Caledonian Canal - maintenance craft and other vessels

[davidwheeler]

This is not a description of the canal, no more than of its history - those you can find easily elsewhere. It is an indication of the vessels you could have expected to meet on a transit of it during August 1990. It is about boats and ships, with the waterway in the background. Most of the vessels I will describe have gone. Since I have no idea whether it will be of interest  I will start with just a couple. If there is interest I will go on. If not, no great harm done. 

We start at the sea lock at Corpach on the West side. Just around the corner, beyond the lighthouse, ships would come into the loch to load timber from the forests nearby. But in this case it is a fishing boat, the Smallwood, which is coming into the lock. Looking for lobsters, and having gone aground, she is going across to the East coast, for better luck. In her bridge, the skipper has a print out of his sonar, which shows a large dark shape far below on Loch Ness. Was it Nessie? or a shoal of fish? He thinks it is Nessie. He says he thinks it is Nessie.The Smallwood, a trawler built of steel in Ramsey, Isle of Man in 1966 had had successful days  -" in 1984 Smallwood and Bahati hauled 1800 boxes of cod. They had to tow the net into Stonehaven and it took 30 men 3 days to gut them all."  By 1991 she no longer appeared in the registers.

Locking up with Smallwood in the Corpach flight, the Vic 32. Built in 1943 by Dunstans of Thorne, one of the 63 VIC type puffers built for the Ministry of War Transport on the lines of the Lascar of 1939. A steam lighter powered by a water tube boiler, she is thought to have worked out of Corpach for a while, taking ammunition from barges and supplying the Atlantic fleet at St Christopher's naval base. Also at Scapa Flow delivering aviation spirit, and as a day boat at Rosyth until sent to Inverkeithing  in the 1960s for scrapping. Bought by Keith Schellenberg to serve his private island, and then by Nick Walker who operated her from 1975 to 2002. With a crew of mate, cook, engineer and general help, he took hundreds of people,  steam enthusiasts and some not quite enthusiasts, all around the Western Isles and up and down the Caledonian Canal in clouds of sooty black smoke. A master at melding people together, he had to be. In 2002 he gave the Vic 32 to the Puffer Preservation Trust and I believe she is still operational as the last steam puffer.

And passing along the canal, just after the last castiron swing bridge in its two halves,  a bright red hulled fishing boat the Green Brea. Built in 1973 as the Laurisa BA145 by Herd & McKenzie at Buckie for one Jimmy Gibson, a herring trawler of 54 feet, powered by a 230 hp Gardner diesel, of wood. Of her, said that we can now put a man on the moon but we cannot make the likes of her. A photo of her launch. She lasted in to this century and to I think 2010.

Right, that will do for now. If there is interest, I will go on a bit further.

 

[magpie patrick]

We're planning to visit in August. Ness (for that is my partner's name!) Has never been and its over 40 years since I last saw the canal. I was sad (but not entirely surprised) to find that Scot II is no longer operating trips from Inverness. I also recall a very impressive boat called "Gatelifter" that was designed for exactly that task - lifting lock gates. 

[davidwheeler]

I will go on then and touch on gates and the Gatelifter 111. The Fraenkel Report of 1975 marked the `Caledonian Canal as in dire need of extensive repairs. In particular the lock gates. The wooden gates were to be replaced by steel one fitted with buoyancy tanks to avoid the distorting effect of opening and closing the gates by pressure on the top which caused the gates to bend. All the gates had been replaced by 1989 save the bottom gates of Fort Augustus bottom lock which hung on until 1992. It is the bottom lock gate that you see in the photo and the problem is self-evident. The other photo shows a steel gate awaiting placement. Until 1990, at the latest, gates for replacement and new gates were moved about the canal by the Gatelifter 111. It was in August that year that I walked out along the shingle below the Inverness sea lock to where the Gatelifter 111 was lying high and dry. I assumed then that she was on her way to the breakers. It was a most impressive sight. Her purpose was clear from the lifting equipment - the wooden gates weighed around 20 tons each.  But was she built for that purpose?  I did not think so. Why that hull shape? Why all those portholes along her sides?  My thoughts were that she had been a lightship. Whatever her origines, an interesting vessel, replaced by land based mobile cranes. So another of the Caledonians unique service vessels was lost. More perhaps later but enough for now.

[magpie patrick]

Scot II, turning above Muirtown Locks in Inverness, August 1978. A converted ice breaker running trips through Dochgaroch to Loch Ness

 

 

Apologies - photo of a glass covered photo (original taken by dad when we were on holiday) 

[davidwheeler]

I think that perhaps I have gone a bit too far with this so I will end it with just two more, because these two were again unique to the Caledonian Canal and they have to all intents and purposes gone. 

The first is the Scot 11. Built in 1931 by Robb Henry Ltd of Leith, of steel. 75' x 15' x 8.50, purpose built for the Ministry of Transport as a steam powered ice-breaking tug for duties on the Caledonian Canal. In 1960 converted to diesel with  Kelvin T8 engine. From 1961 to 1991 cruised on Loch Ness with carrying capacity of 70 passengers. Also continued with ice-breaking duties during winters. 1992 to 1999 leased by British Waterways as a floating restaurant at Laggan Locks. In 1999, taken back by British Waterways for restoration. In the summer of 2005 bought by private individual for restoration and towed to the Isle of Bute. Sank, and remained under water for 10 months. Raised and put on a mooring in Kyles of Bute. In 2009 taken back to Bute and rescued by the Save the Scot 11 group, which plans to return her to her former glory....The work involved is self-evident from the photo of the hull. The colour photo of the ship was taken in August 1990, her last full year of service. There were not many passengers on board. Compare that with the Jacobite Queen on the same day. The Jacobite Queen herself an interesting ship built in 1949 by Hawthorn Leslie as a passenger ferry across the River Tyne. Nick Walker, who knew most of what went on on the Caledonian, told me the British waterways had given the Jacobite Queen the better berth for passenger accessibility, the Scott 11's berth outside the BW Dock building was a lot less convenient. Whatever is done to rebuilt the Scot 11, she will not be the same. A second vessel unique to the Canal, effectively lost.

Finally, the unregistered, non-propelling grab dredger 'Fairway'. Built for the Ministry of Transport specifically for the Caledonian Canal in 1937, with a vertical boiler powering the Priestman crane. Disposed of by British waterways sometime in the 1990s and converted to a floating restaurant in Muirtown Basin. Sold again in 2010 for use as a houseboat. A third vessel unique to the Canal, lost.

There were other interesting ships and vessels in and about the Canal in those days, but I will stop here. For those that are interested, A D Cameron's book The Caledonian Canal is full of interest. Two of these illustrations are from his book. I recommend it.

 

[magpie patrick]

Thank you @davidwheeler you've wetted my appetite for our summer adventuadventures. I will report back once we've been. 

[davidwheeler]

Well, I wonder, if, when you are there, you might be able to find out a bit more about the Gatelifter 111. Surely one of the most unusual of any vessel on any British canal. Someone there must know something. I have tried without any success,but I am far away and I do not have your clout.