MV Hebridean Isles
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MV ''Hebridean Isles'' was a
ro-ro Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
vehicle ferry that was 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 west coast of
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 ...
. She was the first MacBrayne vessel to be ordered and built for them outside Scotland and the first to be launched sideways. With bow, stern and side ramps, ''Hebridean Isles'' was suitable for all the routes served by the large fleet units. After 15 years crossing the Little Minch on the
Uig Uig is a placename meaning "bay" (from Norse) and may refer to: Places * Uig, Coll, a hamlet on the island of Coll, Argyll and Bute, Scotland * Uig, Duirinish, a hamlet near Totaig, on the Isle of Skye, Highland Scotland * Uig, Lewis, a civil par ...
triangle, she served
Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
and
Colonsay Colonsay (; ; ) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, located north of Islay and south of Isle of Mull, Mull. The ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil, it is in the council area of Argyll and Bute and ...
before being retired in November 2024, after almost 40 years of service.


History

MV ''Hebridean Isles'' (nicknamed "Heb Isles" amongst crew and passengers alike) was constructed at
Cochrane Shipbuilders Cochrane Shipbuilders was a shipbuilder at Selby. Due to the narrow width of the River Ouse at Selby, Cochrane launched its ships sideways into the river. History Founded by Andrew Cochrane at Beverley, England in 1884, establishing Cochrane ...
's yard in
Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...
and launched sideways into the
Ouse Ouse ( ) may refer to: Places Rivers in England * River Ouse, Yorkshire * River Ouse, Sussex * River Great Ouse, Northamptonshire and East Anglia ** River Little Ouse, a tributary of the River Great Ouse Other places * Ouse, Tasmania, a town ...
in 1985. She was the first MacBrayne vessel to be built outside Scotland, the first to be launched sideways and the first to be launched by royalty – the Duchess of Kent. Broadly similar to the , she was intended for the
Uig Uig is a placename meaning "bay" (from Norse) and may refer to: Places * Uig, Coll, a hamlet on the island of Coll, Argyll and Bute, Scotland * Uig, Duirinish, a hamlet near Totaig, on the Isle of Skye, Highland Scotland * Uig, Lewis, a civil par ...
triangle, but was designed to be suitable for use anywhere within the network. Following her delivery voyage, she conducted trials at various ports around the network, but did not take up duties at Uig, Skye until spring 1986. MV ''Columba'', the winter relief ship continued there while construction works were carried out at the various piers. New linkspans were required at all three terminals, so the new ship found temporary employment as a winter relief vessel at
Ullapool Ullapool (; ) is a village and port located in the civil parish of Lochbroom in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. It is located around northwest of Inverness. According to the Scottish Government in 2016, the village had a ...
and
Oban Oban ( ; meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William, Highland, Fort William. During the tourist seaso ...
, where she stood in for the and . Even when she took over at Uig, she still had to use her hoist at the Skye terminal for eight months while the new berth at the end of the pier was finished. She brought vastly improved standards of passenger comfort and became popular, with slightly reduced sailing times and, once she was able to use her bow and stern ramps, greatly reduced turnaround times.


Layout

MV ''Hebridean Isles design incorporated a bow visor, bow and stern ramps, and a vehicle hoist with side ramps. This made her suitable for all the routes served by the large fleet units. Her spacious car deck could accommodate 60 cars, with passenger accommodation on two decks forward of the hoist. One deck comprised the cafeteria furthest aft, then the entrance concourse, shop and information point, with the reclining lounge and bar towards the bow. The bar was converted to a Coffee Cabin in December 2008. Above the cafeteria was the observation lounge with crew accommodation forward of this. The bridge was on the next level at the bow. Externally there was ample deck space including, like the
MV Isle of Arran MV ''Isle of Arran'' () is a drive-through ferry operated on the west coast of Scotland by Caledonian MacBrayne. Also known by her local nicknames IOA and The Auld Trooper, she entered service in 1984 on the Ardrossan to Brodick route, serving ...
, a deck area forward of the bridge, giving passengers a view ahead.


