Hovercraft Calamity: Out of Control

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0:33It's late afternoon on March the 4th, 1972. Off the south coast of Britain, a strong wind churns the dirty grey waters of the Solent, a narrow strait of the English Channel which separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland. The day is dark, the sun blotted out by heavy, somber clouds. Rain falls in fierce bursts from the ashen sky, mingling with the seething waves as they surge towards the shore. A gull screeches mournfully into the gale, a sound filling the sky before it's borne away on the cry of the wind. And then another noise rises above the squall, the monotonous drone of an engine. Hovering inches above the turbulent grey sea, the looming bulk of a vessel heaves into view, battling its way through the driving rain, kicking up a spray of spume in its wake.

1:33It's a strange-looking creature, neither boat nor plane, but something in between. A hovercraft. Using a cushion of air to float just above whatever surface it's crossing, the hovercraft is adept at traversing different terrains, both on land and water. But in these conditions, buffeted by the wind and waves, it's struggling.

2:01Inside the cabin, the passengers hold their breath as the sea rears up outside the windows and throws itself against the amphibious craft. Among the 26 passengers on board are two men in their early 20s, sitting side by side on a bench roughly halfway along the compartment. Brothers Andy and Tim Benford watch as the pilot grips the controls, fighting to keep the shuddering vessel on track. Andy glances around at the others. I think probably the general emotion was, gosh, this is quite exhilarating. I certainly didn't think this is a disaster about to happen. It just seemed quite exciting. here we go, continue on.

2:46In the distance, only 400 yards away, the coastal English city of Portsmouth is visible through a drab veil of rain. They're almost there. But suddenly, the hovercraft pitches with the swell of a large wave and its left-hand port side smacks down against the roiling water. A loud thud echoes through the vessel as it jerks and judders with the impact. There is a moment of unease before the craft rolls back into position and quickly continues on its way. But then, 30 seconds later, it happens again. Once more, the vessel rights itself. And he squints through the rain into the froth-flecked swell.

3:34Then, maybe another 30 seconds or so, and a third time the port side of the hovercraft slammed into the sea. Greenwater shot up and then we just sort of hung there. Time seems to stop as the hovercraft teeters on its side in suspended animation. And then, very slowly, it starts to tilt. Andy turns to face Tim. The brothers look at each other, eyes locked. They don't know it yet, but they're about to be torn apart. With his little brother next to him, Tim grips on for dear life. We were at such an angle, maybe 45 degrees, that the gale force wind blowing from east to west caught the underside of the hovercraft and pushed it all the way over.

4:28It was chaos at that point.

4:39Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet Andy and Tim Benford. In 1972, the brothers arrange a day trip together to the Isle of Wight. Keen to experience a novel form of transport, they travel by hovercraft. But after a few hours on the island, the bad weather rolls in, cutting their trip short. And on the return journey across the sea, conditions continue to worsen, jeopardizing the hovercraft and the lives of its 26 passengers.

5:29As we ventured across the Solent, it obviously got rougher and rougher, very noisy. The sea seemed to be roiling on either side, and we were rocking about on the hovercraft, even though the hovercraft is supposed to be very steady. With the hovercraft overwhelmed, Andy and Tim are thrust into the center of an often forgotten disaster with tragic consequences. The brothers will be wrenched apart and forced to enter simultaneous survival scenarios, each fighting for his life, whilst unsure if the other is alive or dead. I was just preparing to follow Tim out through this window when the window that I was looking at just moved down and disappeared under the sea.

6:12I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is Real Survival Stories.

6:39It's a bright, crisp morning on Saturday, March the 4th, 1972. Sunlight glints off the waves lapping at the shore of South Sea Beach in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. Couples stroll arm in arm along the pier, and dogs bound joyfully in and out of the surf. Children play on the beach as their parents relax and admire the sun-dappled view, making the most of the unseasonably balmy conditions. The grey-green waters of the Solent are peppered with small boats and passenger ferries, white wakes fanning out behind them as they skim across the gentle waves. The strait is only a few miles wide, and in such beautiful weather, it's easy to make out the coastline of the Isle of Wight just across the water.

