| 1820 | The Isle of Wight Royal Mail Steam Packet Company is set up,
operating steamers between Cowes (Isle of Wight) and
Southampton |
| 1826 | A competing service is introduced by the Isle of Wight Steam
Packet Company |
| 1860 | Another company, the Southampton, Isle of Wight &
Portsmouth Improved Steamboat Company, starts operating on the same
route |
| 1861 | IWSP and IWRMSP merge to create the Southampton Isle of Wight
and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited - one
of the longest names of a British-registered company |
| 1865 | The IWPISC is bought out. Services to East Cowes and withdrawn
- services now call at (West) Cowes |
| 1868 | The Company buys the Cowes Floating Bridge Company which
operates a floating bridge between East and West Cowes |
| 1885 | The Company buys the tugs of the New Southampton Steam Towing
Company |
| 1901 | Cowes Floating Bridge is bought from the company by Cowes Town
Council |
| 1908 | Bournemouth & South Coast Steam Packets is taken over by
the company, which now operates services to and from the Dorset
coast |
| 1931 | Medina III is launched - the first diesel-powered
steamer operating to the Island |
| 1935 | The name `Red Funnel` comes into use. It describes the
company`s new livery |
| 1946 | Red Funnel purchase the Bournemouth ship engineer and operator
Cosens |
| 1959 | The company`s first purpose-built car
ferry, Carisbrooke Castle, begins service |
| 1969 | A hydrofoil high-speed service is introduced |
| 1974 | Netley Castle, the company`s first roll-on roll-off
(ro-ro) ferry, begins operation |
| 1989 | Red Funnel is bought by Associated British Ports |
| 1991 | Two `Red Jet` catamarans are introduced on the Southampton -
West Cowes passenger route. Vehicle ferry services to and from West
Cowes are stopped |
| 1998 | Red Jet 3 enters service - the remaining hydrofoils are
withdrawn |
| 2001 | Red Funnel is sold to JP Morgan Partners |
| 2003 | Ret Jet 4 enters service, providing extra passenger capacity to
and from the Island |
