Holy Loch
Encyclopedia
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute is both one of 32 unitary council areas; and a Lieutenancy area in Scotland. The administrative centre for the council area is located in Lochgilphead.Argyll and Bute covers the second largest administrative area of any Scottish council...
, 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...
.
Robertson's Yard
Alexander Robertson and Sons Ltd (Yachtbuilders)
Alexander Robertson started repairing boats in a small workshop at Sandbank, Argyll and Bute in 1876, and went on to become one of the foremost wooden boat builders on Scotland's River Clyde. The 'golden years' of Robertson's yard were in the early 1900s when they started building IYRU 12mR & 15mR...
at Sandbank
Sandbank, Argyll and Bute
Sandbank is a village on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, 2.5 miles north of Dunoon on the coastal A815 or the inland A885. It sits on the southern shore of the Holy Loch, branching off the Firth of Clyde....
, a village on the loch, was a major wooden boat building company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
During World War II, the loch was used a submarine base. From 1961–1992, it was used as a US Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
nuclear submarine base. In 1992, the Holy Loch base was deemed unnecessary following the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequently withdrawn.
Geography
Open to the Firth of ClydeFirth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
at its eastern end, the loch is approximately one mile wide and between two and three miles (5 km) long, varying with the tide. The town of Dunoon
Dunoon
Dunoon is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.-Waterfront:...
on the Cowal
Cowal
thumb|Cowal shown within ArgyllCowal is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands.-Description:The northern part of Cowal is mostly the mountainous Argyll Forest Park. Cowal is separated from the Kintyre peninsula to the west by Loch Fyne, and from Inverclyde and North Ayrshire to...
peninsula lies on the shores of the Clyde just to the south of the loch, and houses continue round the villages of Kirn, Hunter's Quay
Hunter's Quay
Hunters Quay is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Situated between Kirn to the south and Ardnadam to the north, Hunters Quay is the main base of Western Ferries, operating between Hunters Quay and McInroy's Point....
at the point with the landing slip for Western Ferries
Western Ferries
Western Ferries is a private ferry company with its headquarters in Dunoon, Scotland. It currently operates on the River Clyde running a year-round, high-frequency service between Hunters Quay and Gourock in Inverclyde.-History:...
, Ardnadam
Ardnadam
Ardnadam is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, north of Hunters Quay....
and past Lazaretto Point, the village of Sandbank
Sandbank, Argyll and Bute
Sandbank is a village on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, 2.5 miles north of Dunoon on the coastal A815 or the inland A885. It sits on the southern shore of the Holy Loch, branching off the Firth of Clyde....
, with open countryside at the end of the loch, then on the northern shore Kilmun
Kilmun
Kilmun is a linear settlement on the north shore of the Holy Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It runs between the head of the loch and connects with the village of Strone at Strone Point, where the loch joins the Firth of Clyde....
, and at Strone Point the village of Strone
Strone
Strone is a village on in Argyll in south-west Scotland at the point where the north shore of the Holy Loch becomes the west shore of the Firth of Clyde....
continues round to the western shore of the Clyde, almost joining Blairmore
Blairmore
Blairmore may refer to:*Blairmore, Alberta, a town in Canada*Blairmore, Sutherland, a rural settlement in Highland, Scotland*Blairmore School, a former independent school in Aberdeenshire, Scotland...
on Loch Long
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
. The name Holy Loch is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there after leaving Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
All the villages used to have piers served by Clyde steamer
Clyde steamer
The era of the Clyde steamer in Scotland began in August 1812 with the very first successful commercial steamboat service in Europe, when Henry Bell's began a passenger service on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock...
s, and now Western Ferries runs between Hunters Quay and McInroy's Point on the outskirts of Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
, while the 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...
service runs from Dunoon to Gourock pierhead. At the end of the loch a road runs past the Benmore Botanic Garden
Benmore Botanic Garden
Benmore Botanic Garden is a large botanic garden situated between Dunoon and Loch Eck, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It features a large square walled gardens, a waterfall, the remains of a fernery, ponds and walks up the hillside to where you can look out across the Holy Loch...
and Arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
(also known as the Younger Botanic Gardens) to scenic Loch Eck
Loch Eck
Loch Eck is a loch located on the Cowal peninsula, north of Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is seven miles long. Apart from Loch Lomond, it is the only naturally occurring habitat of the powan.-External links:*...
and on towards 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...
.
Robertson's Yard
Alexander Robertson started repairing boats in a small workshop at Sandbank in 1876, and Alexander Robertson and Sons Ltd (Yachtbuilders) went on to become one of the foremost wooden boat builders on the Clyde. Their 'golden years' were in the early 20th century when they started building classic 12 & 15 metre racing yachts. Robertsons was chosen to build the first 15-metre yacht designed by William FifeWilliam Fife
William Fife III OBE , also known as Wm. Fife, Jr., was the third generation of a family of Scottish yacht designers and builders....
