The well-known ferry Isle of Arran is the only current major ship in the fleet of Caledonian MacBrayne more than 40 years of age. She is the second oldest vessel of the fleet, second only to the smaller Isle of Cumbrae, having been built in 1976. Nicknamed the ‘Auld Trooper’ by enthusiasts, Isle of Arran still serves the island she was built to operate from in the mid-1980s, while also being a valuable member of the fleet, having seen service on the majority of the company’s routes serving major island destinations.
Following the failure of the 1964-built Clansman, converted a decade earlier from a hoist-loader into a drive-through ferry, because of a career-ending breakdown in March 1984, the Ardrossan to Brodick service became increasingly unreliable and those that used it hoped that plans would be drawn up for a purpose-built replacement for the Firth of Clyde crossing. In July 1982 the go-ahead was given to build a new vessel, with the order for it being awarded to Ferguson Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, then trading as Ferguson-Ailsa.