|
|
FLEET
HISTORIES - Isle of Lewis |
 Main
The Fleet
Isle of
Lewis
History |
 |
|
|
|
By the early 1990s, after nearly twenty years of faithful
service by the SUILVEN, the Ullapool – Stornoway route was in urgent need of
attention. The crossing still took nearly four hours in the hands of the
Norwegian import and the old SUILVEN was beginning to show her age, especially
when compared to vessels such as HEBRIDEAN ISLES, ISLE OF MULL and CALEDONIAN
ISLES. |
|
It didn’t come as a huge shock when CalMac announced they
were inviting yards to tender for the contract to build a new vessel
specifically for the most northerly route in the network. What the route really
needed at this point was for a large vessel which was capable of dealing with
the many tourist vehicles and coach-borne foot passengers as well as the
numerous wagons which required shipment from the mainland. With this in mind,
the dimensions of the proposed newbuild were increased from what had previously
been the norm; from a width of 15.8m to 18m and a length in excess of 100m. Her
increased width meant that there were very few ports she could actually be
accommodated at. The new ferry was going to be the largest to sail in the fleet
– just as the SUILVEN had been from 1974 to 1988 when ISLE OF MULL was
introduced. Ferguson’s of Port Glasgow were awarded
the contract and set about constructing CalMac’s new flagship on the slipway,
just a stone’s throw from the A78. Motorists using the dual carriageway between
Glasgow and Greenock on a regular basis were able to watch the new ship taking
shape over the course of a year or so. Up on the slipway she towered over the
shipyard buildings. From the road outside, it looked as though the bow of the
newbuild was actually poking out over the top of the offices and lying directly
over the main road! ISLE OF LEWIS
was launched on 18th April 1995. In terms of appearance she was a further
development of the ISLE OF MULL and CALEDONIAN ISLES’ design in that she
had a fully enclosed car deck. She was actually the last ship of this design to
be built for the company to date. Her passenger accommodation was spread over
two decks further up, and one of these decks also incorporated crew
accommodation. |
Running the Skelmorlie measured mile
Arriving at Stornoway behind Isle of Arran |
|
Fitting out
was carried out a short distance away and by mid July the ISLE OF LEWIS was
ready to go. Her sea trials were carried out on the Clyde, where she dwarfed all
other fleet members in a style reminiscent of SUILVEN's arrival in 1974. Her
powerful engines gave her a top speed of around 19 knots and allowed a regular
service speed of 18 knots. Not only the largest member of the fleet but also now
the fastest too. After collecting her gangways and some crew cars, she left
Ardrossan in the last few days of July 1995 and proceeded into the Western Isles
and the Minch to her new home. Berthing trials were undertaken at Uig, Lochmaddy
and Tarbert on the way up to Lewis in order to assess her suitability on the
‘triangle’, should she ever be required to cover there.
New facilities to accommodate the ISLE OF LEWIS had been
approved but these were not ready in time for her arrival and entry into
service. When she arrived at Stornoway for the first time, she had to edge into
what is now the old freight berth. As with the ship she was to replace, the new
arrival lay bow-in on Lewis and stern-in on the mainland. Her greater width
meant her stern ramp had to be off-set to port, otherwise she could not load
from the Ullapool linkspan. Her bow ramp, although in the centre of the ship,
had to have its forward section ‘aimed’ to starboard so as to land correctly on
the Stornoway linkspan. |
|
Riding the swell in the Minch |
Berthing
trials were undertaken at both ports and her crossing time was very impressive –
around 2 hours and 45 minutes which shaved at least 45 minutes off the previous
duration. While she lay in Stornoway on 30th July, her crew
committed what many islanders consider the ultimate sin – they worked on a
Sunday! Adjustments were made to the bow ramp in an attempt to increase its
speed when being raised and lowered. These seemed to be successful and the
following day she entered public service, assisting the SUILVEN with
heavy traffic. The older ship stood down on 1st August and lay in
Stornoway for a few days while the ISLE OF LEWIS settled in. With no need for
back-up cover, SUILVEN left Lewis for the final time a few days later and a new
era began on the Ullapool – Stornoway route. |
|
Initially
there were problems in keeping to the new timetable, and the ISLE OF LEWIS did
run up to two hours late in the first few weeks of her career, but as her crew
became more familiar with the loading arrangements on the huge car deck, faster
turn-round times were achieved and by the end of the summer she was able to keep
to her schedule.
ISLE OF LEWIS was easily able to
accommodate all the traffic demanding shipment. Her vehicle capacity was for
upwards of 120 while her spacious passenger decks could comfortably hold nearly
700 passengers. Her car deck was split into two by a central column. Her port
side car deck was three lanes wide while that on the starboard side was two
lanes wide. Also along each side was a mezzanine deck which could be raised or
lowered according to the traffic requirements. Access from the car deck to the
passenger areas was via two stairways, one on either side of the hull.
|
Entering Stornoway harbour |
Berthing at Ullapool |
|
The
stairways brought passengers out in the entrance square on deck 4. This was also
the area where the passenger gangways were lined up and also housed the vessel’s
information desk. Forward of the entrance square was the massive cafeteria which
overlooked the bow and occupied the full width of the ship. Heading aft, one
found a designated dog area and a truckers quiet lounge before reaching the
reclining lounge and bar at the stern. There were four means of access from deck
4 to deck 5. One was from a stairway from the information desk leading up to the
port side promenade deck while another one went from the entrance square up to
the observation lounge. There was also access from the cafeteria up to the
observation lounge near the bow, while towards the aft and on the starboard side
there was a stairway from the reclining lounge to the starboard promenade deck.
Open deck
space was not something the ISLE OF LEWIS was short of. Deck 5 consisted
of the observation lounge at the bow, crew accommodation further aft and also
incorporated an open promenade deck stretching right down both sides of the ship
from a point immediately aft of the observation lounge, right to the stern.
There were also four stairways leading up to the top deck which was again open
and provided copious amounts of seating for those passengers either taking
advantage of the summer sun, or more often for those brave souls taking on the
Atlantic gales which are not unknown at that particular latitude… The only
feature that the ship could have done with which would have been a big
popularity winner would have been to include an open deck forward of the
observation lounge so that passengers could take in the scenery outside and not
be stuck in the lounge. |
|
The new ferry’s schedule called for two sailings a day from
September to May and then three sailings daily during the high summer timetable
in operation during June, July and August. Of course, Sunday sailings were
still not included in the timetable due to local objections among some
islanders, despite annual calls for seven-day sailings from others. With the
exception of a few relief or additional sailings on the Uig – Tarbert –
Lochmaddy routes and her first ever visit to Oban on the morning of Saturday 18th
February 2006 (for refueling purposes), the ISLE OF LEWIS has not sailed on any
routes other than her own. For her first few winters, when she sailed for annual
overhauls, her space was taken by the smaller ISLE OF MULL for around three
weeks, although from 1998 the favoured relief ship was
slightly larger, in the shape of CLANSMAN. Neither vessel was as popular
due to their slower speeds, but at least CLANSMAN was able to complete the
crossing in 3 hours 15 minutes. |
Heading into Oban Bay for refuelling |
|
An interesting problem did arise shortly after the ISLE OF
LEWIS arrived. Over the years, many passengers did complain about a loud
banging noise which could be heard in rough weather and some were worried by
this. The root of the problem lay in the shape of the vessel’s underside and her
lower bow. The banging was caused by waves hitting the bow at an awkward angle
which itself was a result of the vessel’s greater width. Another complaint,
really from the outset but voiced more often in recent years was the fact that,
although she was the fastest ship of the fleet, she could still only sail at 18
knots. What the regular users really wanted was a ship that could achieve 21 or
22 knots and complete the crossing in a little over two hours. There was
speculation that she would be re-engined in recent years but as yet these
rumours have come to nothing. |
|
Despite being only 11 years old, the ISLE OF LEWIS does
sail full on a regular basis. In 2003 a dedicated freight vessel was brought
in to reduce hauliers dependence on the daytime sailings but even so,
passengers still find themselves on very busy crossings, particularly on the
1715 from Ullapool. Whilst there are no plans for her to be redeployed and
replaced by an even larger ship, this cannot be ruled out for one day in the
next few years. A vessel of her size could, providing piers and linkspans
were adapted to suit her, be a great asset on routes such as Ardrossan –
Brodick where there has been much growth in traffic in recent years. |
|
Watch
this space… |
|
|
Text thanks to SoC Crew (C)
 GO BACK TO
ISLE OF LEWIS |
All material on this site © Ships of
CalMac 2001 - 2008, unless otherwise stated.
This site is NOT connected to the Official Company Site -
www.calmac.co.uk
 Webmaster: webmaster @ shipsofcalmac.co.uk
Read our
Privacy Policy |
