MV ''Bute'' () is a ferry operated by

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne (), in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsid ...

, on the route between Wemyss Bay on the Scottish mainland and Rothesay on

Bute Bute or BUTE may refer to: People * Marquess of Bute, a title in the Peerage of Great Britain; includes lists of baronets, earls and marquesses of Bute * Lord of Bute, a title in medieval Scotland, including a list of lords * Lucian Bute (born ...

(' Sea Road to Rothesay').

History

She is the seventh Clyde ship to bear the name ''Bute'' and Calmac's first ferry built outside the UK since the in 1974. There was much dissent over the decision to order a new ferry from outside the UK. Launched in Poland, she sailed for Scotland, arriving in Gourock on 28 June 2005. After successful berthing trials, she entered service on 11 July.

Layout

''Bute'' has a semi-open car deck with a clearance height of . Like the before her, she has bow and stern access. In addition she has a starboard vehicle ramp aft, which was used at Rothesay before the pier was converted to allow end-loading. Passenger accommodation is on two levels: the first housing forward and aft lounges with a kiosk area and toilets between, while the second level is open deck space from the twin funnels to just forward of the bridge. The bridge sits on its own perch above the open deck. A single lift connects the car deck with the lounge. ''Bute'' has

Azimuth thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder redundant. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Type ...

units with engine-driven propellers, by means of a

cardan shaft Cardan may refer to: * Gerolamo Cardano or Jerome Cardan (1501–1576), Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer, and gambler * Cornelius Castoriadis (1922–1997), Greek-French philosopher who used the pseudonym Paul Cardan * Cardan, Giro ...

, mounted on a steerable pod, protruding beneath the hull. These made her harder to position at piers than her predecessors with

Voith Schneider Propeller The Voith Schneider Propeller (VSP) is a specialized marine propulsion system (MPS) manufactured by the Voith Group based on a cyclorotor design. It is highly maneuverable, being able to change the direction of its thrust almost instantaneousl ...

s and led to delays in the first season.

Service

Storm Erik and MV Bute diverted to Gourock

''Bute'' operates the route between Wemyss Bay and Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, along with her sister ship . Being more manoeuvrable than the new vessels, the streakers and returned to provide the service during work to build a new end-loading linkspan at Rothesay pier in 2007. While works were being carried out at Wemyss Bay pier, ''Bute'' and ''Argyle'' were temporarily relocated to

Gourock Gourock ( ; ) is a town in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a resort town, seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its ma ...

in October 2015, making each crossing an hour long. Services resumed from Wemyss Bay in March 2016 after a £6 million pier upgrade was completed.

Footnotes

External links

MV Bute
- on CalMac official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bute Caledonian MacBrayne 2005 ships Ships built in Gdańsk Ferries of Scotland