(Shimna, 1907). More than 55 boats were built by Robertsons in preparation for the First World War and the yard remained busy even during the Great Depression in the 1930s, as many wealthy businessmen developed a passion for yacht racing. During World War II the yard was devoted to Admiralty work, producing a wide range of large high speed Fairmile Marine
Fairmile Marine
Fairmile Marine was a British boat building company founded in 1939 by the car manufacturer Noel Macklin.Macklin used the garage at his home at Cobham Fairmile in Surrey for manufacturing assembly which is why the boats he designed came to be called Fairmiles....
Motor Boats (MTBs and MGBs).
After the war the yard built the successful one-class Loch Longs and two 12-metre challengers for the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
: Sceptre (1958) (17 tonnes) and Sovereign (1964). The Robertson family sold the yard in 1965, and it was turned over to GRP production work (mainly Pipers and Etchells
Etchells
The International Etchells Class is a racing class of one-design sailing boats.-History:In 1965, Yachting Magazine launched a competition to select a new three man Olympic keelboat. E. W. "Skip" Etchells, a boat designer, builder and sailor, was interested in the competition, but refrained from...
). During its 104-year history, Robertson's Yard built 500 boats, many of which are still sailing. The yard ceased trading in the early 1980s and the site was levelled soon after. The site has since been consumed by residential building and the new Holy Loch Marina development.
World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the loch was used by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a submarine base
Submarine base
A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel.Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue , Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Naval Submarine Base New London, and Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base .The Israeli navy bases its growing submarine...
, served by the depot ship HMS Forth (1938)
HMS Forth (1938)
HMS Forth, pennant number A187, was a submarine depot ship adapted to operate and maintain the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered submarines.She was completed in 1939. HMS Forth was stationed at Trincomalee, Ceylon during the end of the Second World War....
. The loch was used extensively for trials and exercises by Royal Navy submarines during the war, the submarines HMS and HMS were lost in the Clyde after being sunk by accidents during exercises. Untamed was later salvaged.
Near the Holy Loch an anti-submarine boom was constructed between Dunoon and the Cloch
Cloch
Cloch or Cloch Point is a point on the coast of the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. There has been a lighthouse since 1797 to warn ships off The Gantocks.-Location:...
Point Lighthouse to defend waters from German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s.
US Navy
Between 1961 and 1992, Holy Loch was the site of the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's "FBM Refit Site One". It was the home base of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 14
Submarine Squadron 14
Submarine Squadron 14, or SUBRON 14, was a United States Navy squadron of Polaris and later Poseidon Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines based at Holy Loch, Scotland. The squadron was part of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet...
, part of Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
ComSubLant
Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic is the type commander for U.S. submarines in the Atlantic Fleet. Established on 7 December 1941, Rear Admiral Richard S. Edwards was assigned as the first Force Commander. U.S. submarine operations in the Atlantic, however, go back to before the First World War...
. To make maximum usage of its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) deterrent force, American military had determined that it required an overseas base for refit and crew turnover. Negotiations with the British Government began as early as March 1959 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
mentioned the need to British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
at a meeting at Camp David
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 60 mi north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont, at an elevation of...
.
Holy Loch was one of several locations on or near the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
considered for the refit site. Others were Faslane, the channel between 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....
and Cumbrae, Rosneath Bay, and Rothesay Bay
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...
. Site selection criteria included the requirements for a sheltered anchorage, relative proximity to an international airport, and sufficient shore facilities to provide housing for military personnel and their families. Agreement for the use of Holy Loch was reached near the end of 1960 and the arrival of the first tender, scheduled for December. Divisions within the British government and concerns about protests by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
(CND) caused her arrival to be rescheduled to 3 March 1961.
Between 1961 and 1982, the Naval Support Activity ashore was administered by US Naval Activities London. In 1982, Naval Support Activity (NAVSUPPACT), Forward Base, Holy Loch, Scotland became its own command. NAVSUPPACT ultimately managed 42 facilities and leased 342 housing units for Navy personnel and their dependents.
Over the years, five different Submarine tenders and one floating dry dock served in the loch.
