Loch Striven

Loch Striven is a sea loch which lies west of the the Firth of Clyde, north of the Isle of Bute, and east of the Cowal peninsula. The loch has good sea access and has been used as a sheltered anchorage where surplus vessels can be safely laid up.

The loch has also been used for training and testing in times of conflict. During World War II, the loch was used for the training of the X-Craft midget submarine crews - the loch was similar to the fjord in which the German battleship Tirpitz was moored. It was also used for tests of Highball, a smaller version of the Barnes Wallis bouncing bomb, Upkeep, used to destroy the Ruhr dams in 1943.

On this page... (hide)

Loch Striven POL depot
Loch Striven Z-Berth
Boom defence
HMS Templar
Bouncing Bomb Tests
- Archaeological Dives
Press release
- Future Plans
Vessel lay up
- 2009 container ship lay up
Photographs
References
External links
Aerial views
Map

Loch Striven POL depot

Loch Striven POL Depot

A Scottish NATO POL depot (SNPD) is sited on the south east shore of the loch, and was formerly known simply as a POL (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant) depot. The depot and its jetty lie just north of the site of the abandoned Ardyne Point Yard. The depot's storage tanks are built into the hillside above, having been landscaped to minimise their visual impact on the surrounding area.

Loch Striven POL jetty
� WetNomad

The Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations (1987) limits the amount of munitions which may be stored on board a vessel while the jetty is in use. In 1999, this limit was increased to 110,000 kilogrammes.

Loch Striven Z-Berth

The depot has a number of mooring points adjacent to the jetty, and the site is designated as a Z-Berth, where nuclear vessels are permitted to moor.

Boom defence

Ardtarig House, located near the top of the loch, was a World War II training school for sub-mariners, in particular those who operated the X-Craft, and the house was designated HMS Varbel II.

An obstruction reported in Loch Striven has been identified as a boom defence net. "9 September 1952. The boom defence net is marked by dan buoy to aid removal", Hydrographic Office, 1995.

HMS Templar

HMS Templar in Ceylon

HMS Templar was a T-Class submarine built by Vickers Armstrong of Barrow-in-Furness. Laid down on December 21, 1941, launched on October 26, 1942 and commissioned February 15, 1942. HMS Templar saw service in the far east, carrying out torpedo attacks on Japanese vessels and laying mines in the Strait of Malacca.

In 1954, the submarine was towed to Loch Striven, and sunk in the loch for use as a target. Salvaged on December 4, 1958, the submarine finally arrived at Troon on July 19, 1959, to be scrapped.^[1]

Bouncing Bomb Tests

Barnes Wallis who was an engineer with the Vickers Armstrong came up with the idea of a bouncing bomb that would skip across the water like a skimmed stone and sink alongside the target before exploding at a set depth. The initial design, known as Upkeep, was intended for attacking dams in Germany and was successfully deployed in the famous Dambusters raid, later made into a successful film of the same name.

However, the system had possibilities against battleships such as the Tirpitz which was holed up in a Norwegian fiord. Battleships were encased in a considerable thickness of armour plating and when moored were surrounded by anti-torpedo nets. However, the thickness of the plating at the bottom of the hull was much thinner and much more vulnerable. Attacking aeroplanes could drop the bouncing bombs from further away from the target and could turn away more easily. A smaller, lighter bomb that could be carried in a smaller lighter and faster aeroplane was required and it was the testing of these, Highball bombs that was mostly carried out in Loch Striven in Argyllshire, carried by Mosquitoes of 618 Squadron based at RAF Turnberry in Ayrshire.

The Highball bomb was around 3 feet (915mm) in diameter, weighing 1,200 lbs (600kg) and described as spherical although it had flattened sides. The bombs used in the tests contained no explosives and are generally described as being made of steel and being filled with concrete. However, we have received so far unconfirmed information that some were made of wood or filled with wood, sawdust and glue by CE Morris Furniture of Glasgow. Prior to launch the bombs were spun up by the opening of an air duct under the plane. They then had to be launched at a set speed and altitude and at a precise distance from the target. Once the design of the bombs was perfected the rest of the flights were crew training as the precision required to get the bombs to sink beside the target, but not hit it was immense. If a bomb hit the target it usually became dented which affected the underwater dynamics and it would not explode under the ship. Highballs were often referred to as Naval Stores which is assumed to be naval slang but could have been a code name.

The old French WWI battleship Courbet was chosen as the target ship and was moored in the loch with a set of nets under the ship to catch the bombs so that they could be easily recovered. However, the depth of water she was moored in and the size of the nets meant few were recoverable so she was moved to shallower water and larger catching nets deployed. The bombs has a white stripe painted on the side. Tests were filmed and the MAEE in Helensburgh interpreted the films using the white stripe to calculate the speed of rotation.

