MV Loch Fyne is a 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...

 car ferry, owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland and the Clyde Estuary.CMAL is wholly owned by the Scottish Government, with Scottish Ministers as sole shareholders.-History:Until...

, built in 1991 for the Isle of Skye crossing and now operating on the Lochaline

Lochaline

Lochaline is the main village in Morvern. It is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore. Lochaline is connected with Fishnish on the Isle of Mull by ferry....

 to Fishnish

Fishnish

Fishnish is a ferry terminal for the ferry on the Isle of Mull, roughly half way between Tobermory and Craignure. It is owned and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne...

 route across the Sound of Mull in western 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...

.

History

Loch Fyne entered service at Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...

 on 12 September 1991, replacing the last of the old ferries, . Even at this time, it was known that 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....

 was coming. On 16 October 1995, Loch Fyne and , dressed with flags, gave the last ever car ferry runs across this narrow stretch of water. Loch Fyne was laid up in James Watt Dock at 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...

 for two years. No sale was completed and in 1997, CalMac prepared them for service once more. First Loch Dunvegan, then, on 27 September 1997, Loch Fyne went to relieve the new , which had suffered a major breakdown at Lochaline

Lochaline

Lochaline is the main village in Morvern. It is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore. Lochaline is connected with Fishnish on the Isle of Mull by ferry....

 on the Sound of Mull

Sound of Mull

The Sound of Mull is a sound between the Inner Hebridean island of Mull and Scotland. It forms part of the Atlantic Ocean....

. Loch Fyne proved successful and become the permanent vessel on Mull's

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....

 secondary crossing, having sufficient capacity to cope with all but the busiest days there.

Layout

Loch Fyne is a twin sister to , both built for the Skye route. Passenger accommodation along the starboard side of the hull can cater for up to 250 persons, with lounges on two levels and an open deck above. The high sided design is prone to being caught by the wind. She initially had very wide ramps at both ends. These were first lengthened, to reduce the risk of long vehicles grounding, and later reduced in width and weight.

Service

Loch Fyne and provided a 24-hour service between Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh

Kyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...

 and Kyleakin

Kyleakin

The village of Kyleakin is situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, along the strait of Kyle Akin opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of Lochalsh...

 on 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...

 until 1995. Since 1997, Loch Fyne has been the regular vessel on the Lochaline

Lochaline

Lochaline is the main village in Morvern. It is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore. Lochaline is connected with Fishnish on the Isle of Mull by ferry....

 to Fishnish

Fishnish

Fishnish is a ferry terminal for the ferry on the Isle of Mull, roughly half way between Tobermory and Craignure. It is owned and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne...

 route. At times, she has replaced 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...

 to Armadale

Armadale

-Places in Australia:*Armadale, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne*Armadale, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth*City of Armadale*Electoral district of Armadale*Armidale, New South Wales -Rail in Australia:...

crossing.