7:26Weaving their way between the crowds, enjoying the sunshine, are two young men. 21-year-old Andy Benford and 24-year-old Tim Benford. They stroll side by side towards the hovercraft terminal near the pier, their steps in time with each other. For the two brothers, today is a chance to unwind and catch up after a long separation Tim has been stationed at RAF Sharjah in the Middle East for the past year Whilst Andy has been training with the Navy at various locations across the UK Both have come a long way since being schoolboys together in their hometown of Solihal near Birmingham For Tim, the decision to join the RAF was an easy one I was very impressed with the RAF during my time at Solihull School and because of the combined cadet force we were all kind of somewhat led towards that being a career and I wanted something that was adventurous, exciting, well-paid and secure It was an ideal choice for me I didn't fancy going to university so at the age of 18 became a cadet at Cranwell I wanted to fly, but unfortunately my eyesight wasn't good enough, so I plumbed for a supply officer, which turned out to be a very good choice in the long run.

8:47Not all that surprisingly, Andy soon followed in his older brother's footsteps. But at the same time, he wanted to carve out his own path. When he was 16 and going through that process, I was 13 and quite an impressionable age, thinking of what you're going to do. And I can remember going through the thought process that my father had been in the Royal Artillery during the war. My grandfather had been in the Royal Artillery during the First War. And I thought, well, I don't want to go in the army because I'm just sort of falling down the old path. Tim's in the Royal Air Force. I fancy the Navy.

9:22The brothers have always been energetic and adventurous. As children, Tim and Andy were close, with lots of freedom to explore and play. Growing up in Solihull, gosh, they were different times, Of course, that was in the 50s and 60s. Maybe all parents were that way, but I don't think they knew where we were from one minute to the next when we were on school holidays or weekends. Had a group of friends from school, we'd get on our bikes and we'd cycle away somewhere, be away all day. It was an active childhood, exploring, playing games, building treehouses. But as they got older, Andy and Tim started to find different interests and friends.

10:07Because we were three years apart, in early childhood that's not too bad. You know, when you're six and your brother's nine, you can still play together. When you're nine and your brother's twelve, it starts to get a bit tricky. And when you're, you know, eleven and your brother's fourteen, you start to diverge. Though their brotherly bond remains strong Andy and Tim's chosen paths take them in different directions Now in their early twenties And forging their own lives and careers Time together is rarer and precious So when Tim returns from the Middle East to England One of the first things he does Is arrange to go and see his little brother I decided that I would spend a weekend Or a long weekend in Portsmouth And visit Andy who was doing some training in that neck of the woods.

11:00And so we got together on the 4th of March and we'd not been to the Isle of Wight before. We'd not been on a hovercraft before. So we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and take the hovercraft over to the Isle of Wight and do a tour for the day.

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12:28At the ticket office, Andy and Tim pay a pound for return journeys and book their passage back to the mainland on the five o 'clock service. It's an exciting moment. In 1972, the hovercraft is a fairly new form of transportation with a wide range of potential uses. By blowing out a large quantity of air below its hull, the craft creates a kind of air cushion which lifts it off the ground by a few inches, meaning it can travel over land, water, or difficult terrain such as ice and mud. Since it has no need of a port or a pier, rapid boarding and disembarking are major plus points, as is the craft's impressive speed.

13:09It's being hailed as a potentially revolutionary mode of transport, and as members of the Navy and the RAF, it's natural that Andy and Tim should be intrigued by the amphibious vehicle. It's an invention that exists somewhere between their two areas of expertise. The modern hovercraft's design is the brainchild of engineer Christopher Cockerell, whose first full-scale model successfully crossed the English Channel in July 1959, less than 15 years before Andy and Tim's excursion. We'd seen it grow up as a form of transport. Christopher Cockerell invented it, And we probably saw films of him creating models and running them across ponds and what have you, and it looks quite fascinating.

