Gallery: CalMac ships in Craignure and Oban, 5 June 2016

I was originally planning to publish something else this month, but it turns out I really don't have the time to work on a full new entry. So instead you're getting the back-up I prepared earlier: still more unpublished photos from my summer 2016 visit to Scotland. Yes. Because there's just so many Caledonian MacBrayne ferries there, especially if you happen to visit Oban (as I did). So, today we're just looking at the various CalMac ferries seen on 5 June 2016, taken both in Oban and Craignure. Enjoy!

The day started with a trip from Oban to Craignure with the lovely Isle of Mull, seen her swinging away from Craignure and leaving for Oban.

Oban-bound Isle of Mull. Like quite a few CalMac ships, this one looks older than its 1988 vintage to my eyes.

Next up, we returned to Oben ourselves on the Coruisk (a far less nice ship, it must be said), encountering the Isle of Mull again en route, with a lovely backdrop.

Okay, just one more Isle of Mull heading for Craignure.

Next, we relocated to a nice location in Oban and first photographed the Isle of Lewis leaving for Castlebay.

The 1995-built Isle of Lewis previously sailed on the Stornoway–Ullapool route, but was relocated with the delivery of the new Loch Seaforth in 2014.

Sailboat comes in, Isle of Lewis goes out.

Next, it was time for the Coruisk to head out o Craignure.

By looking at just the exterior you can easily judge the Coruisk made for a mismatched pair with the Isle of Mull.

Next up, the little 1986-vintage Loch Striven hopped from the quay where it was resting to the Oban terminal...

...and soon headed out to Achnacroish on the nearby isle of Lismore.

The last encounter of the day was the Clansman, arriving to Oban from a run on (I presume) the triangular route to Coll, Tiree and Barra.

The 1998 vintage Clansman is one amazingly bulky ship. I love how workmanlike it looks!

Tht was it for today. For those of you interested in more CalMac, you might want to read my previous article Travelling on CalMac: a nordic perspective. And if that isn't enough, there is even more CalMac stuff under the tag Caledonian MacBrayne.

Isle of Mull in Oban, 3 June 2016

As you may or may not have noticed, I have photographed very few cruise ship in Helsinki (or anywhere else for that matter) this year. What I do have is a bunch of ferry photos, from the local waters as well as Helsingborg and Scotland. To maintain some variation, I'm trying to keep up a system where photos from one of the three sets come up in turn. And this week, it's time for Scotland again.

Isle of Mull

IMO 8608339
Built 1988, Appledore Ferguson Glasgow, United Kingdom
Tonnage 4 719 GT
Length 90,03 m
Width 15,80 m
Draugth 3,20 m
951 passengers
70 cars
2 Mirrlees diesels, combined 3 096 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 15 knots

The Isle of Mull was built in 1988 by the Appledore Ferguson shipyard in Glawgow for the Oban-Craignure -run. Already before it was delivered, the ship had been discovered to have a serious deadweight problem, and therefore could not meet the required cargo capacity. Never the less, the Isle of Mull entered service on the route to Mull as planned in April 1988. After the summer season, the ship sailed to a drydock at Middlerough on the Tees for the addition of a 5,4 metre midsection, which fixed the deadweight problem. The chop-and-stretch operation was, naturally, carried out at the builders' expense.

Since its delivery, the Isle of Mull has generally remained on the same route, excepting occasional coverings on other routes during docking periods, and occasional sailing from Oban to Colonsay interspersed with the Graignure sailings.

The photographs below show the Isle of Mull departing from Oban to Craignure on the evening of 3 June 2016, photographed from Oban North Pier. As per the usual, click on the images to see them in larger size.

At the Oban ferry terminal.

The Britons do like their ferries bulky.

Isle of Mull departs, while its smaller fleetmate Loch Striven stays behind. And yes, this photo does have some added candy.

Sailing into the sunset.

More candy.

Yum yum.

Next time: Mercandia IV seem to be the next in the lineup.