Red Wheel Plaque Celebrates Ferry Technology At Lymington

A Red Wheel plaque has been unveiled at Wightlink’s Lymington terminal to mark a pioneering development in ferry technology.

The plaque recognises the MV Lymington, which became the first British vessel to use Voith Schneider propulsion when it entered service in 1938.

The ferry was built for the Southern Railway’s Lymington-Yarmouth route and introduced a system combining propulsion and steering, allowing vessels to manoeuvre with exceptional precision.

The technology is still used more than 85 years later on all of Wightlink’s car ferries operating between Lymington and Yarmouth, and Portsmouth and Fishbourne.

The MV Lymington continued serving the Yarmouth route through the Second World War before being sold by British Rail Sealink in the early 1970s. It later operated on the Firth of Clyde under the name Sound of Sanda.

The plaque was unveiled by National Transport Trust Vice President Richard Muir Beddall, alongside Wightlink’s Head of Fleet Operations, Captain Sam Mitchell.

The National Transport Trust says the Red Wheel scheme celebrates locations and achievements that have played an important role in Britain's transport history.

The plaque is now on display at Wightlink’s Lymington terminal.