I have referred to a number of books and publications to gather reference material for this web site and list them here for those of you that might like to read further in to the history of hovercraft. It should be noted that most of these books are now out of print, though the Hovercraft Museum shop have some items still for sale. Another possible source of items is www.ebay.com

1) Jane's High Speed Marine Craft (Various editions 1968 to 1994)
Editor - Robert L Trillo
Published by Jane's Information Group Ltd
ISBN 0 7106 0903 5
(Unquestionably the definitive reference work for high speed marine craft including hovercraft. Many are now out of print, though they do turn up occasionally in second hand bookshops)

2) Hover Craft (1984 - 4th edition)
Author - Angela Croome
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN 0 340 33054 6
(A good book, with a lot of historical detail and photographs. Long out of print but the Hovercraft Museum Trust have all the remaining stock of this book for sale - see the Museum Shop Page for details. This is a great book that is well worth getting hold of).

3) Hovercraft & Hydrofoils (1976)
Author - Roy McLeavy
Published by Blandford Press
ISBN 0 7137 0767 4
(A great little book, though sadly long out of print).

4) The Hoverspeed Story (1991 - 1st edition & 1993 - 2nd edition)
Authors - Miles Cowsill & John Hendy
Published by Ferry Publications
ISBN 1 871947 09 X
(A very good book for all enthusiasts of cross-Channel hovercraft which charts the history of the service with all its operators. Well worth getting hold of, especially as it only costs £4.10 (including postage in the UK). Available from Ferry Publications direct at the address given for item 5).

5) British & European Ferry Scene (Various issues)
Editor - John Hendy
Published by Ferry Publications
ISSN 0958 1863
(If you're interested in ferries etc around the UK and Europe, then this is the publication for you. Published quarterly, the high quality magazine gives all the latest news on the turbulent ferry industry and vessels and makes a very good read. For subscriptions, write to Ferry Publications,P.O. Box 9, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire SA68 0YT, U.K.).

6) The Hovercraft - How it Works (1996)
Author - Alan Blunden
Published by Ladybird Books
ISBN 0 7214 0949 0
(A great little book with some excellent diagrams showing the workings of many craft. The Hovercraft Museum Trust have the latest edition of this book for sale - see the Museum Shop Page for details).

7) From River to Sea: Marine Heritage of Sam Saunders (1993)
Author - Raymond L Wheeler
Published by Cross Publishing
ISBN 1 873295 05 7
(An excellent publication which covers all of the hovercraft produced by Saunders Roe / Westland / BHC as well as earlier marine craft made by the company. Many pictures of the early hovercraft are contained in this book, as well as technical details and stories told by the Chief Designer of BHC (the book's author). This book is currently in print and can be ordered on line at this link or here at www.amazon.com. You can also read a review of the book via this link).

8) From Sea to Air: The Heritage of Sam Saunders (1993)
Authors - A.E. Tagg & Raymond L Wheeler
Published by Cross Publishing
ISBN 0 9509739 3 9
(A companion volume to the one above which has some hovercraft content. Some pictures of the BHC hovercraft are contained). 

9) Images of Aviation - Saunders Row (1998)
Author - Raymond L Wheeler
Published by Tempus Publishing
ISBN 0 7524 1075 X

10) Introduction to Hovercraft & Hoverports (1975)
Authors - Ian Cross & Coleman O'Flaherty
Published by Pitman Publishing
ISBN 0 273 00316 X

11) Janes Pocket Book 21 - Hovercraft & Hydrofoils (1975)
Edited by Roy McLeavy
Published by Janes Publishing Company
ISBN 0 354 01212 6

12) A Source Book of Hydrofoils & Hovercraft (1978)
Author - Anthony J. Watts
Published by Ward Lock
ISBN 0 7063 5728 0

13) A Restless Spirit (1994)
Author - Don Robertson
Published by Cross Publishing
ISBN 1 873295 40 5
(Long out of print but the Hovercraft Museum Trust have all the remaining stock of this book for sale - see the Museum Shop Page for details).

14) The Hover-Craft Story (1970)
Author - Garry Hogg
Published by Abelard Schuman
ISBN 200 71625 5

15) Flying Ships: Hovercraft and Hydrofoils (1970)
Author - Rear Admiral Malcolm W. Cagle, U.S.N.
Published by Dodd, Mead & Company
ISBN 77 111910

16) Hydrofoils and Hovercraft New Vehicles for Sea & Land (1970)
Author - William T. Gunston
Published by Doubleday
ISBN 70 79649

17) The Interservice Hovercraft (Trials) Unit (1979)
Author - Brian Russell
Published by Hover Publications
ISBN 0 9506470 0 4

18) The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War - Riverine Force (1987)
Author - John Forbes & Robert Williams
Published by Bantam Books
ISBN 0 553 34317 3

19) Amazon Task Force (1982)
Author - Peter Dixon in collaboration with Dick Bell
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN 0 340 32713 8 

20) The Last Great Journey on Earth (1970)
Author - Brian Branston
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN 0 340 10629 8

21) The Great Himalayan Passage (1975)
Author - Michael Peissel
Published by Little Brown & Company
ISBN 75 594

22) Beyond the Lagoon - Hoverdoctors to Papua New Guinea (1993)
Author - Cecil D. Pearse
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN 0 340 59941 3

23) To The Source of the Yangtze (1991)
Author - Dick Bell
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN 0 340 53851 1

24) Australian Hovercraft News (Various issues)
Editor - Tim Pryor
Published by The Australian Hovercraft Federation
(A great quarterly magazine containing tons of useful and interesting information. For subscription information, contact the Editor, Tim Pryor at this link).

