Second World War

During World War II the loch was busy with wartime activity. Cairnryan became "No. 2 Military Port", an important secondary large-scale port facility that was available for use should facilities on the Mersey and the Clyde became unavailable due to enemy bombing. Construction of port facilities began in 1941 and two large piers the North Deep and the South Deep, serviced by a dedicated railway line, were completed by 1943. A total of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of quayside was available, although the facilities were never used to their full capacity as the Clyde and Mersey never received the crippling bomb damage that was feared.^[6]

Concrete pontoon 'Boats' north of Cairnryan, a remnant of the World War II activity at the port

The harbour was used as an import point for troops coming from the US after 1942. Only one of the two piers still stands today, and it is unusable due to the poor condition of the wooden piles (the pier has been unused since a small section collapsed with tragic consequences in the 1990s). With the U-boat menace in the Atlantic taking a heavy toll on merchant shipping the area became an important centre for anti-U-boat operations. Flying boats operated from the loch to protect allied shipping making its way to Liverpool or Glasgow either via the North Channel or the Firth of Clyde. There were two RAF stations on the loch, RAF Wig Bay operating from Wig Bay near Kirkcolm and RAF Stranraer operating from the town.

Just north of Cairnryan are what looks like a number of concrete 'boats' resting on the shore - these too are a legacy of the second world war. They are 'Beetles' from the Mulberry harbour project. The beetle pontoons were used to hold up the 'Whale' roadway sections, with four of the whales being built at Cairnryan. With easy access to the North Atlantic, Loch Ryan was used as the surrender destination for the U-boats which were out in the Atlantic in 1945 when hostilities ceased. The U-boats and their crews were held at Cairnryan, before the boats were finally towed out into the Atlantic and sunk. Other wartime activity on the loch included construction of target rafts made out of wood and cork, which were built in Stranraer then floated out the Loch and round the Rhins of Galloway to their positions in Luce Bay for bombing practice (operating out of West Freugh). The loch was used by Winston Churchill when he departed from Stranraer in a Boeing Flying boat on 25 June 1942 when making his second visit of the war to the USA.

The comedian Tony Hancock had a connection with Air Sea Rescue during World War II. He enlisted with the Royal Air Force on 7 September 1942 and volunteered for aircrew but failed on his eye sight. He was then transferred to the RAF Regiment and after 2 months he was redirected to the transit office in Blackpool where he was given the opportunity to train as a wireless operator. He failed on a four words a minute test and was subsequently posted to Stranraer in Scotland.

RAF Wig Bay is situated five miles north of Stranraer on the West shore of Loch Ryan and it is to here that Hancock was assigned to the Marine Craft Section. His principal duties appear to have been the custody of a heap of coal and a boiler house. So he made the decision to endow himself with the title of "fuel controller" and hung a sign stencilled by himself to that effect on the door of his hut. He was also responsible for the lighting of fires in the Nissen huts.

There he did his comedy feeling that show business could provide the only escape from the icy hell of RAF Wig Bay in wintertime where it was so cold the men literally slept in their uniforms. Everyone shaved fully dressed he remembered, you stood in ablutions at seven thirty in the morning singing "the whiffenpoof Song" in the boots you had been wearing in bed. The summer of 1944 found him finally assigned to no. 9 gang show unit posted overseas.^[7]

Ship breaking facility

The jetty at Cairnryan, where the Fleet Carriers HMS Eagle and HMS Ark Royal were dismantled.

Following their withdrawal from service in 1972 and 1979 respectively, both HMS Eagle and HMS Ark Royal were taken to Cairnryan in order to be scrapped.^[8]

HMS Eagle was taken under tow from Devonport in October 1978, and was followed by her sister HMS Ark Royal in September 1980.

The ship breaking facility in Loch Ryan disposed of numerous former naval vessels; ranging from frigates and submarines to aircraft carriers.

Today

Today the loch serves as an important location for the ferry link to Northern Ireland, representing the shortest crossing distance between Britain and Ireland. The port activity has increased substantially since the route first started operating out of the Loch in 1849. There are currently a total of four conventional RORO ferries. These are split between two ferry companies, Stena Line and P&O Ferries.

On 21 November 2011, Stena Line relocated their ferry service to Belfast to a location north of Cairnryan Village. Loch Ryan Port is now served by two Superfast Conventional ferries replacing the HSS Fastcraft and old tonnage Stena Caledonia and Stena Navigator. Stena Superfast VII and Stena Superfast VIII now complete the crossing from Loch Ryan Port to Belfast in 2 hours 15 minutes. P&O, operating from Cairnryan run two conventional ferries (European Causeway & European Highlander). The investment in new port facilities at Cairnryan gives security to the future of the North Channel route. It will also lead to future potential small craft maritime development at the southern end of the Loch, which will be completely free from large and regular ferry traffic. The Loch already sees small craft usage, with the Loch Ryan Sailing club operating from Wig Bay, and Stranraer Marina in Stranraer harbour beside the West Pier.

Between 1992 and 1999 Sea Containers operated the SeaCat fast ferry on the Stranraer - Belfast route. They subsequently moved to Troon, before finally ending the service altogether in 2005. While conventional ferries (moving at around 15 knots) have worked the route for many decades the fast ferries were capable of much greater speeds (around 40 knots). The wash that these large craft generated led to speed restrictions being imposed within the majority of the loch, with fast ferries unable to increase their speeds above 12 knots (22 km/h) until they were to the north of Old House point on the northern side of Cairnryan.

P&O Irish Sea's European Causeway entering Loch Ryan

Further speed restrictions were imposed on the HSS during the tern breeding season, when wash from the ship could cause problems for the breeding birds on the Scar. The levels of wash that the fast ferries created was the subject of some controversy, with many suggesting that the death by drowning of a man and his two sons in the loch in July 2003 was due to their boat being overwhelmed by a large wave created by a nearby passing ferry. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on the incident suggested, however, that the condition of the boat, the lack of safety equipment on board and a poor lookout were more likely to have been contributing factors, but did emphasise that speed limits should be adhered to and that small boat owners should be made aware of the dangers of ferry-induced washes.^[9]

Rail access

With the 73-mile direct rail link between Stranraer and Dumfries being closed in 1965, Stranraer station only connects the Glasgow South Western Line to Ayr, Paisley Gilmour Street and Glasgow Central as well as Kilmarnock, Dumfries and Carlisle for the West Coast Main Line to Preston, Crewe and London Euston.