We do not know how many bombs were used in the tests or how many were recovered. Estimates of bombs used vary between 100 and 200.

In the event, it was decided to attack the Tirpitz using midget submarines ( also tested and crews trained in Loch Striven) rather than the Highball bombs. Training and testing continued throughout the war and it was decided to deploy the bombs against the Japanese capital ships. A new target ship, this time a British battleship, HMS Malaya, another outdated WWI ship was used. So thin were her plates that she was seriously damaged just by errant bombs hitting her hull. A mess deck was flooded and it is reported that she listed seriously. Although the plane crews were sent to the far east it was again decided not to use the system despite all the time and effort put into making it viable.

Archaeological Dives

�

An initial dive in May 2010 was carried out to assess bottom conditions and visibility Between Monday 12th and Saturday 17th July 2010 a series of 12 dives were made in the loch ranging from 30msw to 60msw using specialist breathing mixes to combat the effects of nitrogen narcosis and prolonged decompression requirements, to allow the divers to safely search for the Highball Bouncing Bombs from the Barnes-Wallis tests carried out during WWII. The project was initiated by Dr. Iain Murray of Dundee University. The diving was carried out by members of the Archaeological Divers Association which is a non-profit division of The Underwater Science Group and lead by the Managing Director, Ted Crosbie. The other divers were , Phil Grigg, Rob Cromey-Hawke, Jez Armitage and Lindsay Brown. The Danish shipping company,Maersk donated �1,200 towards the dive.

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Following upon a side sonar scan of the Loch bottom several areas were selected for a diving survey. Initial results were disappointing as nothing was found. However, on the Friday the divers came across a length of very heavy chain lying on the bottom and followed it to one end where they came across a huge anchor. They retraced their path and came across the first Highball lying alongside the chain. It showed little or no weed growth or accretion. As they followed the chain further they found a further 7 Highballs also in good condition although 2 were dented presumably from hitting the target vessel. At least one bomb had remnants of the white stripe still visible.

It is not known at present how the team fared on the final dive.

Press release

The following was received from Ted Crosbie along with the linked video clips from the dive when the bombs were discovered.

�In May 2010, a pre-project dive was conducted in Loch Striven to examine bottom composition and visibility and from that point the project was given the go ahead in July as planned. Divers who had completed underwater archaeological training with the Archaeological Divers Association and who had the required skills for operating at the planned depths were then selected and the team of five divers headed into the waters to start their initial reconnaissance search on the 13th July 2010. The dive team consisted of: Ted Crosbie (Dive Supervisor), Phil Grigg, Rob Cromey-Hawke, Jez Armitage and Lindsay Brown and diving continued until Saturday 17th July 2010.

In total, 12 dives were made in the loch ranging from 30msw to 60msw using specialist breathing mixes to combat the effects of nitrogen narcosis and prolonged decompression requirements, to allow the divers to safely search for the Highball Bouncing Bombs. The team also used a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) donated by Sheerwater Marine Services Ltd and logistical support was provided by the Professional Diving Academy in Dunoon. All boat diving operations were conducted with the indefatigable support of Richard Home, a local fisherman (W151 Ashleigh M). Plans are now underway to complete an additional two-week survey, �Project 8-ball� at the beginning of September (2010) using state of the art electronic closed circuit rebreathers; thus allowing additional time on the seabed to map the entire site for insertion into the Historic Environment Record for both Scotland and Great Britain. Team members will be using high definition photography and videography; photomosaics and three dimensional site recording software. Upon completion of an holistic survey of the site, including its environmental impact, there are additional future plans to recover some of the Highballs for conservation and restoration and placement at Brooklands Museum in Surrey as there are currently no living records from the Loch Striven test site.

The project, in the majority, was funded by the parent company, Underwater Science Ltd and received additional funds from the Maersk Shipping Company and BAE Systems Ltd, which originally built and filled the Highballs. The project was supported by Peter Blacker, who owns the Glen Striven Estate adjacent to where the Highballs were found, as well as the Barnes Wallis Trust. Diving support services were provided by Phil Grigg Technical Diving.

There are some HD video clips for media purposes, which are available for download at:

Clip 1: (Anchor and Diver) This 44 second clip shows the ROV and Rob diving near the Admiralty anchor that was found standing 3 metres proud of the seabed in 30msw. The sheer size of the chain link can be seen, with each link being approximately 40 centimetres in length. Video captured by Phil Grigg. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4591923/Highball%20Press%20Release/1.Anchor%26Diver.wmv(approve sites)

Clip 2: (Highball) This 27 second clip shows Rob diving over the 3rd Highball found along the anchor chain at a depth of 35msw. Video captured by Phil Grigg. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4591923/Highball%20Press%20Release/2.Highball.wmv(approve sites) �

Future Plans

The team plan to return in two months to continue their survey work to locate and plot the positions of further Highballs and other archaeologically interesting wreckage . Ted Crosbie forecasts that it could take up to 2 years to complete the task and to include an obstruction shown on sailing charts. This had been thought to be a pile of anti-submarine nets but the SOund Navigation And Ranging ', 'trail', true, 'styleClass', 'glossary-popup');" href="http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Main/Glossary#sonar"sonar scan suggests a wreck, possibly a chariot or an X Craft mini submarine.

