Loch Striven

(Redirected from Loch Striven POL Depot)

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.

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Loch Striven POL depot
Loch Striven Z-Berth
Boom defence
HMS Templar
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]

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]