HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cairnryan Harbour is a roll-on
ferry terminal A passenger terminal is a structure in a port which services passengers boarding and leaving water vessels such as ferry, ferries, cruise ships and ocean liners. Depending on the types of vessels serviced by the terminal, it may be named (for e ...
on
Loch Ryan Loch Ryan (, ) is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The town of Stranraer is the largest settlement on its shores, wi ...
in south west
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
north of
Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...
. In World War II it was developed as an emergency west coast port facility, in case Liverpool or the Clyde ports were put out of commission by enemy action.


Portpatrick at first

Portpatrick Portpatrick is a village and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is located on the west coast of the Rhins of Galloway. The parish is about in length and in br ...
, on the western side of the Rinns,Sometimes spelt Rhins had long served as a port for a short sea route from
Donaghadee Donaghadee ( , ) is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles (10 km) south east of Bangor, County Down, Bangor. It is in the Civil paris ...
in Northern Ireland. Since 1620 the route had been used for importing cattle and horses, and for the transfer of military personnel. Later mail transit for the Post Office mails developed, by 1838 8,000 to 10,000 letters passed through the port daily, brought by coach from both
Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
and
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
. However the small harbour was cramped and exposed to westerly winds. Although Government funding had been promised for improvements space for substantial expansion was limited. Also the development of more attractive alternative routes, in particular from
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
to Kingstown, (renamed
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
) led to a loss of commitment to Portpatrick.R R Cunningham, ''Portpatrick Through the Ages'', Wigtown Free Press, Stranraer, 1977


Next Stranraer

In 1857 the
Portpatrick Railway The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Joint RailwaysThe final word is in the plural. was a network of railway lines serving sparsely populated areas of south-west Scotland. The title appeared in 1885 when the previously independent Portpatrick Rail ...
was authorised, its primary objective being to connect Portpatrick and
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
for the carriage of mails, passengers and goods. When it became obvious that Portpatrick Harbour was not going to be improved, the railway concentrated on
Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...
as its ferry port. Stranraer is at the southern end of
Loch Ryan Loch Ryan (, ) is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The town of Stranraer is the largest settlement on its shores, wi ...
; although the passage to Irish ports is longer, Stranraer was a more spacious and better-sheltered location, so it became the dominant port for transits to Northern
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.David L Smith, ''The Little Railways of South West Scotland'', David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1969


World War II

In 1940, consideration was given to the provision of a west coast port for use in the event of
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
or
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
being put out action. This was a large undertaking, planned to take up the full capacity of one of the large commercial ports.
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 ...
on the Gare Loch was also considered, but it was determined to develop the location that became Cairnryan on the eastern shore of Loch Ryan, some distance north of Stranraer. This involved considerable civil engineering work and 4,000 military and other personnel worked on the project. Many of the military staff were American, at that stage the USA had not entered the war and thus they wore civilian clothing. Work began on 20 January 1941.David L Smith, ''Legends of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in LMS Days'', David and Charles (Publishers) Limited, Newton Abbot, 1980,


Cairnryan Military Railway

A siding from the main line was laid in from a ground frame connection about a mile east of Stranraer Harbour Junction. The first occupants of the siding were five dormitory coaches, LMS
camping coach Camping coaches were holiday accommodation offered by many Rail transport, railway companies in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland from the 1930s. The Coach (rail), coaches were old passenger vehicles no longer suitable for use in tr ...
46059 and a canteen van, for which an ex- Highland Railway 4-4-0 LMS no 14382, ''Loch Moy'', supplied steam heat, though minus its internal machinery. This siding expanded into a large yard of ten parallel roads, ultimately 6 miles long, curved round to the shore of the loch. A signalbox was erected at the junction and opened on 11 October 1942. Five groups of sidings and 47 roads were constructed, as well as a large engine shed and coaling stage. The military railway connected with the main line at Cairnryan Junction, about a mile (about 2 km) east of Stranraer, aligned to permit through running to and from the east. The final alignment of the railway after the construction phase was altered in the Stranraer area, and the main line connection was later made at Aird, somewhat nearer Stranraer. The railway was opened in July 1942, and the port itself was ready in July 1943. A timetabled passenger operation was in place, and Gill reproduces a photograph of a railway ticket, marked "C.& S.Railway" (i.e. Cairnyan and Stranraer Railway) (officially a military recreational travel permit) the return fare was 2d. The ticket is marked "Passenger travels at his own risk."Bill Gill, ''The Cairnryan Military Railway, 1941 - 1959'', Stranraer and District Local History Trust, Stranraer, 1999, The preparations for the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
took the focus of activity to the south of England, and Cairnryan was for the time being reduced to a care and maintenance status. In fact only eighteen fully laden ocean-going vessels used the port.C E J Fryer, ''The Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railways'', Oakwood Press, Usk, 1991,


