Queensferry Crossing, HMS Queen Elizabeth and all things Royal Navy

Nothing to do with subject of this thread, but I had to share this fabulous image of the hovercraft which goes between Southsea and the Isle of Wight during the recent storms on the south coast. I believe, the only regular hovercraft service in the world. A machine produced back in the days when mankind had ambition :-(

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I'm surprised it's still running, the excuse that got shot of most other routes was the noise, which unfortunately killed off the greater development of the hovercraft, one of the biggest problems is controlling them in high winds in restricted space. The Mountbatten Class lost out because of limited cargo space for cars, I doubt 52 modern cars would fit on the deck and are expensive to operate against the larger ferries on the Dover Calais route,
 
Used it with the kids last time we visited the Isle of Wight. They absolutely loved it.

It is an anachronism but it's brilliant.

I totally agree with you FB on mankind and ambition.
 
Prices are competitive with the conventional ferry, and they have new ones on order. With reference to FB 's post, and photo, it must have been taken between the storms, just check the yacht sails no reefing so no storm, from what I can see full main and No.2 genny so about force 6 to 8 certainly no storm.
 
From the boffins at Saunders Roe on the Isle of Wight, who also brought you the British Space Programme, the SR A/1 jet flying boat fighter.

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And other weirdness, this is HMS M2, a submarine aircraft carrier. Apparently the RN built 3. This one was wrecked in 1932 because they left the hanger doors open. Sailors eh?

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I take back my "sailors eh?" comment as 60 men lost their lives when she was wrecked, so a very sad event. Here's a video of the boat in action and a tribute to those who lost their lives.

 
There were 3 in the class, M1with a 12" gun as was standard for the class, also lost with all hands, M2 converted to seaplane carrier under post WW1 armament restrictions, and M3 converted to a mine layer and scrapped after the loss of M1 and M2.
An interesting story about M1, when it went on patrol it left its ceremonial gun tampions ashore in a chacon ( wooden storage container from CHatham CONtainer) a submariner from the time realised it was in the container and that no one would know of its presence, so took it, some 40 odd years later he had a fit of conscience and presented it to the Senior Rates mess of HMS Repulse ( SSBM submarines are capital ships and not referred to as submarines officially) The tampion was a work of art cast in bronze depicting a hippopotamus type creature with a large gun strapped to its back rising from the sea. I wonder where it went when Repulse decommissioned, has it been mislaid again? as far as I know it was never officially logged as an asset due to the previous keepers request to stay anonymous, in the RN, it doesn't exist if it has never been logged or listed as an asset
 

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