Service

MV ''Hebridean Isles'' spent her first 15 years crossing the Little Minch from Uig to Tarbert and Lochmaddy (Lochmaddy only on Sundays), using her stern ramp at Uig and her bow visor and ramp at both Tarbert and Lochmaddy. Demand eventually became too much and she was replaced by the larger in 2001. ''Hebridean Isles'' headed south as the dedicated
Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...
ferry, taking over from . Operating out of
Kennacraig Kennacraig () is a hamlet situated on West Loch Tarbert, a southwest of Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula, Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland. Ferry terminal Caledonian MacBrayne ferries sail from the terminal, on the rocky islet Eil ...
on the
Kintyre Kintyre (, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East Loch Tarbert, Argyll, East and West Loch Tarbert, Argyll, West Loch Tarbert in t ...
peninsula, she sailed to
Port Ellen Port Ellen () is a small town on the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. The town is named after the wife of its founder, Walter Frederick Campbell. Its previous name, ''Leòdamas'', is derived from Old Norse meaning "Leòd's Harbour". Port E ...
and
Port Askaig Port Askaig () is a port village on the east coast of the island of Islay, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The village lies on the Sound of Islay (Caol Ìle) across from Jura. Economy Port Askaig has a hotel, a petrol station and shop next to th ...
. During the summer season, she continued to
Colonsay Colonsay (; ; ) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, located north of Islay and south of Isle of Mull, Mull. The ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil, it is in the council area of Argyll and Bute and ...
and
Oban Oban ( ; meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William, Highland, Fort William. During the tourist seaso ...
on Wednesdays, returning to Kennacraig in the evening. Between 2003 and 2011, she was joined by ''Isle of Arran'' in the summer, providing a series of additional sailings throughout the week and maintaining the service on Wednesdays during the Oban extension. For six months from October 2002, she was chartered to
NorthLink Ferries NorthLink Ferries (also referred to as Serco NorthLink Ferries) is an operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, as well as ferry services, between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. Since July 2012, it has been ope ...
and inaugurated their
Stromness Stromness (, ; ) is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland, Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital. Etymology The name "Stromnes ...
to
Scrabster Scrabster () is a small settlement on Thurso Bay in Caithness on the north coast of Scotland. It is some from Thurso, from Wick, from Inverness and 271.7 miles (437.2 km) from Edinburgh. Scrabster Harbour is an important port for the ...
service. She continued to relieve there each winter. During June and July 2010, ''Hebridean Isles'' was redeployed on the Oban to
Coll Coll (; )Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull and northeast of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and fo ...
and
Tiree Tiree (; , ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650. The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, and fishing are ...
run, replacing , which had suffered major engine problems. She hit the pier at
Scarinish Scarinish ( ) is the main village on the island of Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is located on the south coast of the island, between Hynish Bay to the southwest and Gott Bay to the northeast. The harbour was built in 1771. In 196 ...
, Tiree, on the late afternoon of 29 June 2010, sustaining a hole above the waterline. Reverse pitch was selected prior to the collision but an unspecified problem prevented reverse engaging. The vessel returned to Oban for repairs and resumed the Coll and Tiree run two days after the incident. In summer 2011, joined ''Hebridean Isles'' as the main Islay vessel, freeing up ''Isle of Arran'' as a spare vessel. On 28 January 2014, it was announced that ''Hebridean Isles'' would temporarily take over freight services between Ullapool and Stornoway in the Western Isles, due to the freight ferry colliding with the pier at Stornoway. ''Hebridean Isles'' relieved on the Uig Triangle alongside ''Isle of Arran'' in January and February 2016 whilst ''Hebrides'' was away covering for other vessels. In July 2016, she collided with the pier at Kennacraig, with her traffic being carried by ''Finlaggan'' and the cargo boat ''Red Princess''. In October 2016, ''Hebridean Isles'' provided a twice-nightly freight service on the Ullapool - Stornoway route whilst was in dry-dock. From 3 January to 21 January 2017, ''Hebridean Isles'' relieved on the Ardrossan - Brodick crossing alongside ''Isle of Arran'' whilst was away for her annual overhaul. She repeated this relief service in January 2018, 2019 and 2020. During April and May 2018, ''Hebridean Isles'' operated an Oban - Lochboisdale service whilst covered for s repair at James Watt Dock in
Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...
. In September 2018, ''Hebridean Isles'' relieved on the Ardrossan - Brodick crossing in place of , which was out of service owing to issues with her propeller shaft. ''Caledonian Isles'' had also sustained damage to her loading ramps whilst carrying an overweight vehicle. ''Hebridean Isles'' provided additional capacity on the Ardrossan-Brodick crossing, in addition to her first ever sailing to Campbeltown due to ''Caledonian Isles'' operating with a reduced capacity. Additionally, provided additional sailings on the Claonaig to Lochranza crossing to help ease congestion. After relieving at Arran in January 2019, ''Hebridean Isles'' returned in March 2019 to cover for ''Caledonian Isles'', which had rammed the pier at Brodick and sustained damage to her bow visor as a result of her bow thrusters failing. From January - February 2022, ''Hebridean Isles'' relieved on the Ardrossan - Brodick route. She operated the route alone (rather than alongside ''Isle of Arran'') due to a temporary timetable caused by staff absences relating to COVID-19. She remained on the route for over a month as a result of delays to
MV Caledonian Isles MV ''Caledonian Isles'', usually referred to locally as Caley Isles, is one of the largest ships operated by Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which runs ferries to the Hebridean and Clyde Islands of Scotland. ''Caledonian Isles'' serves the Isl ...
'' return to service.


