We saw/heard a hovercraft buzzing past Ventnor last week and wondering if they had got lost on the way to Ryde :)
We put out a call on Twitter to see if others had seen it too and a number of comments came back saying that it was probably sea trials.
How right these wise Tweeters were. Hoverwork got in touch with VB today to let us know that they’ve just completed the construction of another hovercraft for export.
The latest — Mamilossa (Abenakis Indian for “he who goes from water to the land”) — is going to the Canadian Coast Guard where she’s be used for ice breaking duties in the spring, but for most of the year will be using its very large crane — with a reach exceeding 12 metres — to service navigation buoys.
We spoke to Richard Box, Hoverwork’s Business Development Director, today just as he was standing on top of Mamilossa as it was being attached to the deck of a container ship before it was heading off to Canada.
Great to hear that the Canadians have ordered seven hovercraft since the 1960s, when they first got the bug.
With them being built on the Island, the more hovercraft orders, the better.
For the hardcore hover enthusiasts both on the Island and abroad, here’s the nitty gritty …
Specification
Length 28.5m
Width 12m
Maximum loaded weight 75 tonnes
Speed 45 knots maximum 40 knots full loaded
Range 660 n.m.
Engines – four Caterpillar C32 twelve cylinder diesels each producing up to 1125HP.
Engines are electronically controlled and meet Tier 2 emission standards.
Crane: A Palfinger 650002 marine hydraulic knuckle boom unit with 12m outreach.
Hull: Manufactured from marine grade aluminium and both hull and flexible skirt were manufactured by Hoverwork at St Helens where fitting out and completion of the craft was also carried out.
