PIC: Chairman of Incat Robert Clifford with the Hales Trophy at a ceremony in London in 1998 following the win by the ship CatLink V.
Twenty years ago headlines around the world announced a new world record, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, by a ship built in Australia.
Based in Hobart, Australia, shipbuilding company Incat Tasmania is proud that June 23 marks twenty continuous years building fast ships holding records for the fastest transatlantic crossing.
On June 23, 1990 'Hoverspeed Great Britain', a ship built by Incat in Tasmania for operation between England and France by Sea Containers, 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 ending her 4,702-kilometre trip at Bishop Rock in the UK on the morning of June 23.
The Hales Trophy is awarded to "the ship which shall for the time being, have crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the highest average speed." The previous record had been held for 38 years by the 'SS United States' (1952-1990).
The Incat-built high-speed catamaran 'Hoverspeed Great Britain', which broke the record winning the Hales Trophy on June 23, 1990, held the record. The owners held the trophy, until 1998 when another Incat-built ship 'Catalonia' took the record in June 1998. Then just a month later another ship built by Incat, 'CatLink V', broke the record.
It was the first time in the history of the transatlantic records (dating back to the 1860s) that three ships built by the same shipyard have won the trophy in succession.
The Hales Trophy is a heavily gilded ornate trophy over one metre in height and is on display in the offices of the Incat shipyard in Hobart.
