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{|{{Infobox ship begin}} {|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image {{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:MV_Isle_of_Lewis_2019.jpg |Ship image=MV Isle of Lewis, 30 May 2021.jpg
|Ship image size=300px |Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=Arriving in ] from ], May 2019. |Ship caption=''Isle of Lewis'' departing ], May 2021
}} }}
{{Infobox ship career {{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country= ] |Ship country= ]
|Ship flag=] |Ship flag=]
|Ship name=MV ''Isle of Lewis'' |Ship name=*MV ''Isle of Lewis''
*{{small|{{langx|gd|Eilean Leòdhais}} <ref name=calmac>{{cite web| url=https://www.calmac.co.uk/en-gb/the-fleet/mv-isle-of-lewis/#/| title=Isle of Lewis| publisher=Caledonian MacBrayne| accessdate=12 December 2024}}</ref>}}
|Ship namesake=] |Ship namesake=]
|Ship owner=] |Ship owner=]
|Ship operator=] |Ship operator=]
|Ship registry=] |Ship registry=]
|Ship route=] - ] |Ship route=*] - ]
] - ] (relief) *] - ] (relief)
|Ship ordered=22 September 1993 |Ship ordered=22 September 1993
|Ship builder= ], ] |Ship builder= ], ]
|Ship yard number=608<ref name=ships/> |Ship yard number=608<ref name=ships/>
|Ship way number= |Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=23 February 1994 |Ship laid down=23 February 1994
|Ship launched=18 April 1995 |Ship launched=18 April 1995
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|Ship propulsion=2 x ] K6 Major, 2 x ] 1500 AGSC gearboxes |Ship propulsion=2 x ] K6 Major, 2 x ] 1500 AGSC gearboxes
|Ship speed={{convert|18.0|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="cmal"/> (service) |Ship speed={{convert|18.0|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="cmal"/> (service)
|Ship capacity=680 passengers, 123 cars<ref name="cmal">{{cite web| url=http://www.cmassets.co.uk/en/ferries/mv-isle-of-lewis.html| publisher=]| title=MV Isle of Lewis| accessdate=23 October 2012}}</ref> |Ship capacity=680 passengers, 123 cars<ref name="cmal">{{cite web| url=http://www.cmassets.co.uk/en/ferries/mv-isle-of-lewis.html| publisher=]| title=MV Isle of Lewis| accessdate=23 October 2012}}</ref>
|Ship crew=32 |Ship crew=32
|Ship notes= |Ship notes=
}} }}
|} |}
'''MV ''Isle of Lewis''''' ({{lang-gd|Eilean Leòdhais}}) is a Scottish ] ferry, owned by ], and operated by ] between ] and ], ]. Built in 1995, she remains one of only two ships in the CalMac fleet over {{convert|100|m|ft|0}} in length; the other, {{MV|Loch Seaforth|2014|2}}, being longer by almost 15 metres. '''MV ''Isle of Lewis''''' is a ] ferry operated by ] between ] and ], ]. Built in 1995, she remains one of only two ships in the CalMac fleet over {{convert|100|m|ft|0}} in length; the other, {{MV|Loch Seaforth|2014|2}}, being longer by almost 15 metres.


Originally built to operate between ] and ], ''Isle of Lewis'' rarely deviated from that route for 20 years. Since March 2016, she has served the Isle of Barra all year round from Oban. She has also provided relief and extra capacity at ], ] and ] during her career. Originally built to operate between ] and ], ''Isle of Lewis'' rarely deviated from that route for 20 years. Since March 2016, she has served the Isle of Barra all year round from Oban. The only other routes operated by CalMac she has ever worked on is the triangle between ], ] & ] and between ] and ], but only ever during an emergency.