Finally it is hoped to raise one or more of the bombs for display in Museums, one will be presented to the Brooklands Museum in Surrey where the Barnes Wallis collection is held. If more are raised then they will be placed in local museums. It is worth noting that at present there are no complete Highballs on display anywhere.

Vessel lay up

LNG Port Harcourt (Nestor) 1988
� Thomas Nugent

The lead time between ordering a large ship, its design, build, and final delivery can be considerable. Years can pass, during which economic conditions can deteriorate, and markets can disappear. Nestor and Gastor were two refrigerated LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers completed during 1976 and 1977, intended to transport LNG from Algeria or Nigeria. The discovery of North Sea oil/gas in 1969, followed by the start of production on 1975, effectively rendered the tankers redundant, and they were laid up in the loch the with only a skeleton crew on board, They remained there until the 1990s, when Shell purchased them to transport LNG from Nigeria.^[2] Prior to undertaking the sea journey to France, the tankers were taken to the pier at Inverkip Power Station, where engineers reactivated the vessels and restored them to safe operation for the trip.

Other vessels which have been anchored in the loch include: Canadian Bridge, Diane, Lanistes, Linnea, Liparus, Mobil Astral, Mobil Daylight, Orenda, Tantalus, and Yorkshire. Two large oil tankers built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, were also laid up in the loch for almost 20 years, having been taken there on completion of their trials.

2009 container ship lay up

Maersk Beaumont (blue hull)<br clear='all' />Sealand Performance (black hull), June 2009, Fox

Maersk Beaumont (blue hull)
Sealand Performance (black hull)

Lay up returned to the loch in 2009, when the worldwide recession rendered many container ships surplus, and the Danish shipping company Maersk arranged with Clydeport - the body responsible for the navigable channel, lighting, buoys, and the provision of harbour facilities for shipping and commerce in the Clyde - to moor a number of it ships in the loch until conditions improved.^[3] The first two ships arrived in June 2009, and were moored alongside one another, bow to stern, beginning a raft to which further ships could be added. The raft forms a more stable structure and was completed a few weeks later, allowing a small crew to manage the vessels it contains, six in this case, and permit them to share services such as electricity, minimising the amount of support equipment - such as generators - needed to maintain the vessels in good condition.

Four ship raft

Five ship raft
� Zak

The raft was created almost halfway into the loch, in the waters west of Inverchaolain. Although the area is lightly populated, some residents were reported to take exception to this use of the loch, claiming it was an inappropriate use of a beauty spot, with the words NO SHIPS being carved into the hillside overlooking the loch - the residents claim this did no damage as it was merely cut into the grass using a strimmer - while another claimed that the presence of the ships ruined her marriage, which had been planned to take place in Inverchaolain Church. Others claim they cannot sleep and their lives are ruined due to the noise and light emanating from the raft. It was suggested that they should have been consulted by Clydeport in advance of the operation, and been awarded compensation.^[4]

Six ship raft

In order from left to right, Maersk Brooklyn (absent from the five ship picture), Bentonville, and Baltimore lie to the outside of the final six ship raft, while Sealand Performance, Beaumont, and Boston lie toward the inside, towards Inverchaolain. Performance is a container ship belonging to Maersk Sealand, the American arm of the company, and dates from 1985.

Six ship raft

In December 2009, Maersk gave residents from the surrounding area the opportunity to visit the raft, tour the laid up ships, and meet the captain and crew responsible for maintaining them during their cold lay up.^[5]

On May 21, 2010, with the assistance of five tugs, Sealand Performance was extracted from the raft and towed away up river. It is understood that plans to scrap the vessel have been put on hold, as the gradual recovery from the global recession that rendered her obsolete means her operating characteristics make her economic on the route between the Far East and the US. Because the Far East is a net exporter, this means containers will travel there empty, thereby making no revenue, and return to the US fully loaded, and generating income to pay for the trip. Sealand Performance's older design makes her viable for this route, compared to later ships with larger engines. However, she is still expected to be scrapped when the market recovers further, and changes the economics of the route once again.

On the same theme, it seems that the remaining five container ships in the raft will soon follow Sealand Performance and leave the loch, to be re-engineered with smaller engines to make them more economic in the prevailing transport market.