3 former Isle of Wight hovercraft have arrived in Singapore for the final leg of their journey to the Indonesian island of Batam, where they will be renamed.
Freedom 90, Island Express and Courier departed Britain at the end of December after being loaded onto the MV Arenborg, as previously reported by Island Echo.
Now, following a journey across the world, the 3 craft have safely arrived in Southeast Asia and have been successfully loaded onto a barge.
For the first time it can be revealed that the craft are heading to Batam – an Island with a population in excess of 1million people.
It’s in Batam – just 15 miles from Singapore – that the hovercraft will receive some tender loving care from both an engineering point of view and in terms of cosmetics.
At over 30 years old, the craft have certainly proven what they are capable of and will now swap one Island for another, albeit somewhat sunnier.
In fact, Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, of which around 6,000 are inhabited. Spanning 3,500 miles between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, the 3 million square miles of land and sea should give the old girls a chance to stretch their legs, in what will be anything but a gentle retirement.
History of the Craft
Island Express began life in 1984 as ‘Freja Viking’ and was operated in Denmark by Scandinavian Airlins System (SAS). Hovertravel acquired the craft in 2002 and named her Island Express, running under that name until her retirement upon arrival of Hovertravel’s new craft. However, the trusty steed was brought back into action in 2016 for a temporary period.
Courier was built in Australia in 1986 and served the Isle of Wight for a short period in ’88 before being sold to Spain in 1989. In 2001 the craft was sold for service in Cuba, but by the end of the decade found itself in The Bahamas under the ownership of Hoverlines International and was renamed ‘Griffin’. The craft was adapted at the front for use as a wind turbine transfer vessel, but this never materialised. The craft was shipped back to Southampton around 2009 and has been laid up ever since.
Freedom 90 was built in St Helens, Isle of Wight in 1990 and operated the Ryde-Southsea route non-stop until being officially retired in 2018 – a staggering 28 years. Freedom is the only commercial hovercraft to have ever landed at Alum Bay and became a staple of Hovertravel’s operation right until the end.
Hi Darren
fantastic to see
Are you there following the craft as they go
also if you have any extra photos or the source of theses photos please could you contact me I’d love to know or see more
thank you great article
I have been following the hovercrafts journey on the “Arneborg” since she left Southampton. Would love to see more pics of them please
They should send the floating bridge there as a gift xxxx
You wouldn’t wish that heap of junk on them would you?
Such a pity more use isn’t made of hovercraft.