==History== ==History==
''Isle of Lewis'' was built by ] in Port Glasgow on the Clyde and entered service in July 1995. When constructed she was largest ship ever built by Ferguson's.<ref>{{cite web |title=Isle of Lewis |url=https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=25628&vessel=ISLE+OF+LEWIS |website=clydeships.co.uk |accessdate=21 November 2019}}</ref> Her crossing time of around 2 hours and 45 minutes improved upon that of her predecessor, {{MV|Suilven}}, by at least 45 minutes. ''Isle of Lewis'' was built by ] in ] on the ] and entered service in July 1995. When constructed she was largest ship ever built by Ferguson's.<ref>{{cite web |title=Isle of Lewis |url=https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=25628&vessel=ISLE+OF+LEWIS |website=clydeships.co.uk |accessdate=21 November 2019}}</ref> Her crossing time of around 2 hours and 45 minutes improved upon that of her predecessor, {{MV|Suilven}}, by at least 45 minutes.


With increasing traffic on the crossing, there was speculation that ''Isle of Lewis'' might be replaced by a larger vessel. In September 2013 the freight vessel {{ship|MS|Clipper Ranger||2}} was chartered to relieve pressure on the route. On 10 June 2012, it was announced that a new £42 million replacement ferry was to be built in Germany.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18370599| title='Greener and faster' ferry ordered for Stornoway-Ullapool route| publisher=BBC News| date=8 June 2012| accessdate=28 July 2012}}</ref> The new 116 metre long ROPAX ferry was named {{MV|Loch Seaforth|2014|2}} and is capable of continuous operation, with a capacity for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles. ''Loch Seaforth'' entered service in mid-February 2015 and took over both passenger and freight duties on the route.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cmassets.co.uk/en/news-articles/name-chosen-for-replacement-stornoway-ullapool-ferry.html| title=Name chosen for replacement Stornoway Ullapool ferry| date=8 April 2013| publisher=CMAL| accessdate=14 April 2013}}</ref> Since moving to the Barra service in March 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' has been relegated to the role of Stornoway relief ship each October when ''Loch Seaforth'' departs for overhaul, with a second relief ship taking care of overnight freight traffic, owing to ''Isle of Lewis''' inability to carry certain hazardous cargo due to her fully enclosed and sealed car deck. With increasing traffic on the crossing, there was speculation that ''Isle of Lewis'' might be replaced by a larger vessel. In September 2013 the freight vessel {{ship|MS|Clipper Ranger||2}} was chartered to relieve pressure on the route. On 10 June 2012, it was announced that a new £42 million replacement ferry was to be built in Germany.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18370599| title='Greener and faster' ferry ordered for Stornoway-Ullapool route| publisher=]| date=8 June 2012| accessdate=28 July 2012}}</ref> The new 116 metre long ROPAX ferry was named {{MV|Loch Seaforth|2014|2}} and is capable of continuous operation, with a capacity for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles. ''Loch Seaforth'' entered service in mid-February 2015 and took over both passenger and freight duties on the route.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cmassets.co.uk/en/news-articles/name-chosen-for-replacement-stornoway-ullapool-ferry.html| title=Name chosen for replacement Stornoway Ullapool ferry| date=8 April 2013| publisher=CMAL| accessdate=14 April 2013}}</ref> Since moving to the Barra service in March 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' has been relegated to the role of Stornoway relief ship each October when ''Loch Seaforth'' departs for overhaul, with a second relief ship taking care of overnight freight traffic, owing to ''Isle of Lewis''' inability to carry certain hazardous cargo due to her fully enclosed and sealed car deck.


