A little known part of Connecticut’s transportation history is that there was once a hovercraft service from Bridgeport to New York City.
If you’ve never “flown” on a hovercraft, it’s quite an experience. The interior of the craft is filled with airline style seats and there’s often even a stewardess serving beverages.
When it’s ready to depart, giant fans blowing downward, lift the craft onto a bubble of air, captured by a huge rubber skirt, while other fans push the hovering craft forward, guided by air rudders.
Think of an Everglades airboat on steroids, except this one floated above the surface of Long Island Sound.
In June of 1976 I got to ride on a demonstration “flight” of the “Excalibur”, a $400,000, 51 foot long, 60 passenger hovercraft. It was a weekend press junket showing off the soon-to-be launched private service built by Bridgeport native Robert Weldon, who founded Hovertransport Inc with family, friends and local investors.
From what I remember about the ride, it was smooth but noisy. What was really impressive was the speed: about 40 mph.
Weldon’s services was inspired by a British hovercraft service crossing the English Channel, which ran from 1969 until 2000 using two gigantic craft capable of carry 400+ passengers and 60 cars. Each of these monsters cost 5 million pounds and could travel at almost 60 mph.
Weldon’s hope was to bring Long Islanders to Bridgeport’s newly opened jai alai fronton while also whisking Connecticut and Long Island commuters down the Sound to a dock at Wall Street. This was to be the first commercial hovercraft service ever in the US. The planned 35-minute run would cost $125 a month, a premium over the railroads’ then $80 monthly pass.
Paying passengers boarded the first regularly scheduled “flight” June 26 1976, departing Bridgeport at 6:45 am, enroute to Huntington LI and then New York City.
On the first day, Huntington officials were miffed when the craft gunned the engines leaving the dock, ignoring the 5 mph harbor speed limit designed to avoid a wake, despite the fact that a hovercraft makes no waves but rides over them. The Excalibur was regularly ticketed by the local Harbor Patrol.
But by November 1976, ridership had stagnated and service was suspended as passenger loads never exceeded about 30% of capacity, far below a break-even ridership.
Weldon then moved his craft to the Hudson River, launching commuter service from Nyack NY to Wall Street. After a three-week run that Hudson River service was also halted when only six passengers had signed up.
In December 1976 Weldon suspended service, moving the Excalibur to Miami to dazzle the tourists.
The following year Weldon was running out of money. A 1974 IPO never generated enough investors’ interest. Also, by early 1977 they’d also lost their docking space in Bridgeport as a waterfront park was under development.
In Spring 1977 the hovercraft was repossessed and Weldon filed for personal bankruptcy and moved on to another job. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 68. With him went the dream of commuting by hovercraft.
Why didn’t the hovercraft service work? As with long-discussed ferry service on Long Island Sound, the problem is the existing competition. Train service on Metro-North may not be perfect but it’s just as fast, more frequent and reliable in almost all weather.
Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media
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