First flown 1963, and prided at the time for being the world's largest hovercraft, the SRN3 was developed for use as a military high-speed, amphibious, load carrying vehicle, and as a military patrol boat with the capability to lower two water screws driven by their own power units, for accurate low-speed manoevering. The SRN3 was extensively trialled by the British Inter-Service Hovercraft Trials unit for its amphibious and over-water roles (Hovercraft Museum, 2007c; BHC Publication, available from The Hovercraft Museum).
Performance specifications for the SRN2 hovercraftSource: Barton, 2004 |
|
Feature |
Specification |
| Length (m) | 23.47 |
| Beam (m) | 9.30 |
| Height (on ground-handling wheels) (m) | 9.75 |
| Max obstacle clearance (m) | 1.07 |
| Max ditch crossing (m) | 6.09 |
| Max speed @ MAUW (kts) | 70 |
| Max endurance @ MAUW (hrs) | 9.5 |
| Engines | 4x Bristol Siddeley marine "Gnome" engines (2 lift, 2 thrust); 2x Rover gas turbines driving retractable marine screws |
| Power (kW) | 671 (Bristol Siddely Gnome); 111 (Rover) |
| Maximum all-up weight (tons) | 37 |
| Crew | 4 |
Photos from J Lawrence [other galleries]
 |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
.jpg) |
 |
SRN3 in a hangar at Cowes, Isle of Wight |
Page updated: Wednesday, August 15, 2012