The British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC) is an underwater military test and evaluation range in the Inner Sound between the island of

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 ...

and the

Applecross Applecross ( gd, A' Chomraich) is a peninsula north-west of Kyle of Lochalsh in the council area of Highland, Scotland. The name Applecross is at least 1,300 years old and is ''not'' used locally to refer to the 19th century village (which ...

peninsula, on the north west coast of Scotland. BUTEC is operated by defence contractor QinetiQ on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. The range is used for noise ranging of surface ships and submarines and for testing of a variety of weapons and sensors.

History

BUTEC was established in the Inner Sound by the Ministry of Defence in the 1970s, the location chosen because of its sheltered, deep water, soft sea-bed and low levels of acoustic disturbance. The British Underwater Test and Evaluation Byelaws 1975 came into force on 1 September 1975. The

byelaws A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authori ...

prohibited public access to certain areas of land at all times and the sea range area when in use by the military for the firing, running and dropping of underwater vehicles and torpedoes and for all ancillary activities. The 1975 byelaws were replaced by revised byelaws in 1984, which were subsequently replaced again in 2016. In 2002, there was controversy when a high-powered

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

device was tested on the range. The sonar had been blamed for the deaths of whales and dolphins and had been banned in the USA."British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC)"
Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 20 December 2008.

Facilities

The BUTEC range is 10 km long and 6 km wide, with a water depth of between 175m and 200m. An Air Danger Area can be activated to cover the entire range if required. Together the area provides a controlled safe environment for a variety of trials and training activities, including airborne, surface and sub-surface assets, weapons and targets. The range consists of a noise range to the east of the isle of

South Rona Rona ( gd, Rònaigh), sometimes called South Rona to distinguish it from North Rona (a small uninhabited island to the northwest of Cape Wrath), is an inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides. It lies between the Sound of Raasay and the Inner Sound ...

, and a torpedo testing range located in the centre of the Inner Sound between the isle of

and Applecross on the mainland. The noise range is about a mile long and divided into blocks 50 yards wide (labelled A to Z) within which is a large array of sensors. A submarine is expected to move through the middle of the range (blocks M or N) repeatedly as the shore-based scientific team on Rona analyse the sound of the submarine. If the boat does not achieve its expected aural signature, it is not permitted to start active patrols.Navy News, May 2008

Operations

BUTEC Shore Support Base Kyle Of Lochalsh (geograph 4746788)

The Range Terminal Control Building (including jetty and heliport) are situated at the eastern edge of the range, adjacent to the

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

archaeological site, about 4 miles north of Applecross. Outlying installations for the noise range are located on the island of Rona. The main logistics and administrative centre is the Shore Support Base, at

Kyle of Lochalsh Kyle of Lochalsh (from the Gaelic ''Caol Loch Aillse'', "strait of the foaming loch") is a village in the historic county of Ross-shire on the northwest coast of Scotland, located around west-southwest of Inverness. It is located on the Lo ...

. The torpedo testing range is covered by bylaws which ban any underwater activity by fishermen within the range area and trawling activities are also banned within the whole of the Inner Sound area.The British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre Byelaws 1984
( SI 1984/1851) including a map of the underwater test range boundary and the location of the Range Terminal Control Building and warning flag Upcoming range activities are published in the local newspaper

West Highland Free Press The ''West Highland Free Press'' was founded in the Scottish Highlands in 1972 as a left-wing weekly newspaper, but with the principal objective of providing its immediate circulation area with the service which a local paper is expected to pr ...

. When firings are taking place, safety vessels are placed around the range area. Firings are done by submarines, helicopters, aircraft and boats. The torpedoes are equipped with acoustic tracking and measuring equipment in place of warheads. Other trials are carried out here including the use of sonars and exercises by Minehunters.

External links

The British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre Byelaws 2016 (SI 2016 No. 654)Qinetiq – MOD BUTEC

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butec Isle of Skye Royal Navy bases in Scotland Naval units and formations of the United Kingdom