MV ''Bute'' ( gd, Eilean Bhòid) is a ferry owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and operated by

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), 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 ...

, on the route between

Wemyss Bay Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have always ...

and Rothesay on Bute.

History

She is the seventh Clyde ship to bear the name ''Bute'' and Calmac's first ferry built outside the UK since the in 1974. There was much dissent over the decision to order a new ferry from outside the UK. Launched in Poland, she sailed for Scotland, arriving in Gourock on 28 June 2005. After successful berthing trials, she entered service on 11 July.

Layout

''Bute'' has a semi-open car deck with a clearance height of . Like the before her, she has bow and stern access. In addition she has a starboard vehicle ramp aft, which was used at Rothesay before the pier was converted to allow end-loading. Passenger accommodation is on two levels: the first housing forward and aft lounges with a kiosk area and toilets between, while the second level is open deck space from the twin funnels to just forward of the bridge. The bridge sits on its own perch above the open deck. A single lift connects the car deck with the lounge. ''Bute'' has

Azimuth thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder unnecessary. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Ty ...

units with engine-driven propellers, by means of a

cardan shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power and torque and rotation, usually ...

, mounted on a steerable pod, protruding beneath the hull. These made her harder to position at piers than her predecessors with

Voith Schneider Propeller The Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) is a specialized marine propulsion system (MPS) manufactured by the Voith Group based on a cyclorotor design. It is highly maneuverable, being able to change the direction of its thrust almost instantaneously ...

s and led to delays in the first season.

Service

Storm Erik and MV Bute diverted to Gourock

''Bute'' operates the route between

and

Rothesay Rothesay ( ; gd, Baile Bhòid ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay, which offers an onward rail ...

on the

Isle of Bute The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault. Formerly a constituent is ...

, along with her sister ship . Being more manoeuvrable than the new vessels, the streakers and returned to provide the service during work to build a new end-loading linkspan at Rothesay pier in 2007. While works were being carried out at

pier, ''Bute'' and ''Argyle'' were temporarily relocated to

Gourock Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...

in October 2015, making each crossing an hour long. Services resumed from Wemyss Bay in March 2016 after a £6 million pier upgrade was completed.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bute Caledonian MacBrayne 2005 ships Ships built in Gdańsk