MPV Hirta is a marine protection vessel operated by the Scottish Government
She is seen here passing Erskine and New Shot Island.
She is seen here passing Erskine and New Shot Island.
MRV Scotia was built by Ferguson Shipbuilders Ltd at Port Glasgow for the then Scottish Office and completed early in 1998. Operating from her home port in Aberdeen, Scotia is used for fish stock assessment and environmental monitoring in the North Sea and north Atlantic waters. She carries a crew of 18 and can accommodate up to 12 scientists.
Photographed here passing Erskine on her way down the Clyde.
She was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953, and commissioned on 11 January 1954. The ship was designed with three masts: a 133-foot (41 m) foremast, a 139-foot (42 m) mainmast, and a 118-foot (36 m) mizzenmast. The top aerial on the foremast and the top 20 feet (6.1 m) of the mainmast were hinged to allow the ship to pass under bridges.
She was decommissioned in 1997 and is now a tourist attraction at Ocean Terminal Leith.