Scottish Shipping

To Western Scottish Waters A pictorial tour through the decades and a peek into how both people and goods have travelled to the Isles over the years. Illustrated with old photographs, advertising leaflets and timetables, as well as more recent photographs by the author, the ever-changing modes of travel are portrayed here. Moving from the early days of tourist traffic to the Highlands and Islands, To Western Scottish Waters takes us through the golden years of David MacBrayne and the Caledonian and North British Railways through to the appearance of Caledonian MacBrayne in the early 1970s. This pictorial survey uses the colourful and inventive publicity material of the principal companies involved in West Highland tourist traffic, such as the framed Puffers and the second car ferries used to keep inter-island traffic flowing. Travel to the Western Highlands was once dependent totally on rail or sea travel and was often dirty and slow, it was common to be greeted by a flock of sheep on one of MacBrayne's steamers, and To Western Scottish Waters is an evocative trip down memory lane for those who remember the Royal Route and steamers such as the Columba and Grenadier or for those who travelled on the Kyle-Kyleakin ferry before the Skye bridge.

The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas,... From the bestselling author of The Lightouse Stevensons, a gripping history of the drama and danger of wrecking since the eighteenth century, and the often grisly ingenuity of Scottish and British wreckers, scavengers of the sea. A fine wreck has always represented sport, pleasure, treasure, and in many cases, the difference between living well and just getting by.

Shipbuilding (Scotland's Past in Action... Scotland led the world in this romantic industry. Over a period of 200 years there were more than 250 shipbuilders on the Clyde alone, between them building over 30,000 different types of vessel: passenger ships, cargo liners, cross-channel ferries, tramp steamers, sailing ships, tugs, dredgers, and warships of all kinds from battleships to submarines. This book charts the big story of shipbuilding in Scotland, covering both the social and engineering aspects, and highlighting the transition from wood and sail to iron and steam. Scottish Shipping.

Moray Firth Ships and Trade in the... Ninteenth Century. This text describes the nature and extent of maritime trade between northeast Scotland, the Baltic and continental Europe, with particular reference to the growth during the 19th century. It covers the trading activities of four Moray Firth ships and lists over 1300 named vessels. Scottish Shipping.

Fast Sailing and Copper-Bottomed:... The days when Aberdeen's 'fast sailing and copper-bottomed' ships carried emigrant Scots to Canada are brought to life in this fascinating account of the northern Scotland exodus during the sailing ship era. Taking readers through new and little-used documentary sources, Lucille H. Campey finds convincing evidence of good ships, sailed by experienced captains and managed by reputable people, thus challenging head on the perceived imagery of abominable sea passages in leaking old tubs. And by considering the significance of ship design and size, she opens a new window on our understanding of emigrant travel. Instead of concentrating on the extreme cases of suffering and mishaps, to be found in anecdotal material, Campey's approach is to identify all of the emigrant sea crossings to Canada made on Aberdeen sailing ships. Observing the ships which collected passengers from the port of Aberdeen as well as those which collected emigrants at Highland ports, especially Cromarty and Thurso, Campey reveals the processes at work and the people who worked behind the scenes to provide the services. Her following of the emigrant Scots on to their New World destinations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Upper Canada provides us with an opportunity to see how events in Canada were influencing both the decision to emigrate and choice of location. These emigrant Scots succeeded, often after difficult beginnings, and would endow Canada with their rich traditions and culture which live on to this day. Scottish Shipping.

Clyde Steamers (Glory Days S.) Any map of the West Coast of Scotland emphasizes the intricate chain of small islands that run from Arran northwards and the complicated network of sea lochs that help form the estuary of the River Clyde. With the dawn of the railway age it became possible to provide links between the coastal ports and harbours, such as Ardrossan, Falrlie and Helensburgh, with central Glasgow and, for the railway companies, a logical extension of the land-based competition was to provide these outlying islands and lochs with regular ferry services to link with their train services. Thus the North British, the Caledonian and Glasgow & South Western railways all operated routes, often in competition, between rall-heads on the mainland and numerous harbours on Arran, Bute and elsewhere. For generations of those living on the West Coast of Scotland, as well as for the countless visitors to the area, travel by Clyde steamer was a regular part of their everyday existence. Today, the experience enjoyed by these travellers can still be found courtesy of the preserved paddle-steamer, the Waverley. In his very first book for Ian Allan Publishing, Brian Patton examines the history of the Clyde steamers from the earliest days, through to their final demise. Starting the story in 1877, when the first vessels designed to provide passengers with an increased level of comfort (to encourage an interest in pleasure trips), the author narrates the history of Clyde steamers, and associated vessels, for 100 years, until the mid-1970s, when the last of the traditional Clyde steamers, the Queen Mary, was taken out of service. During that period the steamers endeared themselves to thousands - to the commuters glad to be safely home again in Dunoon or Rothesay on a winter's night, to the tourists from outside of Scotland marveling in the scenery, or countless Glaswegians escaping down river at the Fair, to all those for whom a day trip to Inverary on board Duchess of Montrose is still a cherished memory, and to all those who still depend on Clyde ferries to take them about their daily business.

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