2023 Breakdown disruption

In January 2023, ''Hebridean Isles'' was scheduled to relieve ''Caledonian Isles'' on the Ardrossan - Brodick route alongside . However, ''Hebridean Isles'' was affected by a number of technical faults, so ''Isle of Arran'' operated the service alone. ''Hebridean Isles'' provided some freight services between Brodick and Troon before developing another fault in late February and being removed from service. The situation was further compounded by the delayed return of from overhaul. ''Hebridean Isles'' remained out of service through summer 2023. She spent time laid up in Troon and Ayr, and in dry dock at Greenock and Birkenhead, where a further rudder fault was discovered during sea trials. CalMac reported pitch control issues with her controllable pitch propellers. Her absence led to disruption to the Islay, Lochboisdale, Arran and Campbeltown services. The Campbeltown route was cancelled for the full summer, with remaining the second vessel at Islay and the chartered as the second vessel at Arran. On 26 August, ''Hebridean Isles'' arrived in Aberdeen for further repairs in dry dock by Dales Marine Services. On 14 October, she returned to service between Kennacraig and Port Askaig, as part of operational trials. It was subsequently confirmed repairs had been successful and the vessel returned to service.


Retirement

In August 2024, CalMac announced that ''Hebridean Isles'' would be retired from the fleet by 21 November 2024, due to rising maintenance costs and the imminent arrivals of and on the Kennacraig - Islay route. The announcement came just a day after ''Hebridean Isles'' was temporarily removed from service due to a bow thruster problem, though CalMac stressed this was not related to the retirement plans. In September 2024, ''Hebridean Isles'' moved from the Islay service to Arran, operating alongside . This was to allow ''Isle of Arran'', who had in turn been relieving ''Caledonian Isles'' during her prolonged withdrawal from service, to depart for her annual overhaul. ''Lord of the Isles'' moved from
South Uist South Uist (, ; ) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the ...
to Islay to operate alongside ''Finlaggan''. ''Hebridean Isles''s final days in operation consisted of providing additional freight capacity between
Ullapool Ullapool (; ) is a village and port located in the civil parish of Lochbroom in the county of Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands. It is located around northwest of Inverness. According to the Scottish Government in 2016, the village had a ...
and
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
alongside in November 2024, whilst underwent annual maintenance. Upon ''Loch Seaforth's'' return to service, ''Hebridean Isles'' was withdrawn from service on 17 November 2024. She departed for Glasgow, arriving the next day at King George V Dock, prior to being taken to a
shipbreaker 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 parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for t ...
s for dismantling. Any spare parts which could be used for maintaining other vessels will be stored in a CalMac warehouse in Gourock.


See also

* Caledonian MacBrayne fleet


References


External links


MV Hebridean Isles
on www.calmac.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Hebridean Isles Caledonian MacBrayne Ships built in Selby 1985 ships Ferries of Scotland