13:52I suppose since I was in the RAF, anything that flew, even if it was only a few inches above the ground or the water, would have been interesting. The brothers approached the stationary SRN-6 hovercraft, bizarrely parked right on the pebbled beach. At nearly 50 feet long and 25 feet wide, the bulky vessel is large enough to carry up to 38 passengers. Surrounded by a voluminous skirt and with a large propeller on the back, the craft isn't exactly elegant, but it does have a certain quirky charm. After climbing up some steps, Andy and Tim step inside the cabin, walk down the central aisle, then take their places on one of the rows of padded benches.

14:38Tim settles in his seat, taking in the craft's fascinating design. It's got a cabin surrounded by a big skirt, which balloons out and raises it up above the sea. The engine on the back, on reflection, it was pretty flimsy, like a school bus on a skirt. And you could see the captain from the body of the hovercraft up front in his little cabin, and windows all the way around the side, so very good visibility of what's going on outside. Once everyone is seated, the door closes, sealing them inside the vessel. The pilot fires up the engine.

15:23When it started up, very noisy, air was blown into the skirt, it raised up, and then he turned on the fan motor at the back, and it started to move forward down the beach onto the surface of the water. So it all seemed very surreal, but kind of cool. As though suddenly weightless, the hovercraft glides over the Solent, picking up speed as it goes. With smooth, sun-dappled water all around, Andy admires the view out of the window. It was a perfect journey, nothing remarkable. and it was exciting being in a hovercraft for the first time. And we got to the Isle of Wight and I don't remember looking at the weather before we went.

16:10I seem to recall it was a bright sunny day. It probably was a bit windy, but I hadn't given any thought to the conditions. After disembarking at the small town of Ryde, the two brothers begin their day trip in earnest. They take a bus tour of the island, stop for lunch and a drink at a pub. The brothers are finally getting some quality time together after far too long. But then, quite suddenly, the weather changes.

16:44The weather turned very nasty, and it was wet and miserable, so it was a bit of a bust of a tour, and we decided that we'd try and get back to Portsmouth early. with their day trip now ruined the two brothers returned to the ticket office and managed to book passage on an earlier return service then they settled down in the waiting room there is a brief delay as minor repairs are carried out on the hovercraft skirt and he occupies himself by people watching i remember there was a young girl who was full of beans jumping around she was so excited about the whole thing. So that was rather poignant after the event, because she was so thrilled with the whole experience.

17:32When the repairs are complete, the passengers exit the waiting room and make their way to the hovercraft, pulling their coats tighter around themselves in an attempt to fend off the biting wind and rain. Ahead, the grey sea churns ominously, lashed into a fury by the howling wind. But nobody seems too concerned. After all, the pilot hasn't cancelled the passage, and it's only a 10-minute journey. Tim steps onto the craft. I don't recall any concerns before we left. We were rather keen to leave, because the weather was so bad on the island, and we wanted to get home before dark. I think someone, either the girl at the ticket office, or the captain said it's likely to be a little choppy on the other side, which in the circumstances was an understatement.

18:27The two brothers take their seats midway down the hovercraft. The vessel's engine roars into life. Then it rises into the air and begins its short journey over the wind-whipped waves. But it's not exactly smooth going. As we ventured across the Solent, it obviously got rougher and rougher, very noisy. The sea seemed to be roiling on either side and we were rocking about on the hovercraft, even though the hovercraft is supposed to be very steady. There was a strong ebbing tide flowing out of Portsmouth Harbour. There was a southerly gale. So you have the wind trying to steep the waves up in one direction, the tide pushing the water in the other, and that's what was causing this sort of boiling sea.

19:16The waves and winds are combining to create a unique cocktail of confusion and chaos. The vessel lurches as it's assailed on all sides by the fury of the squall. With no seatbelts or harnesses, its passengers cling to the benches for stability, their bodies swaying with the movement of the craft. The sky outside is dark and brooding. It's hard to believe that just hours before, the sun was shining over a calm sea. Andy and Tim watch as the pilot in the cockpit grips the controls, desperately trying to keep the hovercraft on track in winds of over 50 miles an hour. The conditions have forced him to reduce speed as he tries to remain steady.

