The Concorde of the English Channel - Hoverspeed

Hello all! :D

In something a little different from cars, trains and planes, we take a look at what has often been considered the Concorde moment for cross-channel ferry operations, the introduction of routine hovercraft services between Britain and France by the Hoverlloyd and Seaspeed companies, and later the Hoverspeed firm following their merger.

Hoverspeed was a truly exceptional mixture of speed and technological prowess, skirting across the surface of the English Channel and reducing journey times to but a fraction of what they were aboard regular ferry boats, but due to increasing costs, a fragile business case, and the arrival of the Channel Tunnel, Hoverspeed, much like Concorde, is now but a fading memory of a bygone era for international travel.

Chapters:

0:00 - Preamble
0:44 - Rise of the Hovercraft
3:04 - Tapping an Untapped Market
7:15 - Into Service
10:33 - Heyday of the Hovercraft
13:05 - Fragile Foundations
17:21 - Coming to the End
21:55 - Conclusion

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References:
- The Hovercraft Museum (and their respective sources)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)