HMS Barbecue launched at Ardrossan

STRATHAIRD at anchor in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock

LADY SAVILE arrived at Prince’s Pier, Greenock, to disembark British Army and RAF personnel from STRATHAIRD which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

LADY SAVILE at Prince's Pier, Greenock to disembark British Army and RAF personnel from STRATHAIRD

LADY SAVILE arrived at Prince’s Pier, Greenock, to disembark British Army and RAF personnel from STRATHAIRD which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

Finishing disembarking, LADY SAVILE left Prince's Pier for the Firth of Clyde.

LADY SAVILE leaves Prince's Pier, Greenock for Firth of Clyde

LADY SAVILE arrived at Prince’s Pier, Greenock, to disembark British Army and RAF personnel from STRATHAIRD which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

Finishing disembarking, LADY SAVILE left Prince's Pier for the Firth of Clyde.

NEA HELLAS at anchor in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock

ST SEIRIOL arrived at Prince’s Pier, Greenock, to disembark civilians from NEA HELLAS which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

ILE DE FRANCE at anchor in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock

KING EDWARD at Prince’s Pier, Greenock embarks Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army personnel for ILE DE FRANCE which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

KING EDWARD arrives at Prince's Pier, Greenock to embark Canadian servicemen for ILE DE FRANCE

KING EDWARD at Prince’s Pier, Greenock embarks Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army personnel for ILE DE FRANCE which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

KING EDWARD embarks Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army personnel for ILE DE FRANCE

KING EDWARD at Prince’s Pier, Greenock embarks Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army personnel for ILE DE FRANCE which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

KING EDWARD leaves Prince's Pier, Greenock taking Canadian servicemen to ILE DE FRANCE

KING EDWARD at Prince’s Pier, Greenock embarks Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army personnel for ILE DE FRANCE which was anchored in the Clyde Emergency Port Anchorage off Gourock.

Fleming & Ferguson Ltd., Paisley : Wartime 1939-1945 production for Admiralty and M.O,W.T.

M.O.W.T. == Ministry of War Transport (1941-1946)

was a department of the British Government

formed early in the Second World War to control

transportation policy and resources.

   It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping

and the Ministry of Transport bringing responsibility

for both shipping and land transport to a single

department, and easing problems of co-ordination

of transport in wartime. …… Wikipedia

Ardrossan Pilot Boat rescues a young man from a frail raft

While the Ardrossan pilot cutter was proceeding to attend a vessel, captain Cunningham, the pilot, heard

faint cries in the darkness coming between the breakwater and the Horse Island.    Altering his course, the

pilot found a youth standing on a frail raft and apparently suffering from exposure.

The youth David Burns, of Saltcoats was taken aboard the cutter.    He had been amusing himself at

the Ardrossan shore propelling the raft with an impoverished paddle, when the ebbing tide and southerly

wind and swell carried the raft out towards the channel

Darkness began to fall and to make his plight more perilous the youth lost his paddle.    Had the pilot boat

not appeared on the scene the chance of a rescue would have been remote, as the course of the raft

would have taken it clear through the channel and out to sea

List of ships built by Fairfield Shipyard, Glasgow, sunk by enemy action during World War 2

"Dartmouth Park" aground on Horse Island, Ardrossan

On her first visit to Ardrossan from Bilbao Spain with 4000t Iron Ore, ship ran aground at the south end of Horse Island, initial attemps to refloat vessel failed
Ship refloated next day at high tide with the aid of tug.
No damage or injuries

Floating mine in Ayr Bay

From "The Ayrshire Post" dated Friday 8th February 1946

FLOATING MINE IN AYR BAY

On Monday fore-noon, a man on look-out duty at HMS Scotia, the Naval establishment near the Heads of Ayr, observed a mine bobbing about in the sea, about some three or four hundred yards from the shore.

The mine was kept under observation, and it was noticed that the incoming tide brought it no nearer.
It was concluded from this that the mine, ascertained to be of the anti-submarine type, had anchored itself, and was in no danger of drifting away.

Precautions were taken, and the Disposal Squad was summoned from Greenock.

Later in the afternoon, volleys of armour-piercing bullets were fired at the mine, and next morning it had disappeared, the firing, it is believed, having proved effective.

February 1946 Advert by McCallum, Orme & Co. Ltd for their sailings from Glasgow to West Highlands

GLASGOW  AND  WEST  HIGHLANDS

For  Islay,  Colonsay,  Oban,  Iona,  Mull,

Coll,  Tiree,  Skye,  Harris,  Uist  &  Barra

McCALLUM,  ORME  &  CO.  LTD.,

45  UNION  STREET,   GLASGOW  C. 2.

 Carrying  Subject  to  Conditions  on  Sailing  Bill