In June 2015, to assess her future deployment, ''Isle of Lewis'' undertook a tour of major terminals for berthing trials, with varied results.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} She called at ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] between 4 and 9 June. No immediate decision was announced.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} Major work would be required to offset her stern ramp to starboard instead of to port, for her to operate on routes including ] and ]. Such adjustments would not prevent her returning to Stornoway for relief work, as both Stornoway and Ullapool harbours now have full-width linkspans. In June 2015, to assess her future deployment, ''Isle of Lewis'' undertook a tour of major terminals for berthing trials, with varied results.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} She called at ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] between 4 and 9 June. No immediate decision was announced.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} Major work would be required to offset her stern ramp to starboard instead of to port, for her to operate on routes including ] and ]. Such adjustments would not prevent her returning to Stornoway for relief work, as both Stornoway and Ullapool harbours now have full-width linkspans.
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A history of the ''Isle of Lewis'' by Mark Nicolson was published by ] on 31 July 2016, in time for the 21st anniversary of the vessel's inauguration in 1995.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}} A history of the ''Isle of Lewis'' by Mark Nicolson was published by ] on 31 July 2016, in time for the 21st anniversary of the vessel's inauguration in 1995.{{Citation needed|date=April 2019}}

In September 2024, CalMac confirmed provisional plans to retire ''Isle of Lewis'' and {{MV|Isle of Mull|}} after the new vessels {{MV|Claymore|2024|6}} and {{MV|Lochmor|2024|6}} are introduced to the fleet.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/business/calmac-confirm-isle-of-lewis-disposal-plan-4788840| title= CalMac confirm Isle of Lewis ‘disposal’ plan | publisher=Stornoway Gazette| accessdate=25 September 2024}}</ref>


==Layout== ==Layout==
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==Service== ==Service==
''Isle of Lewis'' spent the majority of her career operating between Ullapool and Stornoway and until April 2015, had hardly sailed on any other route. She endured some treacherous seas crossing ], some of the most exposed waters around the ]. Tidal constraints from her 4.2 metre draught make her unsuitable for full-time use on other routes. Her ramps not being suitable for many of the linkspans around the CalMac network further reduces her versatility. ''Isle of Lewis'' spent the first twenty years of her career sailing back and forth between Ullapool and Stornoway. Until April 2015, she had hardly sailed on any other route, and has endured some treacherous seas crossing ], some of the most exposed waters around the ]. Tidal constraints from her 4.2 metre draught make her unsuitable for full-time use on other routes. Her ramps not being suitable for many of the linkspans around the CalMac network further reduces her versatility.


Over the years, ''Isle of Lewis'' has called at other stations for a variety of purposes. During her delivery voyage to Stornoway, she called at ] on 26 July 1995 to collect supplies. During the visit, she was formally handed over to her ]. The next day, 27 July 1995, she carried out berthing trials at ], ] & ] respectively to assess her suitability should an emergency arise there - testing her bow ramp at Uig, her bow and stern ramps at Lochmaddy, and her bow ramp at Tarbert - before proceeding for trials at Ullapool and Stornoway later that day. Over the years, ''Isle of Lewis'' has called at other stations for a variety of purposes. During her initial delivery voyage in July 1995, she called at ] to collect supplies and be formally handed over to her ], and then called at ], ] & ] for berthing trials to assess her suitability on the 'Uig Triangle' should an emergency arise there, and making her debut calls at Ullapool and Stornoway a few hours later.


On 19 April and 31 May 1998, she called at Lochmaddy to carry out two charters with Ministry of Defence traffic to and from Ullapool, suffering a breakdown on the first charter that required repairs lasting four weeks. On 28 November 1998, whilst returning from an overhaul at ], ''Isle of Lewis'' made a ] at Stromness, Orkney to 'show the flag' as CalMac were bidding for the contract to operate the Northern Isles services instead of the then-incumbent ]. It is worth noting that until the appearance of {{MV|Hebrides}}, ''Isle of Lewis'' was the flagship for CalMac, hence the reason she was the vessel selected to promote CalMac's interest in the Northern Isles franchise. Two calls at Lochmaddy followed in April & May 1998, under charter to transport Ministry of Defence traffic to and from North Uist. However, ''Isle of Lewis'' suffered a major breakdown at Lochmaddy on the first charter, requiring repairs lasting roughly four weeks and being replaced at Stornoway by the smaller ]. On 28 November 1998, whilst returning from an overhaul at ], ''Isle of Lewis'' called at ] for the purpose of 'showing the flag' to demonstrate CalMac's keen bid for the Northern Isles ferry services instead of the then-incumbent ].


