SR-N4
 SR.N4 Hovershow 05
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SR.N4 Hovershow 04
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Aerial photograph of the Hovercraft Museum Trust site showing the size of the SR.N4
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The SR.N4 (Saunders-Roe Nautical 4) hovercraft (also known as the Mountbatten-class hovercraft) was a large passenger and vehicle carrying hovercraft built by the British Hovercraft Corporation (BHC). BHC was formed by the merger of Saunders-Roe and Vickers Supermarine in 1966. Work on the SR.N4 began in 1965 and the first trials took place in early 1968. Power was provided by four Rolls-Royce Proteus marine turboshaft engines each driving its own lift fan and pylon-mounted steerable propulsion propeller.
The SR.N4 was the largest hovercraft built to that date, designed to carry 254 passengers in two cabins besides a four-lane automobile bay which held up to 30 cars. Cars were driven from a bow ramp just forward of the cockpit / wheelhouse. The first design was 40 metres (131 ft) long, weighed 190 long tons (193 t), was capable of 83 knots (154 km/h) and could cruise at over 60 knots (111 km/h).
The SR.N4s operated services across the English Channel between 1968 and 2000.
In August 1962, the original concept for the SR.N4, which had been conceived at the same time as the SR.N2 was being designed, was abandoned. This original concept had effectively been a pair of elongated SR.N2 fixed together in a side-by-side placement and would have been powered by an arrangement of four pairs of Blackburn A.129 turboshaft engines. In its place, a new proposed hovercraft, which was referred to as the SR.N4 as well, was considerably larger and heavier, and powered by three pairs of Rolls-Royce Proteus marinised gas turbine engine. However, during early 1963, work on the SR.N4 was put on hold due to a greater priority having been placed on the completion of the SR.N5 instead. In late 1964, it was decided to recommence design work on the proposed SR.N4.
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