Griffon hoverwork
Griffon Hoverwork Ltd. (until 2009: Griffon Hovercraft ) is the world's largest manufacturer of hovercraft . The British company is based in Southampton in the south of England . All hovercrafts are produced in both civil and military versions.
history
Griffon Hovercraft was founded in 1976 by Edwin Gifford and Don Robertson . Gifford had already worked with Christopher Cockerell , the inventor of the hovercraft, in the 1960s on the development of hovercrafts and the establishment of regular ferry services on the English Channel . However, when there were major differences of opinion between the two developers in the 1970s, Grifford decided to set up his own company. While hovercrafts were previously powered by gas turbines, Gifford decided to develop a drive with a gasoline engine . Just one year after the company was founded, Griffon Hovercrafts delivered the world's first hovercraft with a gasoline engine, which could be operated much more efficiently than previous variants. In 1983, the 1000TD was the first hovercraft with a diesel engine to be built. Compared to previous propulsion systems, diesel engines were significantly more reliable and less prone to damage from salt water. In May 2000, with the 8000TD that, after the retirement of SRN4 currently largest civilian Hovercraft presented.
In 2008, Griffon Hovercraft was taken over by the Bland Group and merged with Hoverwork Ltd from the Isle of Wight in 2009 under the new name Griffon Hoverwork .
Hovercraft
| Type | payload | km / h | Customers (selection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 380TD | 6 people / 380 kg | 58 | |
| 470TD | 8 people / 470 kg | 70 | British Coast Guard |
| 1000TD | 12 people / 1000 kg | 62 | Thai Navy |
| 2000TD | 25 people / 2200 kg | 81 | Royal Marines |
| 3000TD | 42 people / 4000 kg | 86 | Shell |
| 4000TD | 66 people / 5900 kg | 81 | |
| 8000TD | 84 people / 9300 kg | 93 | Indian Coast Guard |
| 8100TD | 96 people / 12000 kg | 93 | Swedish Navy |
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 54 ′ 3.7 " N , 1 ° 22 ′ 57.2" W.