Caledonian MacBrayne fleet - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. With 30 units in operation, the company provides lifeline services to 22 islands off the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, as well as operating routes across the River Clyde

River Clyde

The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....

.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Caledonian MacBrayne

Caledonian MacBrayne is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast...

(Calmac) vessels can be readily identified by their black hulls and white superstructures. They have red funnels with black caps that display the Lion Rampant badge with masts in buff. The fleet can be categorised into various groups.

Groups of vessels

Major units

There are presently nine vessels over 80m length in the CalMac fleet:

,
,
,
,
,
,
,
and
.
These vessels usually operate on the longer crossings, with high passenger numbers.

, at 101m in length the largest vessel in the fleet, operates on the Ullapool

Ullapool

Ullapool is a small town of around 1,300 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and is a major tourist destination of Scotland. The North Atlantic Drift passes by Ullapool, bringing moderate temperatures...

to Stornoway

Stornoway

Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...

, Lewis

Lewis

Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....

run. has the highest passenger capacity and can carry 1000 people on the Ardrossan

Ardrossan

Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...

to Brodick, Arran

Isle of Arran

Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...

crossing. crosses The Minch

The Minch

The Minch , also called The North Minch, is a strait in north-west Scotland, separating the north-west Highlands, and the northern Inner Hebrides, from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides...

from Uig, Skye

Uig, Skye

The village of Uig lies at the head of the sheltered inlet of Uig Bay on the west coast of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Uig is situated partly on the raised beach around the head of the bay and partly on the steep slopes behind it...

, while , and are based in Oban

Oban

Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...

, serving the Isle of Mull

Isle of Mull

The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....

, Coll

Coll

Coll is a small island, west of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for Breachacha Castle.-Geography and geology:...

, Tiree

Tiree

-History:Tiree is known for the 1st century BC Dùn Mòr broch, for the prehistoric carved Ringing Stone and for the birds of the Ceann a' Mhara headland....

and the Outer Hebrides

Outer Hebrides

The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...

. and serve Islay

Islay

-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...

from Kennacraig

Kennacraig

Kennacraig is a hamlet situated on West Loch Tarbert, Argyll, a few miles south of Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula.Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the terminal, on the rocky islet Eilean Ceann na Creige, to Port Ellen or Port Askaig on Islay and to Colonsay....

, with , launched in 2010, expected to replace Isle of Arran in 2011.

Clyde services

The Wemyss Bay

Wemyss Bay

Wemyss Bay is a village on the coast of the Firth of Clyde falling within the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The name may derive from the Gaelic uaimh, meaning 'cave'...

to Rothesay

Rothesay, Argyll and Bute

The town of Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is Rothesay Castle, a ruined castle which dates back to the 13th...

route is operated by two new vessels, built in Poland, (delivered in spring 2005) and , which entered service in 2007. There was much controversy following the decision to award the shipbuilding contracts to yards outside Scotland. Removal of the "streakers" was delayed by pier work to install an end-loading linkspan

Linkspan

A linkspan or link-span is a type of drawbridge used mainly in the operation of moving vehicles on and off a RO-RO vessel or ferry.Linkspans are usually found at ferry terminals where a vessel uses a combination of ramps either at the stern, bow or side to load or unload cars, vans, trucks and...

at Rothesay, allowing full ro-ro operation.

The former Clyde ferries, , and were given the nickname of the "streakers", because of their speed and ability to manoeuvre rapidly both at sea and in port. They served upper Clyde routes for the best part of 35 years. From 2002, the passenger service to Dunoon was supplemented by , owned by Solent and Wightline Cruises and chartered by CalMac from Red Funnel Line. Juno and Jupiter were withdrawn from service in 2010, and by June 2011 Juno had been broken up at Rosneath, while Jupiter was sold to breakers in Denmark for recycling in that month. From 30 June 2011 the Gourock - Dunoon service was awarded on a passenger only basis to the newly formed CalMac subsidiary Argyll Ferries. Saturn last served Dunoon on 29 June 2011, and was then scheduled to operate the summer relief on the Ardrossan to Brodick, Arran

Isle of Arran

crossing. Argyll Ferries purchased Ali Cat and a former Irish boat renamed to serve the Gourock - Dunoon route. Due to prop shaft problems the Argyll Flyer was not available for the start of the passenger only service. The cruise boat was leased from Clyde Cruises to start the service, but broke down with engine problems for most of the first day.

Loch class

The Loch class are group of smaller vessels with a single car deck, running the length of the ship, with a ramp at each end. They vary in length from 54.27m down to 30.2m. Most are symmetrical when viewed from the side, with no operational bow or stern. Passenger accommodation is down one or both sides of the ship. , and also have a lounge above the car deck. They operate on shorter crossings, usually between 5 and 30 minutes, although MV Loch Portain takes 70 minutes to cross the Sound of Harris

Sound of Harris

The Sound of Harris is a channel between the islands of Harris and North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:Approximately in width, the Sound of Harris provides the main sea passage through the Hebridean archipelago, from the Atlantic Ocean to The Minch. There are many islands and...

between Berneray

Berneray, North Uist

Berneray is an island and community in the Sound of Harris, Scotland. It is one of fifteen inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides. It is famed for its rich and colourful history which has attracted much tourism....

and Leverburgh

Leverburgh

Leverburgh is the second largest village, after Tarbert, on the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-History:In his 30's, English businessman William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme had taken a boat trip and fallen in love with the Western Isles of Scotland...

