Hoverlloyd
 |
|
| Industry | Shipping |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merged with Seaspeed |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Defunct | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Pegwell Bay, United Kingdom |
|
Area served
|
English Channel |
| Services | Passenger transportation |
Hoverlloyd operated a cross-Channel hovercraft service between Ramsgate, England to Calais, France. It operated four SR.N4 type hovercraft and was a rival to Seaspeed (owned by British Rail).
The origins of Hoverlloyd date back to 1964, when the Swedish Lloyd shipping company investigated the possibility of operating a hovercraft service. Together with Swedish American Line (owned by Brostroms Rederi AB), the Cross-Channel Hover Services Ltd was registered as a British company in 1965. The name was changed to Hoverlloyd Ltd in 1966. In 1976 Brostroms Rederi AB purchased the entire operation.
Hoverlloyd commenced operations from Ramsgate Harbour to Calais Harbour on 6 April 1966 using small, passenger only SR.N6 hovercraft. When the much larger SR.N4 craft, capable of carrying 30 vehicles and 254 passengers, were delivered in 1969, Hoverlloyd moved operations to a purpose built ‘hoverport’ in Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate. A similar facility was provided east of Calais harbour and was shared with Seaspeed (who operated into Dover on the UK side of the English Channel). Crossing ('flight') times were as low as 22 minutes. Hovercraft operations were prone to disruption and cancellation during bad weather, although this was eased over time by various modifications to the craft, a typical problem being damage to the rubber 'skirt'. Also, the hovercraft had an unmatched turnround time, with the ability to disembark/embark cars at both ends of the craft, whilst simultaneously dealing with foot passengers from two main exits on the port and starboard cabins.
Between 1969 and 1977, Hoverlloyd took delivery and operated a total of four SR.N4 hovercraft on the Ramsgate-Calais link. These were named ‘’Sure’’, ‘’Swift’’, ‘’Sir Christopher’’ and ‘’The Prince of Wales’’.
Hoverlloyd concentrated on the Ramsgate to Calais link throughout the life of the company. Tentative plans to operate to Ostend in Belgium were never progressed. However, the company did operate a successful express coach/hovercraft/coach service from London to a number of near European cities with fares which were considerably cheaper than the air fares available at the time. The most frequent service was London - Paris with London - Brussels with fewer departures. In 1978 these were the only two destinations. In 1979 Amsterdam was added. 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 Tours of Leeds. Coaches did not cross the channel - though the Hovercraft could take standard height coaches with luggage space at the rear. Film footage of operations is included in the 1974 spy film The Black Windmill with Michael Caine. [1] Film footage also appeared in the 1980 film Hopscotch with Walter Matthau.
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