Caledonian MacBrayne fleet

Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) operates the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 30 units in operation. The company provides lifeline services to 22 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating on routes across the River Clyde.

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 of Calmac can be categorised into various groups.

Groups of vessels

Major units

There are presently 8 vessels over 80 m length in the CalMac fleet:
MV "Isle of Arran",
MV "Hebridean Isles",
MV "Isle of Mull",
MV "Lord of the Isles",
MV "Caledonian Isles",
MV "Isle of Lewis",
MV "Clansman" and
MV "Hebrides".

These vessels are usually found on the longer crossings which generate high passenger numbers. MV "Isle of Lewis" is the largest vessel in the fleet, at 101 m in length, and operates on the Ullapool - Stornoway, Lewis run. MV "Caledonian Isles" has the highest passenger capacity and can carry 1000 people on the Ardrossan - Brodick, Arran crossing.

Clyde service

MV "Jupiter", MV "Juno" and MV "Saturn" were given the nickname of the "streakers" in the fleet, because of their speed and ability to manoeuvre rapidly both at sea and in port. They faithfully served two routes for the best part of 30 years: Gourock - Dunoon, and Wemyss Bay - Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.

After three decades of service with Calmac, the "streakers" are now showing their age and are being replaced. In spring 2005, the company took delivery of MV "Bute" to serve the island of Bute from the Wemyss Bay pier-head. A second vessel, MV "Argyle" entered service in 2007. Removal of one of the "streakers" was delayed by pier work at Rothesay to allow full ro-ro operation. There was much controversy in Scotland following the decision to award the shipbuilding contracts for "Bute" and "Argyle" to yards outside in Poland. [cite web| url=http://www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk/h_bute1.asp| title=History of MV Bute| publisher=Ships of Calmac.co.uk| accessdate=2007-08-27]

Since 2002 the passenger service between Gourock and Dunoon has been supplemented by MV "Ali Cat", chartered by MacBrayne from Red Funnel Line,

Loch class

The Loch class are a type of ship, most of which are symmetrical when viewed from the side, and in any case have no operational bow or stern. They have a single car deck, running the length and breadth of the ship. Passenger accommodation is found down the sides of the ship (this can be on both sides or just one depending on the vessel), and also, in the case of MV "Loch Portain", MV "Loch Buie" and MV "Loch Shira", 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 between Berneray and Leverburgh.

The Loch class vessels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the largest and newest of which is the 54.27m by 13.90m MV "Loch Shira", built for and currently running on the Largs to Cumbrae route. The previous largest vessels in the class - MVs "Loch Fyne" and "Loch Dunvegan" - are a mere 7 centimetres shorter.

There are 10 other Loch class vessels, decreasing in size to 30.2 m.

Island class

By far the smallest vessels in Calmac's fleet at 22.5 m long, there remain only 3 of the original 7 ships, MV "Eigg", MV "Canna" and MV "Raasay".

Built as the predecessors to the Loch class from 1972, they have a bow ramp leading to the vehicle deck. At the aft of the ship is the bridge, underneath which is a small passenger lounge and toilet. They can carry 164 passengers and 6 cars.

Other vessels

;MV "Coruisk"There are three vessels in the fleet which cannot be listed in the above categories.

MV "Coruisk" is a 65 m 'sheltered water vessel'. 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"). She operates on the Mallaig-Armadale, Skye route in summer, and on the Clyde in winter.

;MV "Lochnevis"
MV "Lochnevis" is a highly specialised ship serving the Small Isles of Eigg, Canna, Rum and Muck 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 is to allow her to berth a considerable distance from linkspans so as to protect her exposed azi-pod propulsion systems in shallow waters.

;MV "Muirneag"In addition to these passenger vessels, Calmac operates MV "Muirneag", a dedicated freight ferry, plying between Ullapool and Stornoway, on an overnight basis. She is theoretically the largest vessel in the fleet at 105 m long, but due to the fact that 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, "Muirneag" has to withstand extremely poor sea conditions. On 11 November 2005, she spent 16 hours attempting to gain access to Stornoway Harbour in a heavy storm.

Fleet statistics

References

External links

* [http://www.calmac.co.uk/ Official site]
* [http://www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk/ships_timeline.asp Unofficial list of fleet past and present]