Hoverlloyd

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, British inventor Sir Christopher Cockerell had, in cooperation with British aerospace manufacturer Saunders-Roe, developed a pioneering new form of transportation, embodied in the form of the experimental SR.N1 vehicle, which became widely known as the hovercraft.[1] 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, a large cross-Channel ferry capable of seating up to 418 passengers along with 60 cars, and the SR.N5, the first commercially active hovercraft.[2]

The origins of Hoverlloyd can be traced back to a decision made by Swedish Lloyd shipping company in 1964 to investigate the possibility of operating a hovercraft service, which was then a pioneering and untried concept to any business.[3] The company soon formed a partnership with Swedish American Line, 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, UK, and Calais, France, as being ripe for disruption by the new hovercraft technology.[4] 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 during 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.[5]

Hoverlloyd was not the only hovercraft operator that decided to move on the cross-Channel market at the time; a rival company Seaspeed, owned by British Rail, 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.[6]

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.[7] It opted to focus its attention on the Ramsgate to Calais route, having identified this as possessing the perfect set of circumstances for a successful hovercraft route. Favourable factors included shelter from prevailing weather conditions when near the Goodwin Sands, while day-to-day timings could be adjusted to take advantage of both tides and winds.[7]

Hoverlloyd commenced operations from Ramsgate Harbour to Calais Harbour on 6 April 1966. Initially, the company operated an interim fleet of SR.N6 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.[8] 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.[8]

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 manoeuverability somewhat dulled the value of such experiences.[9] In particular, while the Goodwin Sands were historically avoided as a threat to conventional vessels, hovercraft could easily operate in their vicinity without hindrance, free of other traffic concerns.[10]

One of Hoverlloyd's four SR.N4 hovercraft (Sir Christopher) at the Ramsgate Pegwell Bay Hoverport in the 1970s

Between 1969 and 1977, Hoverlloyd took delivery of a total of four significantly larger SR.N4 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.[11] 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, near Ramsgate, hosted one newly built hoverport, while a similar facility just east of Calais harbour was shared between Hoverlloyd and its rival Seaspeed.[3] 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.[12]

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.[13] 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.[14] Other initial issues, such as hydraulic unreliability and equipment failures, were also partially attributable to worker unfamiliarity with the craft.[12] A side effect of the hovercraft's high speed was a relatively bumpy ride.[6] Benfits 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 augemented in 1973 with the delivery of the Mk.II modifications.[15]

Hoverlloyd SR.N4 Swift on an English Channel beach, 1973

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.[3] Furthermore, rival Seaspeed proved incapable of matching Hoverlloyd's record for reliability, having consistently operated in excess of 98 percent of scheduled crossings while maintaining an unblemished safety record throughout the firm's existence.[16]

Hoverlloyd held ambitions to launch scheduled services to various other destinations throughout its life. Tentative plans to operate to Ostend in Belgium were mooted but ultimately never progressed.

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; 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 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.[17]

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.[7] 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.[6] Staff were 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.[18] Crew received extensive safety training, including weekly drills, so that they were able to readily respond to a wide range of emergency situations.[19]

Film footage of Hoverlloyd operations appeared in several firms, including in the 1974 spy film The Black Windmill with Michael Caine, and the in the 1980 film Hopscotch with Walter Matthau.

In 1975, Hoverlloyd was reportedly operating its fleet at near-maximum capability throughout the peak season; this feat would be 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.[20] In 1976, 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.[21] Passenger numbers and this climate of optimism would continue to rise alike up until 1980.[22]

SR.N4 Swift loading at Ramsgate Hoverport, April 1977

Each SR.N4 was powered by an arrangement of four Bristol Proteus gas turbine engines; while these engines 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.[23] As the worldwide oil crisis of the 1970s caused fuel prices to rise sharply, the operation of the SR.N4 became increasingly uneconomic.[6] Furthermore, the closure of the British Hovercraft Corporation 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. Indeed, Sure was taken out of service in 1983 and cannibalised for parts to keep the rest of the fleet operating. Seaspeed (and later Hoverspeed) operated a single French-built SEDAM N500 craft from 1977.[24] However, it was beset by design and operational problems; following somewhat sporadic service, the N500 was permanently withdrawn during 1983 and later scrapped.[25]

Hoverlloyd sold various duty-free goods onboard their SR.N4s during the cross-Channel transit.[8] 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. The abolition of duty-free sales during the late 1990s further diminished operating income and contributed to the fleet's withdrawal.[8] Increasing staffing requirements brought on by the implementation of new legislation and actions by trade unions also contributed to the craft's increasing operating costs.[26] Fresh competition from high-speed rail services, facilitated by the completion of the Channel Tunnel in 1996, undermined the SR.N4's speed advantage, drawing passengers away and further decreasing the service's commercial viability. These combined factors gradually worsened the SR.N4's economics as time progressed.[8]

By 1980, it was obvious that cross-Channel hovercraft operation could only continue economically if the two operating companies merged, with consequent rationalisation. Therefore, in 1981, Hoverlloyd and Seaspeed merged to create the combined Hoverspeed.[21][27] The former Hoverlloyd services from Ramsgate were subsequently withdrawn after the 1982 season and the four ex-Hoverlloyd craft were thereafter based at Dover; they were gradually withdrawn from service between 1983 and 1993 to be used for spare parts for Hoverspeed's remaining SR.N4 fleet. In 1991, it was announced that the SR.N4 service would be eventually phased out entirely in favour of catamarans.[6]

All four ex-Hoverlloyd craft were eventually broken up and none remains extant (one ex-Seaspeed SR.N4 craft remains and is stored at the Hovercraft Museum, The Princess Anne is going to be restored in its former Seaspeed livery but The Princess Margaret was broken up). For a time, the hoverport at Pegwell Bay was used as an engineering and administrative base by Hoverspeed after all passenger services had ceased, but the site was eventually closed and all of the buildings demolished.[3] The hovercraft pad, car-marshalling area and approach road are the main identifiable features that remain at the site.[6] Hoverspeed continued cross-Channel hovercraft operation until October 2000, when the last two SR.N4s were withdrawn and the era of ‘hovering across the Channel’ came to an end.

• Hoverlloyd: Monopolies and Mergers Commission report, 1981