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Post by EXO on Nov 12, 2023 9:01:26 GMT 8
Back in 1974/75 this was the ferry which transported tourists between Manila and Corregidor. I am trying to find out more about it. Not having much luck even with Google. Anyone got any facts? I'd like to know who was running it, and between what years. It was a very attractive looking boat, but when Manila Bay got rough, it was like a bucking horse. Just not suited as a regular ferry. It's unusual (as far as hydrofoils go) as its bridge is aft, giving it a long bow. Ideas?
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Post by westernaus on Nov 12, 2023 9:32:06 GMT 8
EXO , There appears to be a name on the side just aft of the curtain windows in your photo . With the name of the craft and approx date the coast guard may have a record of the vessel ,
(reply: westernaus, I have zoomed in as far as it would allow me, and it was still illegible. I was hoping for someone with a better memory than mine. Not a big ask, these days!(-exo-)
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Post by EXO on Nov 13, 2023 6:34:24 GMT 8
RANDY ANDERSON has solved the issue. He's identified the hydrofoil as a Hungarian made boat, manufactured by MAHART TRANSPORTATION of Hungary. Had a look at the MAHART PASSNAVE website, and confirmed that the Corregidor hydrofoil of the late 1970's was a vessel which was built in Hungary and introduced to the press on 14 Aug 1962. Initially it was caught in Austrian-Hungarian politics, but eventually two boats were working between Budapest and Vienna. Alluding to delays attributable to 'interstate relations', the regular, permanent, officially acknowledged line started on May 24, 1964, and that event was a festive occasion in Vienna. The initial 50 days grew to 115 days a year later on, then in 1992 to 191 days of trips, which may be the highest number possible. There they managed in excess of one million passengers carried. The routes were competitive and the schedules exacting, and there were issues whether it was economical to maintain multiple hydrofoil boats to ensure compliance with exacting American Express tour schedules. Prime costs changed across time, and the boats eventually could operate only due to subsidies. This perhaps was the reason the boats were sold to the Philippines. Running a hydrofoil on Manila Bay is not the same as running it on a European river, and they were not suited for rough, open waters of Manila Bay.
What happened to the hydrofoil (or even whether there was one or two of them) is unknown to me. I'm still curious as to its (their?) history on the Corregidor Run. They were a good looking boat, but could they really do the Kessel Run in 12 Parsecs?
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