The end of the first era- Sad end for the VA3 first passenger service
The end of the first era- Sad end for the VA3 first passenger service
Sad end for the VA3 first passenger service. Hovercraft sank off Ryde sands shortly after the merger of Saunders Roe and Vickers to make BHC. Explosives weren't enough so sinking with axes and manpower eventually got the craft submerged. Some curtains were rescued (Hovercraft Museum c/o Stuart Syrad MC) and steering wheel (with pilot Ray Old’s son) at the time of sinking. A few dials were later saved (Isle of Wight Dive Museum) by divers from the upturned hull on seabed 70ft under where she remains today. VA-3 had a spare giant lift fan given by Duxford Aircraft museum and now on show at the Hovercraft Museum Warwick Jacobs (2024)
