MV Hebrides was the first of a trio of hoist-loading car ferries built for David MacBrayne Ltd

David MacBrayne Ltd

David MacBrayne Ltd is a company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as a private shipping company, it became the main carrier for freight and passengers in the Hebrides...

 in 1964 and operated on the 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...

 to Tarbert and Lochmaddy

Lochmaddy

Lochmaddy is the administrative centre of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland...

 route in Scotland for over twenty years. She is the only Calmac vesseal to have crossed the Atlantic. In later years, as Illyria she sailed between Italy and Albania.

History

The Secretary of State for Scotland ordered a trio of near-identical car ferries for the Western Isles. Hall, Russell & Company

Hall, Russell & Company

Hall, Russell & Company, Limited was a shipbuilder based in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK-History:Brothers James and William Hall, Thomas Russell, a Glasgow engineer, and James Cardno Couper founded the company in 1864 to build steam engines and boilers. In 1867 the company built its first ship, the Kwang...

 of Aberdeen won the contract to build them, ahead of fifteen other British yards. The new ferries were initially chartered to David MacBrayne Ltd, and were all equipped to serve as floating nuclear shelters, in the event of national emergency. This included vertical sliding watertight doors that could seal off the car deck, immediately aft of the hoist. Hebrides, the first of the trio, was launched on 20 November 1963 and entered service on 15 April 1964 and served Calmac until 14 November 1985.

After a lay up, she was sold to Torbay Seaways, owners of her sister ship, Clansman. From 24 May 1986, for a couple of years, as Devonian, she ran between Torquay

Torquay

Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...

 and the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

. In 1990 she was laid up in Ipswich. From 1993, Illyria she sailed between Italy and Albania, initially between Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

 and Valona

Vlorë

Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...

, then in 1994, for Illyria Lines, between Bari

Bari

Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...

 and Durrës

Durrës

Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...

 and later between Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

 and Durrës. She still carried the Calmac lion on her funnel.

Later, she became the first MacBrayne vessel ever to cross the Atlantic, and in 1998, she was sailing out of Kingstown

Kingstown

Kingstown is the chief port of Saint Vincent, and the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 25,418 Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists...

 in St Vincent and the Grenadines. On 11 October 1999, the ship caught fire in Eleusis Bay, Greece. To prevent her from sinking, she was taken to shallower water. By April 2004, it was reported that the ship had been laid up in a damaged condition for some years, her future in serious doubt. Sold for demolition to Huzur Gemi Sokum Ltd., Turkey, she arrived in Aliağa

Aliaga

Aliaga can refer to:* Aliaga, Aragon, Spain* Aliağa, Turkey* the Filipino municipality of Aliaga, Nueva Ecija on Luzon* a family name, as in the case of the Peruvian writer Felipe Pardo y Aliaga...

 under tow on 31 July 2003. In September 2003, she was sold to Indian breakers.

Layout

Hebrides had several innovations, stabilisers and a bow-thrust propeller to assist with berthing. Her car deck could take 50 cars. Hydraulic lifts and side-ramps allowed vehicles to drive on and off conventional piers at any state of tide. Vehicles were turned on the hoist platform and at the stern end of the vehicle deck, using 14 feet (4.3 m) manual turntables. The hoists avoided the cost of installing 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...

s on the piers, but the process was slow and restricted the length and weight of vehicles that could be carried.

On the enclosed upper deck, there was a bright cafeteria /restaurant aft, with a substantial galley and pantry. Forward were a lounge-bar, a little shop and the pursers' office. Forward on the promenade deck was a well-fitted observation lounge, with comfortable armchairs. Here, in a special mahogany presentation stand, was the ship's bell from the original MacBrayne , a 1898 steamer. There was ample open deck space aft of this lounge. The funnel and two lifeboats stood on the boat deck, with the bridge forward. Hebrides had sleeping accommodation for 51 below the car deck.

Service

Hebrides new Uig-Tarbert-Lochmaddy service opened up car travel to the Western Isles. From 1964, she spent over twenty years on the route. On her introduction, the old Outer Isles mail steamer ceased her crossings of the Minch, instead taking up the Armadale

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...

 service from Mallaig, until the second new car ferry arrived.

Hebrides developed a reputation for reliability. Several times, she touched rocks in East Loch Tarbert

East Loch Tarbert

East Loch Tarbert is a sea loch that lies to the east of the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The loch contains several small islands including Sgeotasaigh, Stiughiag, Stiughiag na Leum and Rosaigh and the larger bridged island of Scalpay...

. In July 1981, she lost her rudder there and had to retreat to the Clyde for repairs.