MV ''The Second Snark'' is a small passenger ferry, built in 1938 by William Denny of

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

, later operated by Clyde Marine Services on the

Firth of Clyde 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 (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

History

MV ''The Second Snark'' was built in 1938 by William Denny for use in their Dumbarton shipyard as a tug and tender, replacing their previous steam driven vessel ''The Snark''. The company went into liquidation in 1963, and the ship was taken over by Brown Brothers. They sold ''The Second Snark'' to Clyde Marine Motoring in 1969. She is listed as a National Historic Ship. Having been laid up for over two years at Fairlie Harbour, she was restored to her 'as-built' 1938 condition and her passenger certificate renewed in 2011.

Layout

''The Second Snark'' is a small vessel, with a passenger capacity of 48. She retains many original features including teak decks, varnished woodwork and polished brass. There is one heated room with seating and a single toilet facility below deck.

Service

William Denny used ''The Second Snark'' in their Dumbarton shipyard as a tug and tender. From 1960 to 1963 she also provided summer cruises on the Firth of Forth, returning to the Clyde in winter. Initially, Brown Brothers continued Forth cruises, while concentrating on research work for ship stabilisers. When the research project was completed in 1969, they sold ''The Second Snark'' to Clyde Marine Motoring. From 1969, ''The Second Snark'' was based at Victoria Harbour or Princes Pier, Greenock, providing cruises on the

under the Clyde Marine Cruises section of Clyde Marine Services Ltd. She provided cruises from Greenock and

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local gove ...

to Blairmore (for

Benmore Botanic Garden Benmore Botanic Garden (formerly known as the Younger Botanic Garden) is a large botanical garden situated in Strath Eachaig at the foot of Beinn Mhòr, on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The gardens are on the west side o ...

) and into

Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately in length, with a width of between . The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its west ...

. She has provided trips to Lochranza (Arran) via

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 ...

and the

Kyles of Bute The Kyles of Bute ( gd, Na Caoil Bhòdach) form a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the Scottish mainland. The surrounding hillsides are roughly wooded, and ov ...

and to

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

and Millport. She occasionally served on the

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 ...

–

Kilcreggan Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cille Chreagain'') is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach ...

–

ferry service, substituting for the 1936 (then ). MV_The_Second_Snark_(8705441650)

From August 2011, Clyde Marine Services operated ''The Second Snark'' as a ferry between

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

and

Yorkhill Yorkhill ( gd, Cnoc Eabhraig) is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the West End of the city. It is known for its famous hospitals and remains the location of the West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Ho ...

Quay where Glasgow's new

Riverside Museum The Riverside Museum (formerly known as the Glasgow Museum of Transport) is a museum in Glasgow, housed in a building at Pointhouse Quay in the Glasgow Harbour regeneration district of Glasgow, Scotland. The building opened in June 2011, winnin ...

(the new transport museum) and the Tall Ship () are located. On Monday 11 July 2011, she made an appearance in James Watt Dock in Greenock as part of the Greenock Tall Ships Race event. In 2012, she performed a charter to Loch Riddon with . She tendered to the paddle steamer, ferrying passengers ashore at Ormidale in a recreation of the same sailing 40 years earlier. In summer 2018 it was reported that the venerable vessel had been sold by Clyde Marine Services to a billionaire businessman who intended to utilise her as a tender to his racing yachts in France as well as the United States and she was moved to Plymouth for a refit. However, late in 2019 she was acquired by a preservation group with substantial funding from former owner Hamish Munro and returned to Fairlie on the Firth of Clyde. In 2020 the vessel was moved to the James Watt Dock in Greenock and the premises of Dales Marine who will carry out restoration work in phases once funds have been raised and design work completed.

Gallery

File:MV Second Snark 2004a.jpg, ''The Second Snark'' heads off to

Footnotes

External links