Yesterday (28th June 2005) saw the arrival of the mv BUTE on the Clyde.

This vessel is the latest car/passenger ferry for Caledonian MacBrayne and she is destined for the Wemyss Bay - Rothesay service.

If my memory and/or facts are correct, this is the first newbuild for Calmac not to be built in the UK and because of this and current difficulties with the Clyde's last independent shipbuilder, she is also destined for a heck of a lot of close scrutiny, certainly by the Clydesiters at Clydeshipping.co.uk

She has been delivered from the Remontowa shipyard in Poland, and her arrival was followed almost from the minute it was known she had left Poland, with subscribers tracking her moves on AISLive, and some venturing furth of Ailsa Craig to be the first to actually see her!

Then she was finally spotted and captured as she made her way up the Firth of Clyde as evening fell, and our army of photographers caught her every move it seemed.

There follows some scaled down pictures of her arrival, the full versions are of course protected at the subscription only Clydeshipping site.

With many thanks to all who contributed and no doubt we will see and hear a lot more of mv BUTE as time goes on.


Stuart McMahon caught the first sight of her...


Conway McCulloch captured her going past the Cumbrae...


Next Calum McCulloch's shot...


From the other side at Dunnon, from John Higgins...


And a lovely warm shot from Graham Wilson...


And as night falls, John Crae (amongst others) got her at the Gourock berth.


Where she is this morning, as caught from Lyle Hill by Bill Mains.