Further calls on the 'Uig Triangle' by ''Isle of Lewis'' in 2008 and 2015. Firstly, in November 2008, a call was made at Uig to uplift stranded freight traffic whilst Ullapool's linkspan was closed for maintenance. On 3 April 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' made her first commercial sailing on a route other than between Stornoway and Ullapool, when she carried out a special sailing from Uig to Lochmaddy for the benefit of extra Easter traffic travelling to North Uist. Further extra sailings - helped by the demotion of ''Isle of Lewis'' to the status as a back up vessel following her displacement by the new ''Loch Seaforth'' - followed. ''Isle of Lewis'' sailed between Tarbert and Lochmaddy on two consecutive evenings in June 2015. When '']'' broke down in July 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' relieved her on the full service between Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert for two days.
On 11 November 2008, whilst operating a temporary passenger-only service between Stornoway and Ullapool during a period when the Ullapool linkspan was closed for maintenance and the regular freight vessel was stormbound at Stornoway, ''Isle of Lewis'' called at Uig to retrieve stranded freight traffic bound for Lewis.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}


Around the time that strike action by the RMT union took in June 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' was drafted in to assist at Oban, and was to make her first sailings between Oban and Castlebay. This included a unique 0046 departure from Oban to Barra, on the same day as the annual Barrathon was taking place. Following redeployments due to the separate breakdowns of '']'' & '']'' in August 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' again took over the Oban to Castlebay services, sailing direct, and omitting Lochboisdale due to her being far too large and deep to use the South Uist facilities.
On 3 April 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' carried out a special sailing from Uig to Lochmaddy to assist {{MV|Finlaggan||2}}, which was covering the route whilst {{MV|Hebrides||2}} was on winter relief duty. This was an historic day for ''Isle of Lewis'', her first passenger sailing on a CalMac service other than her regular Stornoway-Ullapool roster. This was followed by special sailings between Tarbert and Lochmaddy on 19 and 20 June following breakdown of the Sound of Harris ferry.

From 20 April to 18 May 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' operated a temporary service for vehicles and passengers from Stornoway to ] whilst the 42-year-old linkspan at Ullapool was replaced with a new two-lane design that improves loading and unloading. '']'' ran a freight service from Stornoway to Uig in addition, and required to have her stern ramp modified for this. {{MV|Loch Seaforth|2014|2}} ran from Stornoway to Ullapool as normal, but on a passenger-only basis. The linkspan works were completed early, on 15 May, although it did not reopen for business until 18 May as planned.{{Citation needed| date=June 2015}} ''Isle of Lewis'' then carried out a series of special sailings between Oban and Castlebay between and 24 and 27 June - in response to strike action by RMT union members of CalMac on 26 June which caused severe disruption across the whole network. One of ''Isle of Lewis''{{'}} special crossings included a 0046 from Oban to Castlebay on 27 June to transport runners to the annual 'Barrathon' marathon, 'saving' that event from cancellation as a result of the disruption caused by the strike.

Following a breakdown of {{MV|Hebrides}} on 28 July 2015, ''Isle of Lewis'' took over on the Uig Triangle, allowing ''Hebrides'' to sail to Stornoway for repairs to her propulsion unit. The larger vessel took this unusual duty in her stride despite having to work by the available tide at Uig owing to her deeper draught. ''Hebrides'' was able to return to service early on 30 July, although ''Isle of Lewis'' remained on the triangle for the remainder of the day to clear any backlog of traffic, and returned to Stornoway following an extra sailing from Lochmaddy to Uig.


