*Cruising speed (calm water): 50 knots (92 km/h)
Multi-skirt (Jean Bertin)
Naviplane N300 MKII
The Naviplane N300 MKII was a proposed improved model of the N300. It was intended as a 120-seat, high-speed amphibious hoverferry for commercial use and a wide range of military roles.
References
{{Reflist
Hovercraft