- MV The Second Snark
MV "The Second Snark" was built in
1938 by William Denny ofDumbarton on theFirth of Clyde ,Scotland , as a tug and tender for use at their shipyard, replacing their previous steam driven vessel "The Snark". A1957 photograph shows her towing "the well known Clyde barge "Bojum" (laden with a large marine diesel engine) from the engine works down the River Leven to Denny's Leven Shipyard, Dumbarton — evidently someone likedLewis Carroll 'sThe Hunting of the Snark .From1960 to1963 Denny's used "The Second Snark" for summer cruises on theFirth of Forth , returning to the Clyde in winter, but when the company went into liquidation in1963 the ship was taken over by Brown Bros. who continued Forth cruises initially while concentrating mainly on research work for ship stabilisers. When the research project was completed in1969 they sold "The Second Snark" which then became part of the "Clyde Marine Motoring" fleet. Since then she has continued in use for cruises on the Firth of Clyde under the flag of "Clyde Marine Services Ltd", mainly from Princes Pier,Greenock , which was once a busy railhead for theGlasgow and South Western Railway and itsClyde steamer s. She now comes under their "Clyde Marine Cruises" section, based at Victoria Harbour, Greenock, and also occasionally serves on theGourock —Kilcreggan —Helensburgh ferry service, substituting for the1936 MV "Kenilworth".Although "The Second Snark" is a fairly small vessel, "Clyde Marine Services Ltd" show her Passenger Capacity as 120, restricted to 60-80 if full onboard catering is required. She still retains many original features including teak decks, varnished woodwork and polished brass. Two underdeck heated saloons, one with a bar, contribute to her continuing popularity as a cruise boat and charter vessel from April to September, particularly for "
booze cruise s".External links
* [http://www.secondsnark.co.uk/ Clyde Marine Cruises]
* [http://www.clyde-marine.co.uk/ Clyde Marine Services]
* [http://www.clyde-marine.co.uk/boats.html Clyde Marine Services Ltd (cruise boats)]
* [http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tramways/ClydeMarineMotoring.htm Clyde Marine Motoring / Clyde Marine Cruising]
* [http://www.computing.dundee.ac.uk/staff/irmurray/ferries4.asp Caledonian MacBrayne - Old Vessels]
* [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/articles/ferries.asp Cruising every day on Clyde ferries]
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