In early 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' relieved on the ] - ] route for ] whilst {{MV|Hamnavoe}} sailed for her refit. This was a reciprocal arrangement after {{MS|Hildasay}} provided cover at Stornoway during the dry-docking of ''Loch Seaforth''.<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/calmac-finalises-dry-dock-refit-programme-1-3929395| title=CalMac finalises dry dock refit programme| publisher = ]| date=27 October 2015| accessdate = 29 November 2015}}</ref> In early 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' relieved on the ] - ] route for ] whilst {{MV|Hamnavoe}} sailed for her refit. This was a reciprocal arrangement after {{MS|Hildasay}} provided cover at Stornoway during the dry-docking of ''Loch Seaforth''.<ref>{{Cite web| url = http://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/news/local-headlines/calmac-finalises-dry-dock-refit-programme-1-3929395| title=CalMac finalises dry dock refit programme| publisher = ]| date=27 October 2015| accessdate = 29 November 2015}}</ref>


In March 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' began a new phase of her life, serving Oban and Castlebay on Barra year-round, which allowed {{MV|Lord of the Isles}} to commence a daily return service between Lochboisdale and Mallaig, thus ending South Uist's direct link to Oban. With ''Isle of Lewis''{{'}} deployment there, the Isle of Barra receives a daily dedicated service.<ref>{{cite news| last = Dalton| first =Alastair| title = CalMac announces more frequent ferry sailings| newspaper = ]| date = 22 September 2015| url = http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/calmac-announces-more-frequent-ferry-sailings-1-3894475| access-date = 24 March 2016| quote = The extra capacity will be provided by deploying ''Isle of Lewis'', which previously sailed between Ullapool and Stornoway, on the Barra and Lochboisdale routes.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.calmac.co.uk/service-changes/tiree-music-festival-sailings| title = Extra sailings for Tiree Music Festival| publisher = ]| access-date = 24 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408050515/https://www.calmac.co.uk/service-changes/tiree-music-festival-sailings| archive-date=8 April 2016| quote = MV Isle of Lewis will still operate her normal Oban - Castlebay daily sailings during this time.}}</ref> These summer arrangements, announced by ], are likely to be a stop-gap until the new {{MV|Glen Sannox|2017|6}} is commissioned at Arran, and ] is commissioned on the Uig-Lochmaddy/Tarbert services. On her first official day on the Barra service, 25 March 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' completed all of her sailings in spite of an amber alert of adverse weather and swell conditions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} In March 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' began a new phase of her life, serving Oban and Castlebay on Barra year-round, which allowed {{MV|Lord of the Isles}} to commence a daily return service between Lochboisdale and Mallaig, thus ending South Uist's direct link to Oban. With ''Isle of Lewis''{{'}} deployment there, the Isle of Barra receives a daily dedicated service.<ref>{{cite news| last = Dalton| first =Alastair| title = CalMac announces more frequent ferry sailings| newspaper = ]| date = 22 September 2015| url = http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/calmac-announces-more-frequent-ferry-sailings-1-3894475| access-date = 24 March 2016| quote = The extra capacity will be provided by deploying ''Isle of Lewis'', which previously sailed between Ullapool and Stornoway, on the Barra and Lochboisdale routes.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.calmac.co.uk/service-changes/tiree-music-festival-sailings| title = Extra sailings for Tiree Music Festival| publisher = ]| access-date = 24 March 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408050515/https://www.calmac.co.uk/service-changes/tiree-music-festival-sailings| archive-date=8 April 2016| quote = MV Isle of Lewis will still operate her normal Oban - Castlebay daily sailings during this time.}}</ref> These summer arrangements, announced by ], are likely to be a stop-gap until the new {{MV|Glen Sannox|2017|6}} and {{MV|Glen Rosa}} go into service on the Arran route. On her first official day on the Barra service, 25 March 2016, ''Isle of Lewis'' completed all of her sailings in spite of an amber alert of adverse weather and swell conditions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}