Royal visit

At the end of June 1942,
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
and
Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...
paid a visit to
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and it was arranged that they would travel via the Cairnryan Military Railway and the port. The full Royal Train did not go down the CMR; a two-coach train was provided: the Caledonian Railway officers' saloon and a newly decorated first brake. Stranraer got out its best class 2P 4-4-0 locomotive no 600, and they cleaned, polished and scrubbed to perfection. Two days later the king and queen returned, and 2P no 614 was borrowed from Dumfries. The royal passengers transferred to the main line train at the temporary platform at the junction.Smith, ''Legends'', pages 166 and 117


After the war

After the end of World War II, the facility was used to load superfluous ammunition, brought to the port by rail, onto army landing craft for disposal at sea - a hazardous task, which took the lives of several at the port (including on one occasion eight young servicemen killed on the North Deep Water Wharf when accidentally mishandling a case of fuses), while the long-term and wider risks of such dumping have only later become more evident. Smith describes the railway operation on the military line:
They brought these gas shells in standard trains of 32 wagons. The WD people worked them from Cairnryan Junction down the 5½ miles of rather lumpy line to the new port. Authority thought that 32-wagon trains were uneconomical, so they got an Austerity 2-10-0 ocomotivedown to Cairnryan, and worked the gas shells down from the junction in trains of 64. And the 64-wagon train got away with them! he wagons overpowered the braking effort of the locomotive and brake van on the gradient.Well, I've talked of various exciting happenings in that neighbourhood, but I think that 64 oaded wagonsof poison gas behind your tender—''and you can't stop''—is quite enough excitement for any normal driver for quite a time.Smith, ''Legends'', page 39
At the end of the war, the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
fleet surrendered in Loch Ryan and was anchored in the port before being towed to the North Channel and
scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...
. This activity was codenamed Operation Deadlight. After the end of any strategic objective,
Ship breaking Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship scrapping, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sol ...
became the main industry; the great British
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
s HMS ''Centaur'', HMS ''Bulwark'', HMS ''Eagle'', and HMS ''Ark Royal'' were all sent there for decommissioning, as well as a number of other vessels including HMS ''Mohawk'' and HMS ''Blake''. As recently as 1990,
Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s were being dismantled there for scrap. The railway and the main line connection at Cairnryan Junction remained available for use for some years, but the junction with the main line at Aird had ceased to be functional by 1960.British Railways, ''Sectional Appendix to the Working Timetables, etc'', Glasgow, 1960 The decision was taken to remove the facility; the final rail movement was part of the dismantling process in 1967. A single pier remains, one was dismantled and another was destroyed in an ammunition explosion shortly after the war. The remaining pier is in a state of disrepair and fenced off to the public after partially collapsing in the 1990s when it was being used to load stone from the nearby Croach Farm quarry in Cairnryan. Despite this many anglers use it as it offers access to seafish such as
mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...
,
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
, dogfish, mullet and
plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is ...
.


Commercial ferries

In the 1970s the ferry service between Stranraer and
Larne Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory)Larne/Latharna
Placenames Database of Ireland.
is a to ...
in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
was operated by
British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commis ...
. As private motoring and road transport became dominant at the expense of classic rail-ferry-rail transits, the significance of Stranraer as the ferry terminal, adjacent to the railway station, declined, and a private sector operator,
P&O Ferries P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferry, ferries from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and from England to Continental Europe (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisi ...
started operating roll-on roll-off ferries on a route from Cairnryan in 1973. A new link span was built for the purpose, and the port operation was cheaper than at Stranraer; moreover the sea transit was shorter. As the importance of rail passenger connections further declined,
Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish Shipping line, shipping line company and one of the world's largest ferry operators. It services Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden. Stena Line is a ...
also transferred to Cairnryan opening a new terminal at Old House Point in 2011.


Rail connections

The nearest station is
Stranraer Stranraer ( , in Scotland also ; ), also known as The Toon or The Cleyhole, is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on Loch Ryan and the northern side of the isthmus joining the Rhins of Galloway to the mainland. Stranraer is Dumfries ...
with a bus connection from the port connecting with trains to Glasgow Central along the
Glasgow South Western Line The Glasgow South Western Line is a mainline railway almost entirely in Scotland (the only exception being the final section into Carlisle in North West England) that runs from Glasgow to Kilmarnock, and then either via Dumfries, or Stranraer ...
. There is also a coach link between here and Ayr railway station going up the
Ayrshire Coast Line The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban Railway, rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow. There are three branches, to , and , all running into the high leve ...
, by a company named Dodds of Troon.


See also

* Cairnryan


References


Notes


Bibliography

*


Notes

{{reflist , group = note Ports and harbours of Scotland Military railways in the United Kingdom