The Gantocks

Last updated

Gantock Rocks Light
Seal and light beacon on the Gantock Rocks off Dunoon - geograph.org.uk - 421263.jpg
The Gantocks and navigation beacon
The Gantocks
LocationFirth of Clyde, Scotland.
Coordinates 55°56′27″N4°55′04″W / 55.940816°N 4.9177772°W / 55.940816; -4.9177772 National grid reference NS 17869 75820
Tower
Constructedc.1886
Height44 ft (13 m)
Fog signal No
Light
Focal height12 m (39 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Range6 nmi (11 km)
Characteristic Fl R 6s  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Gantocks is a small group of rocks lying off Dunoon in the upper Firth of Clyde, West of Scotland.

Contents

A navigation beacon was constructed on the rocks circa 1886. The beacon is 44 feet (13 metres) in height. [1] [2]

The MV Akka was lost, after running onto the Gantocks on 9 April 1956. [3] The PS Waverley ran aground on the rocks on 15 July 1977 with 715 passengers on board. [4] [5]

The Gantocks beacon was repainted and maintenance was carried out during 2018. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firth of Clyde</span> Inlet on the west coast of Scotland

The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles. The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula, which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran. Within the Firth of Clyde is another major island – the Isle of Bute. Given its strategic location at the entrance to the middle and upper Clyde, Bute played a vital naval military role during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunoon</span> Town in Scotland

Dunoon is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the council area of Argyll and Bute, Dunoon also has its own community council. Dunoon was a burgh until 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caledonian MacBrayne</span> Ferry operator in Scotland

Caledonian MacBrayne, usually shortened to CalMac, 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. Since 2006, the company's official name has been CalMac Ferries Ltd, although it still operates as Caledonian MacBrayne. In 2006, it became a subsidiary of holding company David MacBrayne, which is owned by the Scottish Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowal</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Cowal is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is bounded on the west by Loch Fyne and on the east by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde. The Kyles of Bute separate it from Bute to the south.

PS <i>Waverley</i> 1946-built preserved seagoing paddle steamer

PS Waverley is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world. Built in 1946, she sailed from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long until 1973. Bought by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS), she has been restored to her 1947 appearance and now operates passenger excursions around the British coast.

MV <i>The Second Snark</i> Passenger ferry built in 1938 in Scotland

MV The Second Snark is a small passenger ferry, built in 1938 by William Denny of Dumbarton, later operated by Clyde Marine Services on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Lighthouse Board</span> Non-departmental public body in the UK

The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) is the general lighthouse authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sgat Mòr and Sgat Beag</span> Scottish islands

Sgat Mòr and Sgat Beag are two small islands that lie at the mouth of Loch Fyne by the shore of the Cowal peninsula on the west coast of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverurie railway station</span> Railway station in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Inverurie railway station is a railway station serving the town of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is managed by ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line, which is mostly single track north of this point, between Kintore and Insch. It is measured 16 miles 72 chains from Aberdeen.

MV <i>Balmoral</i> (1949)

MV Balmoral is a vintage excursion ship owned by MV Balmoral Fund Ltd., a preservation charity. Her principal area of operation is the Bristol Channel, although she also operates day excursions to other parts of the United Kingdom. The Balmoral is included on the National Historic Ships register as part of the National Historic Fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ve Skerries</span> Small islands in the west of Shetland

The Ve Skerries or Vee Skerries are a group of low skerries three miles (4.8 km) north west of Papa Stour, on the west coast of Shetland, Scotland. They define the southwest perimeter of St Magnus Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway</span> Former railway line in Scotland

The Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway was a railway company formed in 1836 to connect the city of Edinburgh with the harbours on the Firth of Forth. When the line connected to Granton, the company name was changed to the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway. It opened part of its route in 1846, but reaching the centre of Edinburgh involved the difficult construction of a long tunnel; this was opened in 1847. It was on a steep incline and was worked by rope haulage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberdeen Harbour</span> Port on the north east coast of Scotland

Aberdeen Harbour, rebranded as the Port of Aberdeen in 2022, is a sea port located in the city of Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland. The port was first established in 1136 and has been continually redeveloped over the centuries to provide a base for significant fishing and ship building industries. Since the 1970s it has provided support to the offshore oil and gas industry operating in the North Sea and it is the main commercial port in the north east of Scotland.

MV <i>Lady Wakefield</i>

The MV Lady Wakefield is a twin screw passenger vessel, operating between Glenridding, Howtown and Pooley Bridge on Ullswater in the Lake District for Ullswater Navigation and Transit Co, marketed as Ullswater 'Steamers'.

MV Lochearn was a mail steamer operated by David MacBrayne from Oban to Barra and South Uist from 1930 until 1955. She then became the Sound of Mull mail steamer until 1964, when she was superseded by a new generation of car ferry and sold for further service in the Greek Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argyll Ferries</span>

Argyll Ferries Ltd was a ferry company formed in January 2011 by the Scottish Governments department of Transport Scotland via the parent company David MacBrayne Ltd to tender for the Dunoon-to-Gourock public service route. Argyll Ferries were announced as the preferred bidder at the end of May 2011, contracts were exchanged on 7 June 2011 for the service, the service then commenced 23 days later on 30 June 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borders Railway</span> Railway from Edinburgh to Tweedbank

The Borders Railway connects the city of Edinburgh with Galashiels and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders. The railway follows most of the alignment of the northern part of the Waverley Route, a former double-track line in southern Scotland and northern England that ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle. That line was controversially closed in 1969, as part of the Beeching cuts, leaving the Borders region without any access to the National Rail network. Following the closure, a campaign to revive the Waverley Route emerged. Discussion on reopening the northern part of the line came to a head during the early 2000s. Following deliberations in the Scottish Parliament, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 received royal assent in June 2006. The project was renamed the "Borders Railway" in August 2008, and building works began in November 2012. Passenger service on the line began on 6 September 2015, whilst an official opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 9 September.

MV Akka was a cargo ship built in 1942 at Stockholm and measured 5,409 gross register tons (GRT).

MT <i>Hephaestus</i> Bunkering oil tanker which ran aground off Qawra, Malta

References

  1. "Secret Scotland - The Gantocks". www.secretscotland.org.uk.
  2. "The Gantocks, Navigation Beacon | Canmore". canmore.org.uk.
  3. "MV Akka | Scottish Wrecks". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  4. "Waverley runs aground carrying 715 passengers". HeraldScotland. 8 August 2006.
  5. "Paddle Steamer Waverley". paddlesteamers.info.
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)