''Isle of Lewis'' returned to the Stornoway - Ullapool service in April and May 2021, while {{MV|Loch Seaforth}} was undergoing repairs to the port engine. This left {{MV|Lord of the Isles}} to combine the Lochboisdale and Castlebay services.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-56752115| title=CalMac's largest ferry out of Ullapool-Stornoway service for engine repairs| publisher=BBC News| date=15 April 2021| accessdate=17 May 2021}}</ref>
==See also==
⚫ * ]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category|Isle of Lewis (ship, 1995)|MV Isle of Lewis}} {{commons category|Isle of Lewis (ship, 1995)|MV Isle of Lewis}}
* on www.calmac.co.uk * on www.calmac.co.uk

⚫ {{Caledonian MacBrayne ships}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Isle of Lewis}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Isle of Lewis}}
] ]
⚫ ]
] ]
⚫ ]
]

Latest revision as of 16:04, 12 December 2024

Isle of Lewis departing Stornoway, May 2021
History
United Kingdom
Name
NamesakeIsle of Lewis
OwnerCaledonian Maritime Assets
OperatorCaledonian MacBrayne
Port of registryGlasgow
Route
Ordered22 September 1993
BuilderFerguson Shipbuilders, Port Glasgow
Yard number608
Laid down23 February 1994
Launched18 April 1995
Christenedby Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy
Completed26 July 1995
Maiden voyage31 July 1995
Identification
Statusin service
General characteristics
Tonnage6,753 GT
Length101.25 m (332.2 ft)
Beam18.52 m (60.8 ft)
Draught4.19 m (13.7 ft)
Propulsion2 x Mirrlees Blackstone K6 Major, 2 x Ulstein 1500 AGSC gearboxes
Speed18.0 kn (20.7 mph; 33.3 km/h) (service)
Capacity680 passengers, 123 cars
Crew32

MV Isle of Lewis is a ro-ro ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Oban and Castlebay, Barra. Built in 1995, she remains one of only two ships in the CalMac fleet over 100 metres (328 ft) in length; the other, Loch Seaforth, being longer by almost 15 metres.

Originally built to operate between Ullapool and Stornoway, Isle of Lewis rarely deviated from that route for 20 years. Since March 2016, she has served the Isle of Barra all year round from Oban. The only other routes operated by CalMac she has ever worked on is the triangle between Uig, Lochmaddy & Tarbert and between Oban and Craignure, but only ever during an emergency.

History

Isle of Lewis was built by Ferguson Shipbuilders in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde and entered service in July 1995. When constructed she was largest ship ever built by Ferguson's. Her crossing time of around 2 hours and 45 minutes improved upon that of her predecessor, MV Suilven, by at least 45 minutes.

With increasing traffic on the crossing, there was speculation that Isle of Lewis might be replaced by a larger vessel. In September 2013 the freight vessel Clipper Ranger was chartered to relieve pressure on the route. On 10 June 2012, it was announced that a new £42 million replacement ferry was to be built in Germany. The new 116 metre long ROPAX ferry was named Loch Seaforth and is capable of continuous operation, with a capacity for up to 700 passengers, and 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles. Loch Seaforth entered service in mid-February 2015 and took over both passenger and freight duties on the route. Since moving to the Barra service in March 2016, Isle of Lewis has been relegated to the role of Stornoway relief ship each October when Loch Seaforth departs for overhaul, with a second relief ship taking care of overnight freight traffic, owing to Isle of Lewis' inability to carry certain hazardous cargo due to her fully enclosed and sealed car deck.

In June 2015, to assess her future deployment, Isle of Lewis undertook a tour of major terminals for berthing trials, with varied results. She called at Lochmaddy, Castlebay, Oban, Craignure, Brodick, Ardrossan, Troon, Campbeltown, and Tarbert between 4 and 9 June. No immediate decision was announced. Major work would be required to offset her stern ramp to starboard instead of to port, for her to operate on routes including Mull and Arran. Such adjustments would not prevent her returning to Stornoway for relief work, as both Stornoway and Ullapool harbours now have full-width linkspans.

