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Maid of the Loch - undergoing slipping

The paddle steamer Maid of the Loch is seen here undergoing a historic slipping on the 27th of June, 2006; in other words, it was slowly winched out of the water, and pulled onto a rebuilt slipway. This was the first time it had been out of the water, or indeed moved, since being withdrawn from active service in 1981. With the exception of this slipping, the steamer has been moored at nearby Balloch pier continuously since 1981 (at the time of writing, it is still there).

The slipping was performed as a test of the rebuilt slipway, with the longer-term goal of returning the Maid of the Loch to service (I am one of many who travelled the Loch on this steamer in the old days).

The Maid was drawn up onto the slipway by means of a steam-powered winch. This was a fairly slow process, although most of the day was taken up with carefully manoeuvring it into position using ropes; see: NS3882 : Maid of the Loch - preparations for slipping.

Throughout the day, quite a crowd was present to watch the slipping take place. The photograph was taken at 5:30 in the afternoon, by which time the steamer had been drawn at least partway up the slipway.

The Maid of the Loch is 191 feet long, was built by A. & J. Inglis shipbuilders of Pointhouse, