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Islanders bid a fond farewell to MV Hebridean Isles

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One of Scotland's oldest lifeline ferries has been retired after nearly 40 years of service.

With two blasts of its horn, MV Hebridean Isles bade farewell as it left the quay at Stornoway for a final time on Sunday, bound for Glasgow before it goes to the breakers.

For islanders, whose lives are so interwoven with the sea, the ships of Britain's biggest ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne are more than just large lumps of steel and aluminium.

"Heb Isles" leaves behind a ship-shaped hole in the hearts of many former passengers and seafarers who have come to regard it as a trusty old friend.

The ship was given the name of the islands it was destined to serve on a sunny day in July 1985 at the long-gone Cochrane shipyard at Selby, North Yorkshire.

It was a first on two counts - the "lady sponsor" the Duchess of Kent was the first member of the Royal Family to name a CalMac vessel.  And it was the ferry operator's first vessel built outside of Scotland.  Two pipers were sent down to play the Skye Boat Song at the launch ceremony.

Margaret Thatcher was in No 10, Sister Sledge was Number One in the charts - and health and safety rules were somewhat more relaxed than today.  Shipyard workers hammered away the last supporting "shores" and wedges, then ducked and dashed for cover as the huge vessel slid above their heads in a spectacular sideways launch into the River Ouse.

The ship had cost £5.5m - and after a few months of fitting out, it made its maiden voyage off Scotland's west coast in December.  For 15 years it was deployed on the "Uig Triangle" - between Skye, North Uist and Harris - before moving to the Islay crossing, but it has served most of Scotland's sea routes in its time.

Aside from the scheduled sailings, the crew would voluntarily give up their time to put on special "booze cruises" to raise money for island charities.  The first, in 1992, saw a country and western band perform on the car deck, as thousands of pounds were raised to help purchase a breast cancer scanner for the Western Isles.


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From the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98ejdjpq96o):

Thanks for posting that, Chris. I had ... wondered ... whether I should but thought I was probably the only one interested.  RONG! ..  ;D

I wonder that they have enough ships left in the fleet - sort of TOC on water limitations, frugality and late delivery of complex new vehicles.   New Glen Sannox ... when?

The long-delayed ship at the centre of Scotland's ferries saga has been handed over by the Ferguson shipyard, exactly seven years after it was launched.

MV Glen Sannox, destined for CalMac's Arran route, is the first new large vessel for the west coast ferry fleet in nearly a decade.

The ferry operator will now conduct several weeks of crew familiarisation trials before the ship carries its first passengers in January.

Scotland's ferries saga ship to finally set sail

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The ship at the centre of Scotland's long-running ferries saga is scheduled to make its first passenger voyage before dawn on Monday.

MV Glen Sannox is due to leave Troon harbour in South Ayrshire, bound for the Isle of Arran, on its first sailing at 06:30.

But a yellow alert, external, issued by Caledonian MacBrayne on Sunday, said it may be subject to delay or cancellation due to high winds.

The ship - which was meant to be delivered almost seven years ago - completed a return test sailing on Sunday and is the first new large vessel to join the UK's largest ferry fleet in nearly a decade.

With a capacity for 127 cars and 852 passengers, Glen Sannox will help relieve pressures on the state-owned operator which has struggled in recent years to maintain services with ageing and increasingly unreliable vessels.

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The old age of the CalMac fleet can be compared with the old age of the GWR local / regional train fleet.

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Divers assess crack in hull of new Glen Sannox ferry

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Divers are inspecting the new Glen Sannox following the discovery of a crack in the ship's hull.

The brand new vessel only began operating in January after being delivered almost seven years late and costing more than four times the original contract price.

All of the Glen Sannox's Saturday sailings have been cancelled while the MV Alfred will operate an additional service.

CalMac said it would provide an update on Sunday's sailings once a dive team had carried out a full assessment.

The ship had been operating for just over two months between Troon in South Ayrshire and Brodick in the Isle of Arran.

The vessel was removed from service on Friday after a crack was found on a "weld seam close to the waterline".

The ferry operator said reports that the boat had hit the harbour or that water was leaking into the car deck were "categorically untrue".  However, CalMac advised that a "very small amount of water" had entered part of the rear of the ship near the steering gear.

Additional sailings have also been added between Lochranza in Arran and Claonaig in the Kintyre peninsula.  The operator said all passengers should have a booking prior to arriving in Troon, adding that those who had not booked could not be guaranteed travel.

Divers from Shearwater Marine Services arrived at the port on Saturday morning.

A decision about Sunday's sailings will be taken later, the operator said in a statement on its website.  It added: "We apologise for the disruption, and our port teams and customer engagement centre will be working hard to contact affected customers."

The Glen Sannox has space for 127 cars and 852 passengers.

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Glen Sannox ferry sailings to resume after crack repair

The new Glen Sannox ferry is expected to resume sailings on Sunday after repairs have been completed on a crack in the ship's hull.

The brand new vessel only began operating in January after being delivered almost seven years late and costing more than four times the original contract price.

CalMac confirmed the news after divers carried out a detailed assessment of the damage on Saturday.  The ferry had been operating for just over two months between Troon in South Ayrshire and Brodick in the Isle of Arran.

A CalMac spokesman said: "The dive inspection has identified a hairline crack on a weld seam on MV Glen Sannox's hull earlier today and we can confirm repairs are now underway at Brodick and expected to complete later today.  We anticipate MV Glen Sannox to resume timetabled service on Sunday 16 March and will confirm this evening."

It added the MV Alfred would operate an extra return sailing on Saturday to provide cover and said the "vast majority" of booked customers had been able to travel.

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