25) Worldwide High Speed Ferries (1992)
Author - Paul Hynds
Published by Conway Maritime Press
ISBN 0 85177 587 X
(The author, Operations Duty Manager of Hoverspeed, provides a great deal of information on many high speed craft around the world)

26) Various in-house publications by Hoverspeed

27) Various Technical publications by the British Hovercraft Corporation

28) Various Technical publications by SEDAM

I would like to extend my thanks to the following organisations and individuals who have helped me tremendously with the information gathering process and the creation of this site:

Sir Christopher Cockerell for inventing these fascinating machines in the first place. Thanks also for meeting with me in late 1998, it was an honour to at last be able to talk to you in person before you sadly passed away in 1999. Where would we be today without hovercraft ?

Mr Tim Skull of GKN Westland Aerospace, who so kindly donated a vast amount of photographic material of the SR.N4 craft at all stages of their development and service.

Hoverspeed who graciously allowed me to crawl all over their craft during their maintenance periods gathering photographic information, and especially to Captain Peter Barr, who in 1992 gave me the grand tour of Dover's Hoverport and craft and answered all of my searching questions when I was first able to indulge my interest in the SR.N4.

I also thank the Hoverspeed flight deck crews who have allowed me to sit with them in the cockpit during various Channel crossings, especially Captains John Hawkins, Nick Dunn, Geoff MacFarlane, Linton Heatley, Guy South and many others all of whom answered my many questions on the journeys to and from Calais. Also thanks to Kevin Charles of Hoverspeed who provided me with some excellent information and photographs for this site.

Special thanks to the guys at Dover's Propeller workshop who kindly gave me a guided tour of the facility in September 1998 and hosted me many times afterwards. Also to Eric Whittle and the other members of the Skirt Maintenance and engineering teams who worked tirelessly each night to keep the craft running, sometimes in extremely wet and cramped conditions. Thanks for all the tours and the trip inside the skirt trunk - something I will never forget. These guys were all just as enthusiastic as me and it was great to think of the craft being in such good hands. Thanks also for letting me join you on that last night shift on 1st October - I will never forget that one - announcing the last day of services to Dover up at 5am by running all the engines on both craft, and through all prop pitch and power settings ! And those photo opportunities of engine starts at night - all specially arranged !

Thanks also to the guys in the engine workshops and other departments at Dover who did such a great job of keeping the two SR.N4 Mk III craft reliably in service on the Channel for the 32 years they were in service.

My family, for helping to dig out the some of older photographs displayed on the site, and for putting up with me spending long hours sat in front of the computer putting it all together.

Don & Martin Pay who offered the use of their scanners, often at a moments notice, to help get this material up on the site in the quickest possible time. (It's OK guys, I've got my own scanner now !)

Tim Pryor, Editor of Australian Hovercraft News who has helped me with material and contacts in the UK, and who has generously sent me a number of copies of his excellent publication.

Dave Powell of the Hovermail Collector's Club who has introduced me to a new hobby in collecting hovercraft postcards (!), and who has supplied me with many scans of his own vast collection of postcards for the site.

The great number of people on the internet who have offered suggestions and information to update the site. Names too numerous to mention and I apologise if I've left you out below:
David Fremery, Matthias Langer, Mark Porter, Pat Lawrence, Terry Chapman, Stuart Richman, Pierre Bouillet, Ian Fuller, Graham Fell, Ralf Radermacher, Mark Fletcher, Iain Poll, Lance Sloan, Alex Olshove, Kevin Jackson, Julien Lescure, Eric Goldstein and many many more !

A big thanks must go to Tony Munns who donated his vast collection of photos, postcards and other hovercraft literature to the Hovercraft Museum (via myself so I could scan things for the site first !). (By the way, if anyone reading this has any hovercraft related items they would like to donate to a good home, please contact me as I'd like to help !).

A special thank you must go to Warwick Jacobs and other trustees of The Hovercraft Society and The Hovercraft Museum here in the UK. If you're interested in Hovercraft, it's well worth joining these groups - details can be found on the Friends page.

And last but not least you, the visitor to my site. It would not be worth spending the time and effort putting a site such as this up if it weren't for the interest shown by the visitors around the world. Thanks for dropping by and come again soon - I have a lot more material to put up here and I'm constantly updating the site. Please sign my guestbook on the homepage, or e-mail me with your comments - I enjoy the feedback !

Regards

Chris Potter
September 2001

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