MV Lochiel was the Islaymailboat operated by David MacBrayne Ltd from 1939 until 1970. Sinking in West Loch Tarbert in 1960, she was refloated and repaired. She became MacBrayne's last surviving mailboat, seeing out her life as a floating bar in Bristol.
Lochiel was the first of two mailboats ordered in 1938; the second, Loch Seaforth was delayed until 1947.[2] Built in 1939, she was the fourth MacBrayne's vessel named Lochiel. The earlier Lochiels had been single-screw steamers, two serving Islay.[1]
On 8 October 1960,[3]Lochiel hit submerged rocks in West Loch Tarbert, Argyll and sank. She was raised by the salvage-tug Plantagenet, and was out of service until the following March.[2] Liability for a car lost on this crossing was challenged in the courts, and decided in favour of the car owner by the House of Lords.[4]
When replaced as the Islay mailboat in 1970, she was sold to Norwest Shipping Ltd, Douglas, Isle of Man. Re-fitted on the Mersey, she emerging as Norwest Laird and had a short career operating between Fleetwood and Douglas. The service was not a success and her operator went bankrupt in August 1970. Late in 1974, she was acquired by Courage (Western) Ltd and was towed to Hayle in Cornwall, to be renovated for use as a floating bar and restaurant in Bristol. Her engines were removed in 1975, but it was 1978 before she reached Bristol. As "Old Lochiel", she became a popular haunt and survived until 1994. In November 1995, she was sold for scrap and broken up at Bristol that December.
In Bristol, as a floating pub.
Layout
Lochiel had a single funnel, a steel mast and a derrick over the forward cargo-hold. An innovation for MacBrayne's was a cold store on the lower deck.[1] A clear area of plated main-deck forward allowed carriage of cars or cattle. Her deck was strengthened to take a 4-inch gun.[2] Her accommodation originally had two-classes, with the usual lounges, dining saloons and smoke-rooms. Officers cabins were on the lower deck, with the crew quarters in the forecastle at main-deck level. To cope with the shallow West Loch Tarbert, she was flat bottomed, resulting in much pitching and rolling in even slight seas.[5]
All her deck machinery was electrically powered. Her engines were flexibly mounted, to reduce vibration and noise.[6] Oil-operated reverse reduction gearboxes were fitted, rather than an additional, heavy reversing engine.[1] She was given a mainmast in 1953.
Although built for the Islay service, Lochiel started her career at Oban on the secondary Fort William schedule, until the pier at West Loch Tarbert was modified for her length and draught. Thereafter, she replaced PSPioneer and spent her entire career on the Islay service. She called at Port Askaig and Port Ellen, and also served Jura (Craighouse) and Gigha (by flit-boat). She was not requisitioned in World War II. In 1949, her schedule was extended to include regular runs to Colonsay.
Derrick-loading continued at Islay, after the 1964 hoist-loading ferries joined the fleet. This was increasingly inconvenient and provided an opening for Western Ferries to operate an Islay service from Kennacraig.[2] In January 1970, the 1954 former Clyde car ferry MVArran took over the MacBrayne Islay service and Lochiel was retired.
The Caledonian MacBrayne fleet is the largest fleet of car and passenger ferries in the United Kingdom, with 34 units in operation and another 4 on order. The company provides lifeline services to 23 islands off the west coast of Scotland, as well as operating routes in the Firth of Clyde.
MV Hebrides is a ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Uig to Lochmaddy and Tarbert, the main settlements of North Uist and Harris respectively.
MV Hebridean Isles is a ro-ro vehicle ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the west coast of Scotland. She was the first MacBrayne vessel to be built outside Scotland and the first to be launched sideways. With bow, stern and side ramps, Hebridean Isles is suitable for all the routes served by the large fleet units. After 15 years crossing the Little Minch on the Uig triangle, she now serves Islay.
MV Isle of Arran is a drive-through ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated on the west coast of Scotland by Caledonian MacBrayne. Entering service in 1984, she served on the Arran service for nine years before being moved to Kennacraig. She returned to her original route in 2012, supplementing MV Caledonian Isles in summer and becoming a relief vessel in winter. In 2013, she started a new pilot route from Ardrossan to Campbeltown, which became a permanent fixture in 2015. As of 2022, she is one of the oldest vessels in the fleet, having been in service for 38 years.
