Royal Pier
ROYAL PIER: Flying boat terminus
Note. Picture by the author. Royal Pier has long been disused.
Location: At the south end of Southampton city centre, near Mayflower Park
NOTES: Originally built in 1833 the Royal Pier has been much modified since, including the addition of a railway station at some point.
Regarding its use as a flying boat terminus I would like to quote from Mike Roussel in his book Spitfire's Forgotten Designer (that's Joe Smith, not R J Mitchell of course): “At the end of the First World War the fighter-bomber aircraft that had been designed in wartime had made an impact on their possible use for commercial work, such as delivering mail and the possibility of passenger transportation.” See CROYDON and KENLY in SURREY and LYMPNE in KENT plus HOUNSLOW HEATH (LONDON) for examples.
Supermarine's owner and managing director was very interested in this prospect: “Scott-Paine decided to purchase from the Admiralty sixteen of the A.D. Flying Boats used in the war, and the company then went about redesigning and naming it the Supermarine Channel 1 to become an early civil passenger aircraft, carrying two crew and three passengers.” A crew to passenger ratio that seems ludicrous today of course – except in the executive jet and helicopter world. But, I suppose, appealing to the same sort of market?
“Supermarine then started operating experimental pleasure flights with the Channel I flying boat in the summer of 1919, from the Royal pier in Southampton to Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight.” If only I could discover where they landed? “The flight experience was fairly primitive at first because the pilot and passengers were seated in open cockpits and having to brave all weather conditions. On 28 September 1919, the company introduced passenger flights from Woolston to Le Havre but these were discontinued after a short time and nothing much happened until 1923 when the British Marine Air Navigation Co began the first British flying boat commercial service from Southampton to Cherbourg, Le Havre and the Channel Islands.”
This service used the Supermarine Sea Eagle which had two crew and carried six passengers. But this time I believe, all were seated in an enclosed cabin? And, am I correct in thinking these services were from Royal Pier or MARINE AIRPORT in Woolston? It appears that the project was short lived because in March 1924 Imperial Airways was formed as the governments choice to undertake all British international commercial flight operations and absorbing all the airlines engaged in such operations. See CROYDON (LONDON) for more details.
Mike Rousell then says; “Imperial Airways then began operating a passenger and cargo flying boat service from the Marine Airport, based on the River Itchen at Woolston, to St Peter Port in Guernsey. During the summer this was a twice-weekly service, taking 1 hour and 40 minutes. It operated once a week during the winter.”
“In 1936, the Imperial Airways flying boat service was to increase when its first flying boat, G-ADHL, 'Canopus' started the Empire service from Southampton. Imperial Airways later opened its Hythe flying boat base on Southampton Water , in March 1937, for servicing and maintenance of its Empire services aircraft.” At the start of World War Two Imperial Airways long-haul operations then became BOAC and the flying boat operation was moved to Poole harbour in DORSET. They also used PEMBROKE). The operations from Poole lasted; "..... from 1940 until 1948 when BOAC returned to its new terminal on Berth 50 at Southampton Docks."
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