Princess Margaret and Princess Anne hovercraft to be scrapped

Two famous hovercraft are set to be destroyed in Hampshire.

The Princess Margaret and Princess Anne Hoverspeed vessels carried passengers between Dover and France for 30 years.

They were taken out of service in 2000 and have since been stored at Lee-on-Solent.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-35445419

 

That brings back memories but I thought they were long gone. I had many trips on these back in the late 70's/ early 80's.

 

More here...

http://www.hovercraft-museum.org/

 

Not sure anything was quite such a technological dead end as the commercial hovercraft. Still none the less it would be nice for one to be saved. Showed my lad (born in 89) some film of us (before he was born) loading a car onto one of them, and he was amazed at the technology - and that from a boy who's first sea trip abroad was in a high speed sea cat.

 

Petition to sign here

https://www.change.org/p/homes-and-...utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

 

Crikey, that brings back memories. Crossed the channel both ways on them in 1970 on a caravanning holiday to Italy and back (yes you could get a caravan on one). Photographed at Calais just before the return trip using a Brownie 127 camera that I've still got. Petition signed.

 

Did a crossing back in the 90s on a day trip to P'tit Train de Somme. That was a looonnngg day out.

 

Before the days of the tunnel we would often use the service on our Italy UK trips. There was something magic hearing the motors rev up and you lifting gently up in the air. Petition signed and another place to add to our list of attractions to visit in the UK

 

A fond memory of my late father in law was when we took him to the UK not long after getting married. He spoke no English and would have been close to seventy and had never seen a hovercraft in his life. He did not understand the safety announcement and being Italian and old disregarded them anyway. During the crossing we could not keep him in his seat and he was up and down continually poking his nose here and there. It all came to a sudden end when he opened one of the cupboard doors and the collection of about 40 lifejackets toppled towards him. Once these lifejackets had tasted freedom there was no way they were going back into the cupboard... So with arms, legs, feet, head he tried to stop the oncoming tide of lifejackets.... I've not laughed that much in a long time. The crew eventually rescued him from the deluge and after that he sat down. Back in Italy he told everyone about how magic the hovercraft was but he never mentioned his 'adventure'.

 

None of them, however, had such a short lifespan as the commercial hovercraft, and all your other examples evolved.

 

But the commercial hovercraft is still going isn't it?

 

Atmospheric railway?

 

Didn't the service run from 1969 until 2000? I make that about 30 years which I don't count as a bad run. I can think of worse 'failures' that that. ATP anyone?

 

Combination of factors contributed to its demise. End of duty free shopping and opening of Channel Tunnel to name but two but as you say, 30 years wasn't bad. The service across the Solent is still going strong, albeit on a smaller scale that the Channel crossing.

 

Commercial hover craft still run from Portsmouth to the IOW (Admittedly much smaller) I would argue that Concord and supersonic flight is more of a technological dead end and step backwards for man.

 

Just a means of propulsion, still a railway.

 

SS passenger flight and hovercraft were born of similar 60's "white heat of technology" fervour. I am not saying thats a bad thing, such dreams and forward thinking is needed all the time. Concorde is however just anther aeroplane. Hovercraft wasn't "just another" anything. Wasn't a ship, wasn't a plane, didn't evolve from, or evolve to, it was a new transport technology, and as a new technology, commercially I'll still contend it was remarkably short.

 

But a technological dead end none the less. You could say the hovercraft was still a ferry, just a different kind of boat.

 

The ATP evolved. Pendolino.