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| December 2000 |
| Dover
to Calais Hovercraft |
History |
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| Originally there were two
hovercraft operators between England and France. Seaspeed
ran from Dover, and Hoverlloyd ran from Ramsgate. Seen at
Pegwell bay in July 1973 is Hoverlloyd's Swift. |
In 1982, Seaspeed and
Hoverlloyd merged to become Hoverspeed, owned by Sealink.
When Sealink was privatised in 1985, Sea Containers bought Hoverspeed.
Swift is seen in the English Channel in April 1990 |
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| Latterly Hoverspeed ran only
between Dover and Calais with two hovercraft. Princess
Margaret is seen leaving Calais on a blustery day in December
1998. |
One of the original hovercraft
passed to the Hovercraft Museum at Lee-On-Solent in 1994. Swift
is seen at the museum in March 1998. |
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| Click to
enlarge photos. |
| Hovercraft |
Farewell |
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| In
August 2000, Hoverspeed announced unexpectedly that their hovercraft
service between Dover and Calais was to close. The two
hovercraft are to be replaced by two Seacats, which although slightly
slower, would be more economical. Below are some photographs
of the last day of operation on Sunday 1st October 2000. |
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| Out with the old, in with the
new. Princess Margaret arrives for the last
sailing passing her successor, Seacat Danmark. |
The first car boards the last
departure on Princess Margaret. Note the photo-call,
and the TV crews in front of the terminal building. |
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| Like a famous Hollywood
actress, Princess Margaret pauses at the edge of the ramp for all
the photographers. |
Gone but not
forgotten. Princess Margaret passes the crowds
at the pier cafe and accepts the salute from the Dover tug. |
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| Operator
Links |
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| Other
Links |
 | The Hovercraft
Museum has preserved a hovercraft,
and their website has a complete photographic history of the
services between England and France |
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