MV ''Canna'' is a car ferry built for

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 ...

(CalMac) in 1975. She spent 21 years in various locations on the west of Scotland and 20 years at

Rathlin Island Rathlin Island ( ga, Reachlainn, ; Local Irish dialect: ''Reachraidh'', ; Scots: ''Racherie'') is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim (of which it is part) in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. ...

, Northern Island, before moving to Arranmore.

History

MV ''Canna'' was the seventh of eight ''Island''-class ferries built for Caledonian MacBrayne. In November 2000, she was re-engined at Timbacraft, Shandon. In May 2009, MV ''Canna'' became the first Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd ship to receive its

Inventory of Hazardous Materials The Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, or Hong Kong Convention is a mulitateral convention adopted in 2009, which has not entered into force. The conference that created the convention ...

(green passport).

Layout

The eight ''Island''-class ferries, built between 1972 and 1976, were a very simple design, based on World War II landing craft. They had a two-part folding ramp at the bow, an open-plan car deck incorporating a small turntable immediately aft, and a sheltered area of passenger accommodation at the stern. The wheelhouse was above the passenger accommodation, and the main mast was above the ramp at the bow. A radar mast sat atop the bridge, just forward of the small funnel and engine exhaust.

Service

MV ''Canna'' entered service with CalMac on the

Raasay Raasay (; gd, Ratharsair) or the Isle of Raasay is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. It is separated from Skye by the Sound of Raasay and from Applecross by the Inner Sound. It is famous for being the birt ...

route in January 1976, initially from

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

, but this soon changed to a shorter crossing from

Sconser Sconser ( gd, Sgonnsair) is a small crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier. Less than ...

. After only 3 months, she was moved to the

Lochaline Lochaline ( gd, Loch Àlainn) is the main village in the Morvern area of Highland, Scotland. The coastal village is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore of the Sound of Mull. A ferry operates regularly over to Fishnish on ...

crossing to

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides **Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...

, where she remained for the next 10 years. In 1986, MV ''Loch Linnhe'' and then the larger replaced ''Canna''. After two years as spare vessel, ''Canna'' spent seven years crossing between Kyles Scalpay on Harris and the slipway on Scalpay - a crossing of just three minutes. In April 1997, she took over the Ballycastle -

crossing in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, replacing . She was operated by CalMac until 2008, when Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd took over the service, leasing the vessel from Caledonian Maritime Assets. After 20 years, in 2017, ''Canna'' was replaced by a new vessel, ''Spirit of Rathlin''. Her future became uncertain and she was laid up at

Burtonport or (English name: Burtonport) is a fishing village about northwest of Dungloe in The Rosses district of County Donegal, Ireland. The main employers in the village were the Burtonport Fishermen's Co-op and the ''Bord Iascaigh Mhara Bord ...

, alongside her sisters, and . She was bought for service at

Arranmore ''Árainn Mhór'' (English name: Arranmore) is an island off the west coast of County Donegal, Ireland. Arranmore is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, with a population of 469 in 2016, but has had a gradually falling native popula ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, before April 2018. By January 2020, she had been upgraded for the Arranmore service along with fellow ''Island''-class ferries, ''Rhum'', , and ''Morvern''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canna Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries of Northern Ireland 1975 ships Ships built on the River Clyde