Cowes in the 60's

Passenger:

Cowes to Southampton (Red Funnel Steamers Ltd). This service is maintained entirely by modern ships and a high level of comfort is provided for passengers. bar and refreshment facilities are available on all sailings. During the winter there are seven sailings in each direction between Fountain Pier, Cowes, and the Royal Pier, Southampton, this number rising in the summer to reach a maximum of fifteen in each direction on Saturdays during the peak period. On these days, also, there are some sailings between East Cowes (Slipway) and Southampton and further development is envisaged. All sailings are timed to give connections at Southampton with main line trains and through motor coaches. 

British Road Services, Isle of Wight Branch, provide excellent services to and from the mainland for all classes of merchandise. A fleet of cargo boats maintains regular sailings daily between the mainland ports of Portsmouth and Southampton and Cowes and Newport on the Island. British Railways' goods train traffic is conveyed by B.R.S. on these services whilst full use is made of the national network  of British Road Services in meeting customers' particular requirements. The boat services connect with the extensive network of trunk services operated by the Southampton branch by means of which next day delivery is afforded through main towns throughout England.

The Vectis Shipping Company Limited operates motor barges from 80 to 250 tons d.w. which regularly trade between Newport and Southampton and Newport and Portsmouth. Mobile cranes, K truck and modern handling facilities are used at Newport for prompt discharge. The Company owns a fleet of road vehicles giving prompt delivery to all parts of the Island. At Southampton two berths are normally occupied permanently for deliveries ex/rail or road. Arrangements can also be made to take delivery alongside ocean vessels in Southampton docks.

The Island Transport Company Limited offer regular facilities between the two ports, with a fleet of motor vessels which are between 80 and 120 g.t. This company is well equipped for dealing with heavy loads in Cowes as it has the use of an 80 ton hammerhead crane.

The firm of Groves and Gutteridge Ltd., has been established since 1899, and from a small beginning has grown to its present size, one of the largest boatbuilders in the United Kingdom. One of the main productions of the Company has been the building of lifeboats for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The 99th lifeboat is now under construction. Although the majority of boats built are of wooden construction, fully equipped shops cater for building craft in steel and light alloy up to 70 ft. in length, and many interesting specialised craft have been produced in these materials for use in many parts of the world. Cowes is noted as a yachting centre,  and Groves and Gutteridge Ltd have built many beautiful sailing and power yachts, to both their own designs and those of leading naval architects.

From its birthplace on the Thames to its incorporation as a Division of westland Aircraft Limited covers 139 years in the history of Saunders Roe. It was in 1830 that the grandfather of Mr. S. E. Sanders, under whose name the company started at Cowes,  established a boat building firm at Streatly-onThames.  Mr. S. E. Sander' interest in marine racing and yachts attracted him to Cowes in 1901 and he set up business in the Alexandra Hall. S.E.Sanders Limited was formed as a private company in 1908, specialising in light high speed racing boats and seaplanes and many famous racing boats were build during these early dates. In 1913 an agreement was signed with the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institution and between 1914 and 1932, sixty-three lifeboats of various types were designed and built.

This early association with the R.L.N.I. has continued right up to the present day and many models of their lifeboats are tested and developed in the companies hydrodynamic test tanks.

The Electronics Division was formed in 1948. Its progress has been rapid and the Division now designs and manufactures such diverse specialist equipment as Analogue Computers, Control Simulators and a variety of Electronic Equipment and Electronic Test sets associated with Guided Weapons. The Rocket Development Division was formed in 1956 and the Rocket Test site at Highdown (near the Needles) started functioning exactly one year later. It was this Division , in conjunction with the Royal Aircraft Establishment, that is responsible for the design, manufacture and static testing of the Black Knight Rocket, the first of which was successfully fired at Woomera, Western Australia, on 7th September 1958. Mid-way through 1959 Saunders-Roe was merged with Westland Aircraft Limited and is now a Division of that Company.

The Origin of the shipyard of J. Samuel  300 years. During this long period a continuous flow of ships has come from the same building berths and the firm has grown into a shipbuilding and engineering group having a total of over 2,000 employees. Many famous vessels have been built in the Cowes Yard, including the second of the Vanguards and at a later date a number of ships for the P. & O. Line,  these being some of the last great sailing ships. At the present time the shipyard has seven building berths and builds any type of ship up to a maximum length of 420 ft. but with the great reputation the firm has acquired for the building of naval vessel, naval construction normally forms an important part of its output.