MV Claymore (1955)
MV Claymore (II) was David MacBrayne's last mail boat built in 1955. She served on the Inner Isles Mail on the west coast of Scotland until 1972. Subsequently sold for day cruising in the Greek Islands until 1993, she sank at her mooring in 2000.
History
Built by William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton, Claymore was launched in 1955. She revived the name of an 1881 steamer, which had sailed for almost half a century between Glasgow and Stornoway.Claymore was the last major passenger vessel ordered by MacBraynes which was not a car ferry and entered service on the Inner Isles mail from Oban, replacing the elderly Lochearn.
On merger, in 1973, Claymore remained registered to David MacBrayne Ltd and never adopted the CalMac funnel.
In April 1976, she was sold to Canopus Shipping of Piraeus, and left Scotland on 10 May, as City of Andros, to join her ex-CSP consort City of Piraeus (ex-Maid of Argyll). After rebuilding in Greece, Claymore's name was changed again, to City of Hydra. She was withdrawn around 1993 and laid up at Eleusis. On 24 November 2000, she sank at her moorings and was subsequently scrapped.
MV Claymore
MV Claymore was a car and passenger ferry built in 1978 for Caledonian MacBrayne. For ten years, she operated between Oban and the Outer Isles. Between October 2002 and March 2009, she was the Pentland Ferries relief vessel on the Short Sea Crossing to Orkney. Since March 2009, she has operated, as MV Sia, a RORO cable-laying and supply vessel.
History
MV Claymore was built by Robb Caledon, Leith for Caledonian MacBrayne and launched on 31 August 1978. The third ferry to bear the name Claymore, she entered service between Oban and the Outer Isles.
She was out of service for the three months in 1982 after running into rocks at the entrance to Lochboisdale harbour. A collision in 1986 resulted in significant bow damage. She performed the annual Govan Shipbuilders charter with a flat plate welded across the damaged area. It was painted black with a large yellow CalMac lion to make it look less odd.
The cafeteria was refurbished in 1997 when sold to Sea Containers.
On 11 March 2003, in gale force winds, Claymore was blown away from her intended berth in St Margaret’s Hope Bay. Her starboard propeller became entangled in the moorings of smaller vessels and the 12 passengers were disembarked safely by the Longhope Lifeboat. The subsequent investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) made several recommendations to improve safety.
MV Claymore II
MV Claymore II is a New Zealand-registered passenger-cargo ship, built in 1968 as the buoy tender Konrad Meisel for the German Government and later owned in South Africa as Isibane. She provides the essential transport links to the remote Pacific territory of Pitcairn Island from New Zealand and French Polynesia, part-funded by the British Government.
Buoy tender
Konrad Meisel was built in 1968 by Jadewerft Wilhelmshaven GmbH, Wilhelmshaven for the Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Cuxhaven (Waterways and Shipping Office Cuxhaven) of the Federal Republic of Germany. When built, she measured 514 gross register tons with dimensions of 48.82m LOA, 44.30m LBP, 9.56m beam and 4.65m depth, and a draught of 3.25m. She was powered by two Deutz 8-cylinder diesel engines, totalling 1103kW (1500bhp), geared to a single propeller. Over the single hold an eleven-ton crane was installed.
During Konrad Meisel's 30-year service with WSA Cuxhaven, she was responsible for the maintenance of marine navigation buoys in the lower River Elbe and the adjacent sea areas. In 1998 the ship was retired by the WSA Cuxhaven and sold to the South African Government.
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