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Ships of the Fleet
Clansman (V)
History
LORD
OF THE ISLES had only been in service for 9 years when it was decided that she
needed replacing on the Coll – Tiree and Barra – South Uist routes. The
result was launched from Appledore’s yard in Devon in March 1998. Named
CLANSMAN, she was the fifth vessel to carry the name in the fleet, in its
various guises over the years. The most recent predecessor had of course been
the 1964 built hoist loader which had left the fleet some fifteen years
previously.
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The
new CLANSMAN was some 99 metres in length and could carry 100 cars on two
levels. Her main car deck had room for approximately 90 cars and she was also
fitted with a mezzanine deck which could be raised and lowered to allow loading
of up to 10 more cars per sailing. This deck was situated down the starboard
side of the main car deck so that even when it was being used, the vessel could
still carry high vehicles on the port side deck.
Her entry into
service came on 4th July 1998 when she took over the LORD OF THE
ISLES’ busy schedule which included Coll, Tiree, Barra and South Uist. Upon
her introduction, calls at Tobermory on her Coll/Tiree sailings ceased as she
was too large to berth at the pier. |
Under construction at Appledore's yard
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Undergoing berthing trials at Ardrossan |
On her first day in service |
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The
new ship once again set new standards of passenger facilities and comfort. Her
cafeteria was situated at the bow with the observation lounge directly above it.
Aft were a series of lounges, the shop and the bar whilst above was crew
accommodation and a relatively small amount of open deck space. She lacked a
forward deck, much to the disappointment of many tourists on glorious sunny
days. She handles the sea well and still provides a comfortable ride in the
roughest seas she ventures out into. |
Arriving at Coll |
Clansman's bridge |
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The
CLANSMAN was the largest vessel that could safely navigate the numerous channels
at places like Lochboisdale, Gott Bay on Tiree, Scalasaig Bay on Colonsay and
Arinagour on Coll. In the six years she has been employed on these routes she
has not as yet found herself with inadequate capacity for the traffic levels on
offer.
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Each
winter since her introduction, CLANSMAN has been the large relief ship and has
seen service on many other routes covering for fleetmates such as ISLE OF LEWIS,
CALEDONIAN ISLES, ISLE OF MULL and HEBRIDES at Lewis, Uig, Mull and Arran. With
her large capacity she is ideal for this role. Her own place at Oban has been
filled by LORD OF THE ISLES and ISLE OF ARRAN at various points over the years,
although since CORUISK’s introduction at Mallaig, LORD OF THE ISLES has been
based at Oban once more and so has assumed the role of relief unit when the
larger vessel has been called away.
In 2003 the CLANSMAN’s
problem of minimal open deck space was finally addressed. It was revealed that
on her next overhaul at Garvel Dry Dock, she (and her sister HEBRIDES) would be
receiving new extensions to their decking, above the area immediately aft of the
bar. This was a welcome announcement to the more adventurous (ok…brave!)
passenger who would happily stand out on deck in a Force 8 and horizontal rain.
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Approaching Brodick while relieving Caledonian Isles
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Entering the Gunna Sound
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For the 2004 season,
CLANSMAN duly returned from her winter travels sporting this new deck space. She
has continued to give a reliable service to those communities she serves. A new
recent addition to her timetable schedule has been a weekly service where she
would call at Tiree first of all and then pass through the Gunna Sound and
across the Minch to Castlebay on Barra. Calmac have taken to marketing this full
day return sailing as a special cruise from Oban and so far it seems to have
been very popular for those wishing for a taste of the Outer Isles but are based
very firmly on the mainland. |
Passing Rubh na Gall lighthouse |
Loading at Uig while standing in for Hebrides |
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CLANSMAN
is most definitely a very useful ship. She is able to operate a wide number of
routes and is able to offer her passengers excellent facilities on board and
allow relaxation in the comfort of her observation lounge, or one of her
reclining lounges for example. Given that she is about the largest vessel that
can venture into the waters that she calls home, it is fairly safe to say that
barring some sudden redeployment to another route on relief, she will remain one
of the dedicated Outer Isles ferries.
 Text thanks to SoC
Crew (C) |
