Firth of Clyde

55.666666666667 - 5Koordinaten: 55 ° 40 '0 " N, 5 ° 0' 0 " W

The Firth of Clyde is an inlet ( fjord ) on the west coast of Scotland, which is separated by the Kintyre Peninsula from the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between the counties of Argyll and Ayrshire, and at its outer end about 42 km wide. At the inner end of Loch Long and the Gare Loch branch off. In this region Greenock lies with the Tail of the Bank called sandbank where the River Clyde in the Firth of Clyde flows. The river is at the sand bank still 3km wide and the tides are to the city center of Glasgow noticeable.

Geography

Towns and villages on the Firth of Clyde

Islands in the Firth of Clyde

  • Glunimore Iceland
  • Great Cumbrae
  • Holy Isle
  • Horse Isle
  • Inchmarnock
  • Lady Isle
  • Little Cumbrae
  • Pladda
  • Sanda
  • Sgat Mór and Sgat Beag
  • Sheep Iceland
  • The Eileans

Arran, Bute, Great Cumbrae, Holy Isle and Inchmarnock are inhabited and connected by ferry to the mainland. Little Cumbrae and Sanda are also inhabited, but have no ferry service. The remaining islands are uninhabited.

Most of these islands were the traditional county of Bute. Today they are distributed approximately equally between the unitary authorities Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire. The islands Alisa Craig and Lady Isle, however, belong to South Ayrshire.

Branching arms of the sea

History

The shipyards in Greenock and Port Glasgow played a significant role. The PS Comet was the first steamship to Europe and far into the 20th century much of the global ship production was concentrated here. More recently, the natural beauty of the Firth was impaired in some places by a concentration of industrial and military installations, including the oil-fired power plants of Hunterston and Inverkip. The shipbuilding industry has lost much of its importance, only a single yard is remained. The Garvel dry dock in Greenock for repair work remains in operation while the Green- inch dry dock in Port Glasgow is only used sporadically. The site of the former Greenock shipyard is part of a regeneration project.

Marine fauna

Frequently occurring species in the Firth of Clyde are harbor seal, gray seal and porpoise. Less numerous are dolphins, but they have been sighted in the summer of 2005 in the inner area of the Firth. Large whales do not seem to prefer these waters, only pilot whales and minke whales are regularly observed. After the strait The Minch in the Outer Hebrides the Firth of Clyde has the second largest population of giant sharks. These seem to prefer above all the warm, shallow waters around the small island Pladda.

Earlier it was fished intensively in the Firth. The only species whose capture still worthwhile today commercially are shrimp, lobster and herring. The University of Glasgow and the University of London operate on Great Cumbrae, a marine biology station.

Shipping

Both the Firth of Clyde and the River Clyde were important centers of shipbuilding. There were shipyards in Renfrew, Greenock, Port Glasgow and Troon as well as a significant boatbuilding operation in Fairlie. The Ferguson Shipyard next to the Newark Castle is one of the last remaining, privately owned shipyards in Scotland. In Port Glasgow is one of the world's largest dry dock is with a length of 305 meters and a width of 44 meters.

The depth in the Firth of Clyde is large enough that there may be operating the world's largest cargo ships. For this reason, the Clyde is one of the most important ports in the United Kingdom; around 7.5 million tonnes of goods are handled annually. The Greenock Ocean Terminal is the starting point for many cruise ships.

The Port of Port Clyde, North Ayrshire County Council and the Economic Development Authority Scottish Enterprise plan alongside the existing Hunterston Erzverladeterminal in a deep-sea port for container ships; the cost to be around £ 200 million. This would of Clyde one of the most important container ports in Northern Europe. Initial studies have already been commissioned.

Twelve ferry routes connect the islands to the mainland, most of which are operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. There are four lighthouses in Cloch Point, at Toward Point, on Little Cumbrae and Pladda.

The Firth of Clyde is also used by the Royal Navy. On the eastern shore of the Gare Loch is the submarine base at Faslane -on- Clyde, navy depot Coulport on Loch Long, among others, the British nuclear warheads for Trident submarines are stored. From Greenock operate from ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service in support of the Royal Navy.

Cardross, Argyll Fairlie, North Ayrshire Irvine, North Ayrshire Millport, Cumbrae Rothesay, Bute Isle of Arran Isle of Bute Davaar Island Eilean Dubh (Kyles of Bute) Dock (maritime) Newark Castle (Port Glasgow) German Navy Oceanic dolphin Coulport (village) Vanguard-class submarine
195206
de