.

The original four Loch class vessels were based on . At 30.2m in length, they can carry 12 cars and 200 passengers. The largest and newest, is 54.27m by 13.90m and can carry 32 cars and 250 passengers. She was built for and is currently running on the Largs

Largs

Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....

to Cumbrae route. The previous largest vessels in the class, and , a mere 7 centimetres shorter, were built for the Skye

Skye

Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...

crossing. They were made redundant by the opening of the Skye Bridge

Skye Bridge

The Skye Bridge is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, connecting mainland Highland with the Isle of Skye, Scotland. It forms part of the A87. The bridge is located at around , with one pillar standing on the island of Eilean Bàn....

and eventually found redeployment elsewhere.

Island class

Eight Island class vessels were built by James Lamont & Co

James Lamont & Co

-History:James Lamont & Co were established as a ship repairer at East India Harbour, Greenock, in 1870. After the collapse of the Clyde Shipbuilding Co, Lamonts purchased the Castle Yard at Port Glasgow in 1929...

at Port Glasgow

Port Glasgow

Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...

, between 1972 and 1976, as the predecessors to the Loch class. They were of a very simple design, based on World War II landing craft. They had a two-part folding bow ramp, leading to an open plan car deck incorporating a small turntable immediately aft and a sheltered area of passenger accommodation at the stern. The wheelhouse was above the passenger accommodation and the main mast above the ramp at the bow. A radar mast sat on top of the bridge, just forward of the small funnel and engine exhaust.

Only two of the original eight remain in the fleet, and . They are the smallest vessels in Calmac's fleet and at 22.5m long can carry 164 passengers and 6 cars. is now operated by Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd.

Other vessels

There are three vessels in the fleet which cannot be listed in the above categories.

MV Coruisk
is a 65 m 'sheltered water vessel', operating on the Mallaig

Mallaig

Mallaig ; is a port in Lochaber, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station, Mallaig, is the terminus of the West Highland railway line , completed in 1901, and the town is linked to Fort William by the A830 road – the "Road to the Isles".The village of Mallaig...

-Armadale, Isle of Skye

Armadale, Isle of Skye

Armadale is a village near the southern end of the Sleat Peninsula, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Like most of Sleat, but unlike most of Skye, the area is fairly fertile, and though there are hills, most do not reach a great height...

route in summer, and on the Clyde in winter. She appears rather tall for her length, and is very distinctive with her incredible jumble of passenger accommodation above the car deck - which is fitted out to standards as high as any other vessel in the fleet. She looks similar to the 'Loch Class' vessels, but has a recognisable bow and stern (this designation is only an operational one when sea conditions necessitate the use of the vessel's stabilising fins, otherwise adequate progress for crossings can be made in "reverse").

MV Lochnevis
is a highly specialised ship serving the Small Isles

Small Isles

The Small Isles are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.The four main islands are Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck...

of Eigg

Eigg

Eigg is one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an area of , it is the second largest of the Small Isles after Rùm.-Geography:The main...

, Canna

Canna, Scotland

Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...

, Rùm

Rùm

Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...

and Muck

Muck, Scotland

Muck is the smallest of four main islands in the Small Isles, part of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It measures roughly 2.5 miles east to west and has a population of around 30, mostly living near the harbour at Port Mòr. The other settlement on the island is the farm at Gallanach...

from Mallaig. She is 49.2 m , and has capacity for 190 passengers. Her vehicle deck can accommodate up to 14 cars, but is empty on most sailings due to the lack of roads and vehicle restrictions on the Small Isles. It is instead used mostly for goods and vital equipment for the islands. Lochnevis has a surprisingly large vehicle ramp, which dominates her appearance. This allows her to berth a considerable distance from slipways, protecting her exposed Azipod

Azipod

Azipod is the registered brand name of the ABB Group for their azimuth thruster. Originally developed in Finland jointly by Kvaerner Masa-Yards dockyards and ABB, these are marine propulsion units consisting of electrically driven propellers mounted on a steerable pod.The pod's propeller usually...

propulsion systems in shallow waters.

MV Muirneag

In addition to these passenger vessels, Calmac operates , a dedicated freight ferry, plying between Ullapool

Ullapool

and Stornoway

Stornoway

, on an overnight basis. She is theoretically the largest vessel in the fleet at 105 m long, but because she is chartered she is not officially a Calmac vessel. As a result, she does not wear the full Calmac colours, but retains a blue hull, with Calmac branding and funnels. Sailing overnight across The Minch

The Minch

The Minch , also called The North Minch, is a strait in north-west Scotland, separating the north-west Highlands, and the northern Inner Hebrides, from Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides...

