British Hovercraft Corporation's BH.7 "Wellington" class was designed for military use. Prototype P235 started service in the Royal Navy in 1970, trialling marine mine hunting techniques out of the Royal Navy Air Station at Portland, UK. Following service with the Navy, the craft was retired to The Hovercraft Museum, where she still exists now. Several other BH.7 craft were manufactured and sold to the Iranian Navy, now thought to be in storage. [Hovercraft Museum, 2007b]
Performance specifications for the BH.7 hovercraftSource: Hovercraft Museum, 2007b |
|
Feature | Specification |
Length (m) | 23.90 |
Beam (m) | 13.80 |
Cushion depth (m) | 1.76 |
Height (landed) (m) | 10.36 |
Max speed (kts) | 58 |
Max payload (tonnes) | 18.3 |
Max weight (tonnes) | 56 |
Main Engines | Rolls Royce Marine Proteus 15M/541 gas proteus (Mk 2, Mk 4 craft). Mk 5A craft 15M/549 engine. |
Main Engine Power (kW) | 3,171 |
Max endurance (hours) | 11 |
Fuel capacity (l) | 13,635 |
Electrical system | Rover/Lucas IS/90 APUs via two 55kVA, 3-phase 400Hz@200v |
Cabin length (m) | 13.2 |
Cabin width (m) | 4.17 |
Centre-line headroom (m) | 2.38 |
Main hold floor area (sq.m) | 56 |
Passengers | 60 troops plus equipment in two side cabins |
by begid333 on YouTube
As viewed at the Hovercraft Museum during Hovershow 2009.
Images by J Lawrence [gallery homepage]