| Arrived | Departed | Tender | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/61 | 1/63 | USS Proteus (AS-19) USS Proteus (AS-19) The third USS Proteus was a in the United States Navy.Proteus was laid down by the Moore Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Oakland, California, 15 September 1941; launched 12 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Charles M. Cooke, Jr.; and commissioned 31 January 1944, Capt. Robert W... |
Commenced first site one refit 6 March 1961. (USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) USS Patrick Henry , named for the American Revolutionary War figure Patrick Henry , was a nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine of the United States Navy... ) |
| 1/63 | 8/66 | USS Hunley (AS-31) USS Hunley (AS-31) USS Hunley was a submarine tender of the United States Navy launched on 28 September 1961 and commissioned 16 June 1962. The Hunley was designed to tend most of the long-term requirements of the Polaris Class of submarines. The ship achieved several records and milestones in its long service... |
|
| 8/66 | 5/70 | USS Simon Lake (AS-33) USS Simon Lake (AS-33) USS Simon Lake was the lead ship of her class of submarine tenders in the United States Navy, named for Simon Lake, a pioneering designer of early submarines.... |
|
| 5/70 | 11/75 | USS Canopus (AS-34) USS Canopus (AS-34) USS Canopus was a Simon Lake-class submarine tender of the United States Navy, operational from 1965 to 1994.- Construction :... |
|
| 11/75 | 1/82 | USS Holland (AS-32) USS Holland (AS-32) USS Holland was a submarine tender launched by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company in Pascagoula, Mississippi on 19 January 1963. The first ever built specifically to service Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines , she was sponsored by Mrs. John C. Stennis, wife of US Senator John C. Stennis and... |
|
| 1/82 | 6/87 | USS Hunley (AS-31) USS Hunley (AS-31) USS Hunley was a submarine tender of the United States Navy launched on 28 September 1961 and commissioned 16 June 1962. The Hunley was designed to tend most of the long-term requirements of the Polaris Class of submarines. The ship achieved several records and milestones in its long service... |
|
| 6/87 | 3/92 | USS Simon Lake (AS-33) USS Simon Lake (AS-33) USS Simon Lake was the lead ship of her class of submarine tenders in the United States Navy, named for Simon Lake, a pioneering designer of early submarines.... |
| Arrived | Departed | Tender | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/61 | 2/92 | USS Los Alamos (AFDB-7) | February 1964, completed the first "off center" docking of a Polaris Polaris Polaris |Alpha]] Ursae Minoris, commonly North Star or Pole Star, also Lodestar) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star.... submarine |
A person of note who served at the Holy Loch was Laurel Clark, known to her shipmates as “Doc Salton”, who was assigned as the Radiation Health Officer and Undersea Medical Officer at SUBRON 14. “Doc” was one of the astronauts who perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
on 1 February 2003.
In 1992, the base was deemed unnecessary following the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequently withdrawn. The last submarine tender to be based there, the , left Holy Loch in June 1992 leading to a major downturn in the local economy and prompting protest from local taxi drivers and publicans. However, the area is becoming vibrant again with new homes having been built and the population expanding once more.
In popular culture
In the 1968 film Ice Station ZebraIce Station Zebra
Ice Station Zebra is a 1963 thriller novel written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. This was the last of MacLean's classic sequence of first person narratives which began with Night Without End, and represented a return to that earlier novel's Arctic setting...
, reference is made to the Navy base. The 1988 film Down Where The Buffalo Go
Down Where The Buffalo Go
Down Where The Buffalo Go is a 1988 film made for television by BBC Scotland. It stars Harvey Keitel. It was written by Peter McDougall and directed by Ian Knox.-Synopsis:...
was centred on the base and focussed on the life of a Navy Shore patrol
Shore patrol
Shore patrol are service members that are provided to aid in security for the U.S. Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, and the British Royal Navy while on shore...
officer. It was filmed around the base and in Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
.
Holy Loch is mentioned in both the novel Red Storm Rising
Red Storm Rising
Red Storm Rising is a 1986 techno-thriller novel by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond about a Third World War in Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces, set around the mid-1980s...
by Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
and Larry Bond
Larry Bond
Larry Bond is an American writer and wargame designer. He is the designer of the Harpoon and Command at Sea gaming systems and several supplements for the games. His numerous novels include Dangerous Ground, Day of Wrath, The Enemy Within, Cauldron, Vortex and Red Phoenix...
and the computer game Red Storm Rising (video game)
Red Storm Rising (video game)
Red Storm Rising is a computer game based on Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising and released in 1988 by MicroProse. The player is put in charge of an American SSN submarine in the Norwegian Sea Theater with the overall role of a hunter killer performing various missions in the context of the...
from MicroProse
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...
based on the book. It is mentioned in the 1982 film Who Dares Wins
Who Dares Wins (film)
Who Dares Wins is a 1982 British film starring Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward, directed by Ian Sharp. The title is the motto of the elite Special Air Service ....
.
It is mentioned in The Apocalypse Troll
The Apocalypse Troll
A novel by David Weber, The Apocalypse troll is a story about time travel and alien invasion.- Plot summary :The story opens in the 25th Century, when a small force of human warships encounter a larger group of Kanga ships 'forty light-months from anywhere in particular'...
by David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
as the site that Captain Richard Aston (USN) sails to after rescuing Ludmilla Leonovna of the Terran Marines. He also notes that the tender on duty is the , and that it now 'nurses' Los Angeles
Los Angeles class submarine
The Los Angeles class, sometimes called the LA class or the 688 class, is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines that forms the backbone of the United States submarine fleet. With 43 submarines on active duty and 19 retired, the Los Angeles class is the most numerous nuclear powered...
and Seawolf
Seawolf class submarine
The Seawolf class is a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the United States Navy. The class was the intended successor to the , ordered at the end of the Cold War in 1989. At one time, an intended fleet of 29 submarines was to be built over a ten-year period, later...
submarines, not missile boats. (The McKee was decommissioned on October 1, 1999).