West Loch Tarbert, Argyll is a long and narrow sea loch on the western side of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland.
MV Pioneer is a stern / side loading ferry built in 1974, in service for 29 years covering nearly all of Caledonian MacBrayne's routes. She now serves the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea and was chartered to rescue Liberian refugees.
MV Pentalina-B was a ferry which operated on a variety of Scottish routes. Launched in 1970 as MV Iona, she was the first drive-through roll-on/roll-off ferry built for the David MacBrayne fleet. She was the first ship in the company's history to have bridge-controlled engines and geared transmission, rather than direct drive. During her career she inaugurated more endloading linkspans than the rest of the fleet put together. Purchased by Pentland Ferries in 1997, she was renamed MV Pentalina-B and operated across the Pentland Firth until the arrival of their new vessel. In 2009, she was sold to a Cape Verde owner.
MV Loch Alainn is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferry built in 1997 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. Berthing problems on her intended route at Fishnish meant she began a decade of service at Largs. Since 2007, she has operated across the Sound of Barra.
MV Isle of Cumbrae is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1976 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. For ten years she was at Largs and operated the Loch Fyne crossing from 1999 to 2014. She was replaced by the MV Lochinvar in 2014, a new diesel-electric hybrid ferry capable of holding 23 cars and 150 passengers. She returned to Tarbert in 2016 after MV Lochinvar was moved to the Mallaig - Armadale station. She is now the oldest vessel in the Calmac fleet.
MV Loch Tarbert is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1992 and currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. She has spent most of her career on the seasonal Claonaig – Lochranza crossing.
MV Juno was a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland between 1974 and 2007. She was the middle of three vessels nicknamed "streakers", the first in the Calmac fleet to be fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers. Juno left service in early 2007 and was laid up at Rosneath for 4 years. On 18 May 2011, she was beached there for scrapping and was gone by the end of July.
MV Hebrides was the first of a trio of hoist-loading car ferries built for David MacBrayne Ltd in 1964 and operated on the Uig, Skye to Tarbert and Lochmaddy route in Scotland for over twenty years. She is the only Calmac vessel to have crossed the Atlantic. In later years, as Illyria she sailed between Italy and Albania.
MV Loch Seaforth was the Stornoway mailboat operated by David MacBrayne Ltd, from 1947 until 1972. Running aground and sinking in 1973, she blocked the Tiree pier, until removed for scrapping.
MV Maid of Argyll was a passenger ferry operated by Caledonian Steam Packet Company, initially based at Craigendoran. Rendered redundant by the car ferry revolution, she was sold to Greek owners in 1975. She caught fire in 1997 and was left to decay.
MV Arran was a pioneering Firth of Clyde vehicle ferry introduced by Caledonian Steam Packet Company in 1953. She spent fifteen years on the Upper Clyde crossings, followed by five years at Islay. Initially hoist-loading, via side ramps, these were replaced by a stern ramp in 1973. During her final years with CalMac, she relieved across the network. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to turn her into a floating restaurant, before she was scrapped in 1993.
MV Cowal was a hoist-loading vehicle ferry introduced by Caledonian Steam Packet Company in 1954. She spent the whole of her 24 years with Caledonian MacBrayne on the Upper Clyde crossings.
David MacBrayne is a limited company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as the private shipping company David Hutcheson & Co. with three partners, David Hutcheson, Alexander Hutcheson and David MacBrayne, it passed in 1878 to David MacBrayne.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles.
MV Rhum is a car ferry built for Caledonian MacBrayne in 1974. Until 1987, she operated the seasonal Lochranza crossing to Arran. Since 1998, she has been one of the Arranmore ferries in County Donegal.
MV Loch Seaforth is a Caledonian Maritime Assets ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Stornoway and Ullapool. She was launched on 21 March 2014 and entered service in mid-February 2015, replacing both the former vessel, 1995-built MV Isle of Lewis and a chartered freight vessel.
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