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 waters were also used for propulsion tests of submarines.

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 laid up in the loch for almost 20 years, having been taken there on completion of their trials.

The lead time between ordering a ship, and its design, build, and delivery can be considerable. Gastor and Nestor were refrigerated LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers completed in 1977 and 1976 respectively, originally 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 with a skeleton crew. In 1992, French ship repair yard Sobrena won the contract for the 2� month refurbishment of Shell's LNG Port Harcourt, originally built as Nestor by Chantiers de l'Atlantique. In 1999, Sobrena was again selected for the refurbishement of Shell's LNG Lagos, originally built as Gastor.^[1]. Before undertaking the sea journey to France, the tankers were taken to the pier at the mothballed Inverkip Power Station, where engineers reactivated the vessels and restored them to safe operation for the trip.

Loch Striven POL depot

Loch Striven POL jetty
� WetNomad

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.

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.^[2]