LESS THAN 1 MIN READ TIME

CalMac forced to ring the changes

Hebridean Isles departing Arran for Ardrossan on one of her last days of service for Caledonian MacBrayne.
ANDREW WOOD

A shortage of vessels due to annual dry-dockings and ongoing repairs to Caledonian Isles (1993/5,221gt) brought changes throughout the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet during October and November, including the deployment of Isle of Mull (1988/4,719gt) for a combined service to South Uist and Barra. Then, with the fleet’s largest vessel Loch Seaforth away for overhaul until 21 October, Hebridean Isles (1985/3,0gt) covered the Stornoway-Ullapool sailings on what looked likely to be her last spell of passenger service.

Lord of the Isles (1989/3,504gt) took over between Ardrossan and Arran for a few days in the middle of October before Isle of Arran (1984/ 3,296gt) returned to the route.

Unlock this article and much more with
You can enjoy:
Enjoy this edition in full
Instant access to 600+ titles
Thousands of back issues
No contract or commitment
Try for 99c
SUBSCRIBE NOW
30 day trial, then just $9.99 / month. Cancel anytime. New subscribers only.


Learn more
Pocketmags Plus
Pocketmags Plus

This article is from...


View Issues
Ships Monthly
Dec-24
VIEW IN STORE

Other Articles in this Issue


WELCOME
BRETAGNE BOWS OUT IN STYLE
The departure of Bretagne and arrival of Saint-Malo
REGULARS
NEWS IN BRIEF
COSTS TRIPLE Reflecting the increasing age of
New eSAIL installation boosts efficiency
A major European operator in shortsea, bulk, general
Steamer’s 100th birthday trip
Built in 1924 for service on the Dart,
Methanol power
CONTAINER SHIP
German coastal tanker ablaze
INCIDENT
Arctic Sunrise visits London
GREENPEACE VESSEL
Ruby goes to Yarmouth
CARGO UNLOADED
Stena marks Futura float-out
NEW FERRIES
Damen delivers
NEWBUILD
Belfast says farewell to FPSO
SEAROSE FPSO
New training ship Patriot State delivered
TRAINING SHIP
Wallenius acquires two ro-ros
FERRY NEWS
End of the road for former Pride of York
GNV Aries, the former Pride of York, at
Targe Towing’s fleet expands
NEW TUGS
Tenders for seven new ferries
CLYDE & HEBRIDES
New Irish rescuer delivered
NEW LIFEBOAT
NEWS IN BRIEF
BERTH DELAY There is still no sign
Sea trials, then Saint-Malo heads west
BRITTANY FERRIES
Balearia’s new Mediterranean connections
BALEARIA
FERRIES IN THE NEWS . . .
THUNDER The 1998-built Austal Auto Express 86
Mistral moves
DFDS
South Korean freight float-out
CLdN
Green conversion completed
NORLED
Fleet expansion continues
VIKING
Another ship nears completion
TUI
New operator in Alaska
MSC
Quiet year on south coast
CRUISE PORT
Final decision on historic liner
SS UNITED STATES
Oasis refitted
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
First drydocking for Adventure
SAGA CRUISES
NEWS IN BRIEF
SEABOURN During a submarine dive on 14
NEWS IN BRIEF
PLAN The first of China’s next class
Clean-up ahead of the blame game
NEW ZEALAND NAVY
‘Awesome Aggie’ launched
ROYAL NAVY
Strike Warrior
NAVAL EXERCISE
US building toward two-class amphibious fleet
US NAVY
FDI frigate firsts for French
FRENCH NAVY
New direction for OPV project
RAN
NEWS IN BRIEF
CARL BUTTNER REBRANDED Lomar Shipping has rebranded
CLdN orders ten new container ships
CONTAINER SHIPS
Essberger orders new tankers
CHEMICAL TANKERS
PIL names two
NEWBUILD
Wind power for two gas carriers
TECHNOLOGY
Sopot baptised
BULKER
Combi Freighters ordered
NEWBUILD
Spliethoff’s orders new ships
MULTIPURPOSE
FAREWELL BRETAGNE
Brittany Ferries’ well-known cruise ferry, which has been a fixture on the south coast for decades, ended her service with the French operator on 3 November.
PICTORIAL
Have you an outstanding photo that would grace our gallery? Send your image to Ships Monthly for inclusion in these pages, which showcase the best in ship photography around the world
CRUISE FOCUS
HERE COMES THE SUN PRINCESS
Princess Cruises’ new flagship
FEATURES
Ships MONTHLY MARITIME MOSAIC BELFAST CARGO CALLERS
The port of Belfast is visited by a wide variety of cargo ships which bring everything from containers to oil to wind turbine blades to Northern Ireland. It is the fifth busiest commercial port in the UK, with 12,476 commercial shipping movements in 2022. This selec tion of photographs by Roy Thompson shows some of the ships which visited in 2023.
Arran stalwart passes 30 years of service
CALEDONIAN ISLES
Remembering CL AN LINERS
Classic cargo liners f rom the 1930s and 1940s requisitioned for service during World War II
HMS CENTAUR
Workhorse of the Royal Navy’s post-war carrier fleet
THE SHIPBUILDING TR ADITIONS OF MEYER WERFT
Meyer Werft is a tradition-rich shipyard with a long histor y that includes the building of major cruise ships. But the yard has been fighting for its sur vival despite gaining an order for another cruise giant. Patrick Boniface looks back at the company’s long history
A TRAGIC SINKING
THE LOSS OF HM SUBMARINE OXLEY IN 1939
TOLTÉN
Chile’s first motor ship
CRUISING MEMORIES OF FLORIDA IN THE 1960s letter of the month
SHIPS MAIL
Chat
X
Pocketmags Support