Incat celebrates 20 years of records
Incat chairman Robert Clifford in 1998 with the Hales Trophy, a heavily gilded ornate trophy over 1m in height – the trophy is currently displayed at Incat in Hobart
20 years ago shipbuilder Incat Tasmania claimed the world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Hobart based shipbuilding company says that 23 June 2010 marks 20 continuous years that Incat built fast ships have held the record for the fastest Transatlantic crossing.
On 23 June 1990 Hoverspeed Great Britain, a ship built by Incat for operation between England and France by Sea Containers Ltd, broke the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a commercial passenger ship.
The crossing from Ambrose Light at New York commenced at 7.30pm on June 19, 1990 and the 2922 mile trip ended at Bishop Rock in the UK on the morning of 23 June.
The Hales Trophy is awarded to "The ship which shall for the time being, have crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the highest average speed" Incat says that it is not simply reaching the highest speed momentarily, the right to fly the Blue Riband is a test of endurance as well, because the high speed needs to be maintained over the entire crossing (naturally slower at the beginning with a full fuel load and becoming faster at the end of the journey).
The previous record had been held for 38 years by the SS United States (1952 - 1990), prior to the SS United States win, the great liners vied for the honour to fly the Blue Riband.
Hoverspeed Great Britain held the record, and the owners held the trophy, until another Incat built ship Catalonia took the record in June 1998, then just a month later in July 1998 a further ship built by Incat, CatLink V broke the record.
Incats says this was the first time in the history of the transatlantic records (dating back to the 1860s) that three ships to win the trophy in succession had been built by the same shipyard.
There have been no challenges to the record since July 1998. The current record is 41.284 knots (76.5 km/ per hour) average over two days, 20 hours and 9 minutes.
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