CLARITY leaving Ayr for Kilroot (Northern Ireland)

   For our records can anyone tell who the owners are and when they acquired the vessel ?

EEMS SPIRIT at Ayr (Scotland) with a cargo of Limestone from Galway (Ireland)

Caledonian MacBrayne's LOCH PORTAIN in Troon Dry Dock for maintenance and repair

WILSON AVILES at Ayr (Scotland) with a cargo of fertilisers from Teesport (England)

It was a heavily overcast morning, the sky covered with thick, grey clouds, occasional light rain with drizzle and a strong southerly wind and really quite cold.   Not a morning to go out for a pleasant and gentle stroll and certainly not the ideal weather to photograph a ship.

ELBSUN leaving Greenock Container Terminal for Bilbao (Spain)

In the second image ELBSUN is passing TIDEFORCE which was at Tail-of-the-Bank anchorage off Greenock Esplanade.   TIDEFORCE is a Tide Class Replenishment Tanker, pennant number A 139, of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, London.

OSAKANA arriving at Greenock Ocean Terminal from China via Antwerp (Belgium) Tilbury and Thamesport

MSC CAGLIARI 1V arrives at Ocean Terminal, Greenock with containers from Le Havre via Liverpool

Caledonian MacBrayne's ISLE OF ARRAN arriving at Ardrossan Harbour from Brodick (Isle of Arran)

Caledonian MacBrayne's ISLE OF ARRAN on passage from Ardrossan to Brodick (Isle of Arran)

HAV ALDA engaged in fish farm operations / fish food in Brodick Bay, Firth of Clyde, Scotland

HAV ALDA was moored in Brodick Bay, Isle of Arran, and engaged in fish farm operations, with the 874m mountain “Goatfell”, the highest mountain in the island, in the background

FURE WEST anchored in Brodick Bay, Firth of Clyde, Scotland and awaiting a berth at Clydebank

Swedish Oil / chemical tanker FURE WEST was anchored in Brodick Bay, Isle of Arran, and waiting to berth in Rothesay Dock, Clydebank, Glasgow, with the 874m mountain “Goatfell”, the highest mountain in the island, in the background

EINSTEIN passing Kilcreggan (Firth of Clyde) outward bound with containers from Greenock to Belfast

Can anyone identify the Cunard cruise liner in the Norwegian Fjord ?

Jon (Croydon, London, England) asks   Can anyone identify the Cunard cruise liner in the Norwegian Fjord ?

In 1970's gusting wind causes Caledonian MacBrayne's CLANSMAN to crash at Ardrossan Harbour

Jim McLellan tells that in 1970s one winter evening he was at

Winton Pier, Ardrossan Harbour waiting for Caledonian MacBrayne's

CLANSMAN to arrive on the last run of the day from Brodick.

It was a stormy day, and when CLANSMAN came in and turned right for

the Arran berth, the strong gusting wind caught her and drove her

sideways down the full length of the harbour and, with a tremendous

thump she landed side-on, rocking heavily on the end of Montgomerie Pier.

But he always liked the sausage rolls on the MacBrayne boats, as they

were baked in their own bakery in Gourock.

Dutch liner VOLENDAM during World War 2

E-mail from Jim (Rothesay)      1240 on 19 March 2023

Hello Douglas.

Dutch liner VOLENDAM during World War 2

What an amazing and useful website you have for shipping of the past in the Clyde.

   A story was handed down through my family, grandparents to my parents then to me.   We have always stayed in Rothesay ( Douglas adds = Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde, Scotland).

   The story was that in the second world war a large Dutch passenger liner VOLENDAM had been seriously damaged in a German attack in the Atlantic and was brought into the Clyde and, to stop it sinking, was beached on the Isle of Bute.   My grandfather had a photograph (long since lost) of the ship on the beach.  and I remember seeing the photograph in his house, and on the back of the photograph was written Dutch ship VOLENDAM after being torpedoed by a German submarine.

Do any of your readers have information on this ship and the torpedoing ?

Jim (Rothesay)