Robert Clifford AO
CLIFFORD, Robert Frederick, AO HonDEng
Bob Clifford is credited with pioneering the world’s high speed ferry industry.
In the beginning
Robert Clifford built his first boat, a timber dinghy in his parent’s lounge room. The craftsmanship was so good no one would believe his father hadn’t helped. When questioned Bob said his father had helped; he took his mother to the cinema while Bob removed the front window to get the boat out of the house.
Bob Clifford formed the Sullivans Cove Ferry Company in 1972. Its first ferry was the Matthew Brady, a steel monohull 22 metres long capable of 9 knots. When Hobart's Tasman Bridge was knocked down in 1975, the fleet rapidly grew to four, known as the bushranger fleet. The company also hired its first fast ferry, a British-built hovercraft which was twice as fast, twice as comfortable and popular with its 64 passengers. This gave Bob the idea the faster ferries should be catamarans.
International Catamarans
When Bob presented a model catamaran to the Survey Authority, he was told the services of a naval architect would be required. He took the model to Phillip Hercus in Sydney who conducted extensive calculations and tank tests. The outcome was the Jeremiah Ryan (later the Derwent Explorer), an 18 metre long steel-hulled catamaran capable of carrying 145 passengers at 22 knots. The two propellers were driven by diesel engines, one in each hull.
The next ferry, the James Kelly, had an aluminum superstructure for lightness; it carried 96 passengers on Macquarie Harbour at 25 knots. The first all-aluminum vessel, the 20 metre Fitzroy, was not only a fast ferry carrying 200 passengers at 24 knots, but its racy lines made it look fast, and five orders were an immediate result. 80 more of these catamarans were built under license in other countries.
As travelling at high speed on rough water made for a bumpy ride, the concept of a wave-piercing catamaran was adopted. An eight metre long working model was built. It had an open cockpit for six passengers supported on splayed legs high above two long narrow pontoons. Reduced buoyancy at the front of the pontoons enabled them to pierce the waves, and the improved quality of the ride was sufficiently evident for the Spirit of Victoria to be built in 1985.
When tank tests were conducted on a proposed 51 metre long passenger ferry, it was found on one occasion that the model powered down a steep wave and continued the run through the next wave and along the bottom of the tank. This shocking discovery resulted in the first large production wave-piercer having considerable additional buoyancy in the centre bow.
Incat Tasmania
The partnership with Phillip Hercus parted amicably in 1988. Responding to customer needs, the business focus changed significantly with the move from passenger-only craft to vehicular ferries in the late 1980s. As managing director, Bob progressively recruited naval architects, designers, engineers, electronics and electrical technicians, fitters, welders, fabricators and a range of other tradespersons; many more Tasmanians were employed through major supplier and sub-contractor organisations.
The world took notice when the 74 m long Hoverspeed Great Britain broke the Transatlantic crossing record in 1990. It was designed to carry 600 passengers and 90 vehicles at 35 knots. Propeller propulsion was discarded in favour of water jets. Hoverspeed has four engines and four jets. The power requirement was 14,600 kW.
One of the 78 m vessels, Condor 11, made the headlines during sea trials when it went aground at 35 knots on Black Jack Rock in 1994. As a result Bob Clifford’s captain’s ticket was temporarily suspended, but he won the contract to refloat and repair the vessel.
Shipbuilding is a cyclical business with at times rapid increases in workforce numbers to over 700 and sometimes falls to as few as 350. The company was in receivership for 11 months in 2002-2003 but successfully traded out with the sale of vessels.
Incat built the world’s first high speed dual-fuel ship. The 99m Francisco is powered by GE LM2500 gas turbines utilizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) or diesel. Francisco achieved sea trials speed of 57 knots (105 kilometres per hour) and a loaded service speed of 50 knots, thus taking out the title as the World’s Fastest Ship.
Following the Global Financial Crisis, the world ferry market was in the doldrums and, between orders, Incat returned to producing 35 metre passenger-only vessels, 13 in all for the UK, NSW and Victoria. In 2017 the company returned to building 100 m ferries.
Under Bob’s management, over five decades, Incat has produced 90 catamaran ferries ranging in length from 22 metres to 111 metres, in speed from 22 knots to 57 knots and from 145 passengers to 1,200 passengers plus hundreds of cars and trucks. Incat vessels have served in the US and Australian navies. Bob decided not to patent his innovations but to rely on continuous improvement to stay ahead of his competitors.
As the only captain in the company, Bob was responsible for putting the completed ferries through their sea trials usually with the owners on board. He has then delivered all these ferries, crossing the major oceans of the world to the customers’ home ports.
Bob Clifford stepped down as Managing Director in 1999, passing the baton to his son Craig. Bob remains Chairman of the Company but lives mostly in England where he has swapped his high profile life in Australia for one of total anonymity. He is either in his house or on his canal longboat, happy to sail in calmer waters and to keep his hand on the tiller via the internet.
In 1995 Bob Clifford became an Officer of the Order of Australia (OA) for service to the shipbuilding industry, particularly through the development and design of high speed catamarans. He holds an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Tasmania.
References:
Incat 1998, The First 40 years. Baird Publications, Melbourne.
Incat Company Profile (no date).
Incat Yearbook 2018-19.
Wikipedia:Bob Clifford.
Benson, Judy: private communication.
Biography written 9 February 2019
