MV ''Lochfyne'' was a MacBrayne mail steamer, built in 1931 for the West Highland service, the first British coastal passenger ship with diesel-electric propulsion. After long service, she was withdrawn in 1969 and scrapped in 1974.

History

''Lochfyne'' was built by

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being built ...

for David MacBrayne Ltd, the last of four vessels built following the restructuring of the company in 1928. ''Lochfyne'' was the first British coastal passenger ship with diesel-electric propulsion and the first in the fleet to have the option of bridge-controlled engines. In January 1970, ''Lochfyne'' was sold to the Northern Slipway Ltd, Dublin. She spent some time as a floating generator and accommodation ship at

Faslane His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

. Sold again, in 1972, to Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, it was hoped that she would have a static role, as a floating restaurant. This failed and on 25 March 1974 ''Lochfyne'' was towed for scrapping to Arnott Young Ship breakers at Dalmuir, clydebank..

Layout

''Lochfyne'' had a cruiser stern, a straight, slightly raked stem and two funnels (the forward, a dummy). She was a two class vessel, with passenger accommodation, but no overnight accommodation. ''Lochfyne'' was fitted with two 5 cylinder VNS engines installed by Paxman. These produced 1,000 IHP at 330 rpm and powered two 670 hp DC propelling motors. The control system varied the power and hence speed. The electrical machinery was manufactured by Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co of Trafford Park, Manchester. The engine space she was visible from the main deck. She was re-engined with a pair of British Polar K44M two-stroke engines in 1953.

Service

''Lochfyne'' was built for summer cruising in the Western Isles and the

Ardrishaig Ardrishaig ( gd, Àird Driseig) is a coastal village on Loch Gilp, at the southern (eastern) entrance to the Crinan Canal in Argyll and Bute in the west of Scotland. It lies immediately to the south of Lochgilphead, with the nearest larger to ...

mail service in winter. She was not commissioned during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and maintained the

mail from

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 ...

until the return of in 1946. After the withdrawal of ''

Saint Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

'' in 1958, she became the year-round

boat. She spent some early summers cruising out of

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

, with substituting on the Clyde. She made the last ever run on the Royal Route 30 September 1969.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lochfyne, MV 1931 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Ferries of Scotland MV Lochfyne

History

Layout

Service

See also

Footnotes