Largest Hovercraft Ever to Be Exported from the UK on Trials

Pictured, the latest addition to the Canadian Coast Guard’s hovercraft fleet undergoing trials off the Isle of Wight. Mamilossa (Abenakis Indian for “he who goes from water to the land”) weighs in at 75 tonnes, was manufactured at St Helens on the Island by Griffon Hoverwork Limited and can exceed 60 mph. Mamilossa will be based in the St Lawrence Estuary where she will be utilised for the deployment of buoys and ice breaking duties. She is fitted with a very large crane with a reach exceeding 12 metres for lifting buoys up to 5.6 tonnes. Length 28.5m, width 12m, maximum loaded weight 75 tonnes, speed 45 knots maximum 40 knots full loaded, range 400 n.m. Engines – four Caterpillar C32 twelve cylinder diesels each producing up to 1125HP. Engines are electronically controlled and meet Tier 2 emission standards. The crane is a Palfinger 650002 marine hydraulic knuckle boom unit with 12m outreach. The hull is manufactured from marine grade aluminium and both hull and flexible skirt were manufactured by Griffon Hoverwork at St Helens where fitting out and completion of the craft was also carried out.

The Canadian Coast Guard has been a faithful customer to Griffon Hoverwork since the 1960s when they took delivery of their first five tonne SRN5.

Canadian Coast Guard Project Manager Frank Jess said “It has been a pleasure working alongside Griffon Hoverwork Ltd, management team and staff during the construction of the hovercraft. I am confident that the craft will be a valuable asset to the Canadian Coast Guard”.

Griffon Hoverwork’s associated company Hovertravel has been operating the similar size passenger hovercraft service between Ryde, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, a ten minute journey, for the last 44 years.

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