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BHC/Saunders Roe SRN6 Winchester Class (Hovertravel)

The SRN6 was built by BHC, Saunders Roe and Hoverwork as a larger version of the SRN5, a craft of very similar design. The SRN6 was bigger and more powerful than the SRN5 however most of the layout of the two craft was identical or at least similar. The craft was used and tested extensively in miliary circles as well as civilian, and operated the passenger hovercraft routes between Portsmouth and the Isle of wight under Seaspeed then Hovertravel, the Ramsgate to Calais route from Ramsgate of Hoverlloyd prior to their introduction of the SRN4 craft, and the Dover to Calais route of Townsend Car Ferries.

The SRN6 came in two main variants, being the single propeller and dual propeller variants. Both are shown in the gallery below, and both were used around the world for different purposes, such as by the Canadian Coastguard. A freighted version was also produced, consisting of a flat decked standard SRN6.

Initially developed, trialled and manufactured from 1963 by Westland in parallel to the SRN5, the SRN6 carried over 500,000 passengers from the mainland to the Isle of Wight in 1964-5 alone!

Residents of the ports from which SRN6s were operated complained of the noise they generated. Their high speed, small diameter, thin propellers generated what was described as an "angry wasp" noise as the tips broke the speed of sound during their rotation. This, high operating costs, and low passenger capacity saw the SRN6s being phased out of routes and/or and replaced with either SRN4s or later AP1-88s.

Table: Performance specifications for SRN1 hovercraft (Source: Fuller, 2004; Hovercraft Museum, 2007).

Mike Fuller, ex-Hoverlloyd crew chief sent me these pictures of his times with the SRN6s at Ramsgate in 1967 during operational and maintenance times.

An SRN6 hovers on the beach
The Gnome Turboshaft engine exposed under its cowlings	Sure and Swift on the beach at Ramsgate
Skirt maintenance!

The following photographs of SRN6s at Dover Harbour were sent by Nigel Thornton.

	Life saving The Canadian Coastguard Service used to operate SRN6 Mk I craft from their Ottawa station, however they have since retired these and replaced them with versions of the AP1-88 [Canadian Coastguard, 2005]
	Twin Prop An Twin-propeller SRN6 Mk II craft in its original BHC factory paintwork. (Photo: Michael Gardner)
	Leaving Cowes An SRN6 in Seaspeed livery leaving Cowes, Isle of Wight and heading out into the Solent in February 1967. (Photo from The Hoverspeed Story)
	Rescue An SRN6 used as a rescue hovercraft somewhere in the world. [Croome, 1984]

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