The SR.N4 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 4) [1] hovercraft (also known as the Mountbatten class hovercraft) was a combined passenger and vehicle-carrying class of hovercraft. [2] The type has the distinction of being the largest civil hovercraft to have ever been put into service.

Nov 9, 2015 · The cross-Channel service from Dover to Calais closed, external in 2000. The two vessels, the Princess Anne and the Princess Margaret, could carry only 52 cars.

Hoverlloyd operated a cross-Channel hovercraft service between Ramsgate, England, and Calais, France. Originally registered as Cross-Channel Hover Services Ltd in 1965, the company was renamed Hoverlloyd the following year.

Aug 13, 2021 · Gigantic hovercrafts once carried hundreds of passengers and cars across the English channel on a cushion of air, now there’s only one place left on the planet that the public can ride this ...

Sep 9, 2017 · On 25th July 1959, fifty years to the day after Louis Blériot made the first crossing of the English Channel in a heavier-than-air plane, the SR-N1 set off from Calais, to make the first ever hovercraft crossing.

Explore this engineering marvel and learn about its unique design and historical significance in revolutionizing cross-channel travel. Discover the AP1-88, a versatile hovercraft that played a crucial role in connecting the Isle of Wight with the mainland.

Mar 11, 2025 · Hovercraft, any of a series of British-built and British-operated air-cushion vehicles (ACVs) that for 40 years (1959–2000) ferried passengers and automobiles across the English Channel between southern England and northern France.

Jan 13, 2024 · Hovercraft were a quick way to zip across the world's waterways but were noisy and expensive to operate. Could they be about to enjoy a second wind? The 12.30pm midweek hovercraft departure...

Oct 6, 2023 · Thanks to a speed of 60 knots (111 km/h), the SR.N4 hovercraft could cross the Strait of Dover in approximately 30 minutes (the fastest course was only 22 minutes). Nevertheless, in 2000, the SR.N4 series hovercraft ceased to be used commercially. Five of them were scrapped and one went to a museum. What “killed” them?

Oct 1, 2000 · The hovercraft is to make its final journey across the Channel on Sunday after 30 years of carrying passengers to France and back. The last two hovercraft on the Channel, Princess Anne and...