, Muirneag has to withstand extremely poor sea conditions. On 11 November 2005, she spent 15 hours attempting to gain access to Stornoway Harbour in a heavy storm.

Fleet statistics

Name	Cars	Type	Launched	Shipbuilder
	6	Car ferry	1975	James Lamont & Co James Lamont & Co -History:James Lamont & Co were established as a ship repairer at East India Harbour, Greenock, in 1870. After the collapse of the Clyde Shipbuilding Co, Lamonts purchased the Castle Yard at Port Glasgow in 1929...
	6	Car ferry	1976	James Lamont & Co James Lamont & Co -History:James Lamont & Co were established as a ship repairer at East India Harbour, Greenock, in 1870. After the collapse of the Clyde Shipbuilding Co, Lamonts purchased the Castle Yard at Port Glasgow in 1929...
	18	Car ferry	1977	Ailsa Shipbuilding Company Ailsa Shipbuilding Company -History:The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa.In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Scotia for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04...
	40	Car ferry	1977	Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
	80	Car ferry	1983	Ferguson Ailsa Ltd Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	68	Car ferry	1985	Cochrane Shipbuilders Ltd
	12	Car ferry	1986	R.Dunston Richard Dunston (shipbuilder) Richard Dunston was a shipbuilder on the Humber. The company started building wooden barges miles from the sea and evolved to pioneer fully welded steel ships of a single design...
	12	Car ferry	1986	R.Dunston Richard Dunston (shipbuilder) Richard Dunston was a shipbuilder on the Humber. The company started building wooden barges miles from the sea and evolved to pioneer fully welded steel ships of a single design...
	12	Car ferry	1986	R.Dunston Richard Dunston (shipbuilder) Richard Dunston was a shipbuilder on the Humber. The company started building wooden barges miles from the sea and evolved to pioneer fully welded steel ships of a single design...
	12	Car ferry	1987	R.Dunston Richard Dunston (shipbuilder) Richard Dunston was a shipbuilder on the Humber. The company started building wooden barges miles from the sea and evolved to pioneer fully welded steel ships of a single design...
	80	Car ferry	1987	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	56	Car ferry	1989	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
II	36	Car ferry	1991	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	36	Car ferry	1991	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	10	Car ferry	1992	J W Miller & Sons Ltd J W Miller & Sons Ltd J W Miller & Sons Ltd was a boatbuilder in St Monans, Fife, Scotland for over 200 years. They produced a variety of fishing boats, yachts and motor launches. The firm built 110 Fifie yachts and was known worldwide for the quality and craftsmanship of their vessels. The yard is now...
	18	Car ferry	1992	J W Miller & Sons Ltd J W Miller & Sons Ltd J W Miller & Sons Ltd was a boatbuilder in St Monans, Fife, Scotland for over 200 years. They produced a variety of fishing boats, yachts and motor launches. The firm built 110 Fifie yachts and was known worldwide for the quality and craftsmanship of their vessels. The yard is now...
	110	Car ferry	1993	Richards Shipbuilders
	123	Car ferry	1995	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	18	Car ferry	1996	McTay Marine McTay Marine -Facilities:The McTay Marine shipyard is located at Bromborough on the South bank of the River Mersey, in the North West of England. The purpose built facilities are arranged on a site with ramped slipway facilities directly into the River Mersey...
	24	Car ferry	1997	Buckie Shipbuilders Ltd Herd & McKenzie Shipbuilders Herd & McKenzie or Buckie Shipyard Ltd are shipbuilders and repairers in Buckie, Moray, Scotland.-History:James Herd & Thomas McKenzie started building boats at the Crooked Hythe in Findochty in 1903. Between 1905 and 1915 they built 32 steam drifters...
V	90	Car ferry	1998	Appledore Shipbuilders Appledore Shipbuilders -History:The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond Bay in Prince Edward Island, where the Yeo family's shipping fleet was based....
II	14	Car ferry	2000	Ailsa Shipbuilding Company Ailsa Shipbuilding Company -History:The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa.In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Scotia for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04...
III	110	Car ferry	2000	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	0	Freight ferry	1979 (chartered 2002)	Frederikshavn Vaerft, Denmark
	32	Car ferry	2003	Feniks, Gdańsk and McTay Marine McTay Marine -Facilities:The McTay Marine shipyard is located at Bromborough on the South bank of the River Mersey, in the North West of England. The purpose built facilities are arranged on a site with ramped slipway facilities directly into the River Mersey...
III	40	Car ferry	2003	Appledore Shipbuilders Appledore Shipbuilders -History:The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond Bay in Prince Edward Island, where the Yeo family's shipping fleet was based....
VII	60	Car ferry	2005	Remontowa Group Gdansk Shipyard Gdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...
VII	60	Car ferry	2006	Remontowa Group Gdansk Shipyard Gdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...
	24	Car ferry	2006	Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...
	85	Car ferry	2010	Remontowa Group Gdansk Shipyard Gdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...

External links

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