![]() Several companies expressed interest in operating Jetfoils between London and Oostende, Belgium, including British Rail with Sealink, the Belgian state-owned ferry company Régie des transports maritimes, and the Dutch shipping company J Lauritzen. In 1976, Boeing had put its Flying Princess Jetfoil 929-100 on an extensive 7 week promotional tour of north-western Europe and Scandinavia, sailing 7,000 nautical miles to visit 26 ports in England, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Jetfoil’s first commercial passenger service was between Hawaiian islands. Shorter and wider than the Soviet designs, Boeing marketed these craft as riding as smoothly as their 727 airliner. Not wishing to miss out on the hydrofoil race, aerospace company Boeing developed a commercial line of passenger and military hydrofoils based on a standard ship platform – the double deck Jetfoil 929. Hydrofoils still fascinated many with the promise of fast water travel. Seeing their arch-rival Russians build up large military and civil hydrofoil fleets, the Americans became very interested in flying ship technology in the 1970s, primarily for fast attack and patrol uses, with some civilian spin-offs. The Capitalists’ turn on the Thames – 1976 Unfortunately the service, and the last attempt at a commercial local commuter hydrofoil service ended dramatically when they were both destroyed by a Brazilian passenger liner turning for Greenwich Buoys. Where the departure and destination points were near the Thames, the hydrofoil taxis were generally faster than a cab in road traffic. On a demonstration run against the tide it made the journey from West India Dock pier to Westminster pier – about 5 1/2 miles – in only 12 minutes, making 27.5mph or 23.9kts. Hydrofoil Taxi – 1978Ĭatamaran Cruises Limited started operating a Thames taxi service from West India Dock pier in Spring 1978 using two Russian Volga 275 hydrofoils, a later version of Herbert Snowball’s personal hydrofoil the Hydro Ski 1, which carried five passengers and the pilot at up to 30 knots. His three younger children, who were sent to boarding school the year before, arrived home for their Easter holiday to find everything in the hotel gone, and their father now living in a caravan. Katherine’s Dock, and because he had put up The Clarendon Hotel in Shanklin as collateral, lost that too. Not only did he lose the hydrofoils and the London lifestyle, he lost his flat in The Ivory House in St. The bankruptcy of Airavia Ltd left Snowball heartbroken. The hydrofoils were sold back to Poland and the Soviet Union in 1977, and Airavia Ltd was liquidated that December. The Kometa hydrofoil service was also uneconomic, and the Russian hydrofoils stopped operating after 10th September 1976.Īiravia had operated the Raketa service for just as long as the Hoverservices HM.2s between similar piers, and without any grants. ![]() Services continued, but he had lost his millions. In addition, the summer tourist season was not enough to support the service year round – tourist numbers dropped off dramatically in autumn and winter with the cold, wet Thames becoming a deterrent to sightseers.īy March 1976, Snowball was bankrupt. Inflation and weariness of backing another money pit were the likely reasons. ![]() Unfortunately, by the time that Airavia launched its service, the GLC was no longer in a position to assist financially or otherwise, such as pushing for integration of hydrofoils with London Transport services.
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