Other Fairey Designs

The Cowes Chain Ferry

The 5th Cowes Chain Ferry or "Floating Bridge" was built by Fairey Marine (East Cowes) Ltd. Which was the Groves and Guttridge yard before Fairey Marine took them over in the late 1960's. As Faireys did not at that time have a great deal of experience in steel construction, Alexander Hamilton "Mac" MacCracken was approached to join Alan Burnard's design team. Mac had worked with the Burnards before at the Fleetlands Shipyard and had worked at John Brown's Shipyard on Clydebank prior to that. Word has it that Mac's bedtime reading was Lloyd's - Rules for the Construction of Steel Ships!

The Hydraulic systems were designed by Vickers. Despite early teething trouble with the hydraulic motors not handling the over-run situation when the power was shut down, this was soon fixed and the ferry went into active service in 1975 and remains in operation today.

No. 5 is due to be retired soon. What she is to be replaced with, is not known. There has been talk of a Medina Bridge between East and West Cowes for years. But should you decide to buy her, you may want to join the Ferry Owners' Club. You'll be in good company, as an earlier iteration was bought in 1925 by Uffa Fox (who designed of most of the early Fairey sailing dinghies) which he went on to convert into a houseboat and live aboard for many years.