20:02The vessel's port side smacks against the choppy sea, causing water to surge up and spray against the windows The impact sends a jolt through the hovercraft, and a loud thud echoes around the compartment, making everyone jump The vessel lifts alarmingly as the waves batter its metal frame But after a moment, it manages to regain its balance and continue its course Beside Tim, Andy glances around at the 24 other passengers. Despite everything, there's little panic in the cabin. We were being buffeted and I can remember the port side of the hovercraft really digging into the waves, so much so that green water just shot up, splashing against the windows.

20:54and I think we all sort of looked around at each other and I think probably the general emotion was, gosh, this is quite exhilarating. I certainly didn't think this is a disaster about to happen. It just seemed quite exciting. Here we go, continue on. But after another 30 seconds or so, the hovercraft's port side smacks against another wave trough.

21:20Near moments later, it happens again.

21:27I think at one point, just before the accident, the waves were some seven or eight feet high. I have a memory of sliding down a giant wave and hitting the surface of the Solent. The third time that the hovercraft hits the water, it doesn't right itself. The vessel sways precariously at a 45-degree angle, as though suspended in time. Seconds tick by. We just sort of hung there. We were at such an angle, maybe 45 degrees, and then very, very slowly the hovercraft slighted to tilt over. The gale-force wind caught the underside of the hovercraft. Before we knew it, it had gone over three-quarters of the way.

22:16We were sort of upside down. And of course, we all tumbled. It was chaos at that point. The hovercraft continues to tilt and roll. Its left-hand side slams into the turbulent waters of the Solent, the collision sending shockwaves to the compartment.

22:39Passengers tumble off the benches, crashing to the floor and landing on top of one another in tangled heaps of limbs. In the confusion, Andy gets unsteadily to his feet All of a sudden, he is standing on the upturned ceiling of the cabin The bench he'd been sitting on just moments earlier Is now somewhere above his head There was no noise I think that's the thing that I noticed first It was just completely silent There was no screaming It was just from having the roaring of the engine to suddenly being stopped and just eerily quiet. A heartbeat later, the captain emerges from the cockpit. He has a gash on his forehead, and blood is running down his face.

23:28He tells people not to panic. The hovercraft will float. His words help reassure his shaken passengers. But then Andy feels something wet and cold seeping into his shoes. He looks down. Seawater is streaming in through the punkolouvres, small nozzles in the roof of the hovercraft that are used for ventilation. The tangy smell of salt fills the air as water begins pouring into the compartment at an alarming rate. There was this water just spewing up through these, and we were starting to stand in seawater. We were sinking down lower into the water. It was obviously time to get out of there.

24:22I'm Ian Glenn, and this is Real Vikings.

24:29A monastery on a remote Scottish island, overrun with pagan warriors. and the dragon-shaped prow of a longboat cutting through Canada's icy waters. A Norse trader in North Africa, exchanging furs for silver under a desert sun. The Vikings terrified the medieval world, yet they beguile us today. Who were they really? Real Vikings, from the Noiser Podcast Network. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

25:14It's March the 4th, 1972. Across the grey waters of the Solent, off the south coast of England, a squall rages. Sweeping gusts of rain drive across the sullen, overcast skies and whip the murky sea into a frenzy. And floating in the water like some huge, flightless bird is a hovercraft. The vessel is three quarters capsized, its right-hand starboard side just peeking up above the pounding waves. Inside the hovercraft, the 26 passengers are still stunned by what's just happened. Only moments earlier they were approaching Portsmouth. Now, they find themselves standing on the overturned ceiling of the cabin as cold, grey-green seawater pours in.

26:05It's rising fast. Amid the stumbling, scrambling bodies, brothers Andy and Tim cast around for escape routes. Tim watches as some passengers begin kicking out the windows. And of course, since we were tipped upside down, as soon as you push the windows out, the seawater starts pouring in. And I remember it being very dark. With every gallon of seawater that rushes into the bombardment, the hovercraft sinks a little further below the waves. To begin with, you know, there was some daylight at the top of the window, and only the lower part of the window was darkened by seawater. But eventually, as the hovercraft sank lower into the water, The water came in and filled up the inside of the hovercraft, and eventually I think it was up to our waists.

27:01With little time to lose, people begin scrambling for the kicked-out windows. Tim soon follows suit, climbing through the opening and diving into the frigid English sea.