In September 2015, it was announced that the Isle of Lewis was to become the Oban–Castlebay vessel from the following summer, thus allowing MV Lord of the Isles to commence daily return sailings between Lochboisdale and Mallaig.

Isle of Lewis was on duty at Oban and Castlebay in 2017 when she undertook a series of special sailings between 4 and 6 June to transport those travelling to attend the funeral of Eilidh MacLeod, a Barra schoolgirl who died in the Manchester Arena bombing. As a mark of respect, the Isle of Lewis was shown with her CalMac pennant, along with the Barra flag, at half mast.

A history of the Isle of Lewis by Mark Nicolson was published by The Islands Book Trust on 31 July 2016, in time for the 21st anniversary of the vessel's inauguration in 1995.

In September 2024, CalMac confirmed provisional plans to retire Isle of Lewis and MV Isle of Mull after the new vessels MV Claymore and MV Lochmor are introduced to the fleet.

Layout

Isle of Lewis is a further development of Isle of Mull and Caledonian Isles' design with a fully enclosed car deck. The car deck is accessed by bow and stern ramps, the latter being offset from the centre of the ship to accommodate the linkspan in Ullapool. The bow ramp is a folding design that is watertight and further protected by a conventional upward hinging bow visor. The bow ramp was originally off-set to suit Stornoway's original linkspan until new facilities opened in April 1997. During an overhaul at Greenock in 2016, the bow ramp was changed to be off-set to port in order to prepare her for her new role as the summer Barra ferry, to make berthing in Oban easier.

There are three lanes to port and two to starboard of the central casing. A hydraulically operated mezzanine deck along each side can be raised or lowered according to traffic requirements. Two stairways from the car deck bring passengers out in the entrance square on deck 4, where the passenger gangways enter.

The entrance square houses the information desk and gift shop. Forward is a large cafeteria overlooking the bow and occupying the full width of the ship. Aft are a designated dog area and a truckers' quiet lounge, with the reclining lounge and bar at the stern. Deck 5 houses the observation lounge at the bow, crew accommodation further aft and an open promenade deck stretching down both sides of the ship. Four stairways lead up to the open top deck, where seating is available.

The upper works of the ship are completed with two raked funnels in red and black company colours and two buff coloured masts. The smaller mast is on top of the wheelhouse and carries the twin radar scanners and radio antennae, while the larger mast is mounted aft on the promenade deck, carrying antennae and the house flag. During the winter refit in 2009, the funnels were fitted with angled exhaust extensions on the funnel tops to direct engine exhaust away from the decks. They were later removed during her 2019 overhaul. The ship carries a fast rescue craft and two large motor-driven lifeboats, one to port and one to starboard, with a set of automatically deploying inflatable life rafts. The two large lifeboats were replaced in 2019 with new inflatable life rafts.

Service

Isle of Lewis spent the first twenty years of her career sailing back and forth between Ullapool and Stornoway. Until April 2015, she had hardly sailed on any other route, and has endured some treacherous seas crossing The Minch, some of the most exposed waters around the British Isles. Tidal constraints from her 4.2 metre draught make her unsuitable for full-time use on other routes. Her ramps not being suitable for many of the linkspans around the CalMac network further reduces her versatility.

Over the years, Isle of Lewis has called at other stations for a variety of purposes. During her initial delivery voyage in July 1995, she called at Ardrossan to collect supplies and be formally handed over to her new owners, and then called at Uig, Lochmaddy & Tarbert for berthing trials to assess her suitability on the 'Uig Triangle' should an emergency arise there, and making her debut calls at Ullapool and Stornoway a few hours later.

Two calls at Lochmaddy followed in April & May 1998, under charter to transport Ministry of Defence traffic to and from North Uist. However, Isle of Lewis suffered a major breakdown at Lochmaddy on the first charter, requiring repairs lasting roughly four weeks and being replaced at Stornoway by the smaller Isle of Mull. On 28 November 1998, whilst returning from an overhaul at North Shields, Isle of Lewis called at Stromness, Orkney for the purpose of 'showing the flag' to demonstrate CalMac's keen bid for the Northern Isles ferry services instead of the then-incumbent P&O Scottish Ferries.

