The Outer Banks are one of the most popular tourist destinations in North Carolina. They consist of an idyllic landscape stretching along a 180-mile chain of offshore islands forming a barrier to the Atlantic. To get people who live there to work or to school, and to assist tourists who just want to visit, there is a fleet of conventional ferries and some double-ended ferries with Voith Schneider Propellers (VSPs).

First Ferry: 1947

A total of eight different ferry routes are operated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Every year, 24 ferry-boats transport over 1.1 million vehicles and 2.5 million passengers. The first ferry line been Croatoan Sound and Manns Harbor was launched in 1947 to take people and cargo to Roanoke Island.

New Spin On Propellers

In 1995, Voith Turbo Marine succeeded in convincing the ferry company of the advantages of long-service propellers. Today, the double-ended ferries Southport, Neuse, Floyd J. Lupton, Fort Fisher, Stanford White, and Croatoan are driven by two VSPs each. "Now the seventh double-ended ferry is being put into service," says Peter Sartori of Voith Turbo Marine.

The new vessel is fitted with two of the latest-generation propellers. Apart from the shaft system, Voith will, for the first time, also supply the electronic control of the propellers. The seventh ferry will operate in the Bay of Hatteras and can carry up to 300 passengers and 42 vehicles per trip.

A new spin on propellers is making it easier for visitors and the people who live and work on the Outer Banks to come and go.