Further calls on the 'Uig Triangle' by Isle of Lewis in 2008 and 2015. Firstly, in November 2008, a call was made at Uig to uplift stranded freight traffic whilst Ullapool's linkspan was closed for maintenance. On 3 April 2015, Isle of Lewis made her first commercial sailing on a route other than between Stornoway and Ullapool, when she carried out a special sailing from Uig to Lochmaddy for the benefit of extra Easter traffic travelling to North Uist. Further extra sailings - helped by the demotion of Isle of Lewis to the status as a back up vessel following her displacement by the new Loch Seaforth - followed. Isle of Lewis sailed between Tarbert and Lochmaddy on two consecutive evenings in June 2015. When Hebrides broke down in July 2015, Isle of Lewis relieved her on the full service between Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert for two days.

Around the time that strike action by the RMT union took in June 2015, Isle of Lewis was drafted in to assist at Oban, and was to make her first sailings between Oban and Castlebay. This included a unique 0046 departure from Oban to Barra, on the same day as the annual Barrathon was taking place. Following redeployments due to the separate breakdowns of Finlaggan & Lord of the Isles in August 2015, Isle of Lewis again took over the Oban to Castlebay services, sailing direct, and omitting Lochboisdale due to her being far too large and deep to use the South Uist facilities.

In early 2016, Isle of Lewis relieved on the Scrabster - Stromness route for NorthLink whilst MV Hamnavoe sailed for her refit. This was a reciprocal arrangement after MS Hildasay provided cover at Stornoway during the dry-docking of Loch Seaforth.

In March 2016, Isle of Lewis began a new phase of her life, serving Oban and Castlebay on Barra year-round, which allowed MV Lord of the Isles to commence a daily return service between Lochboisdale and Mallaig, thus ending South Uist's direct link to Oban. With Isle of Lewis' deployment there, the Isle of Barra receives a daily dedicated service. These summer arrangements, announced by Transport Scotland, are likely to be a stop-gap until the new MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa go into service on the Arran route. On her first official day on the Barra service, 25 March 2016, Isle of Lewis completed all of her sailings in spite of an amber alert of adverse weather and swell conditions.

Isle of Lewis returned to the Stornoway - Ullapool service in April and May 2021, while MV Loch Seaforth was undergoing repairs to the port engine. This left MV Lord of the Isles to combine the Lochboisdale and Castlebay services.

References

  1. "Isle of Lewis". Caledonian MacBrayne. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  2. ^ "MV Isle of Lewis". Ships of Calmac. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  3. ^ "MV Isle of Lewis". Caledonian Maritime Assets. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  4. "Isle of Lewis". clydeships.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  5. "'Greener and faster' ferry ordered for Stornoway-Ullapool route". BBC News. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  6. "Name chosen for replacement Stornoway Ullapool ferry". CMAL. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  7. Robert Straughton (28 July 2017), CalMac's Isle of Lewis, Sea Breezes, retrieved 21 November 2019
  8. "CalMac confirm Isle of Lewis 'disposal' plan". Stornoway Gazette. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  9. "CalMac finalises dry dock refit programme". Stornoway Gazette. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  10. Dalton, Alastair (22 September 2015). "CalMac announces more frequent ferry sailings". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 March 2016. The extra capacity will be provided by deploying Isle of Lewis, which previously sailed between Ullapool and Stornoway, on the Barra and Lochboisdale routes.
  11. "Extra sailings for Tiree Music Festival". Caledonian MacBrayne. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016. MV Isle of Lewis will still operate her normal Oban - Castlebay daily sailings during this time.
  12. "CalMac's largest ferry out of Ullapool-Stornoway service for engine repairs". BBC News. 15 April 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.

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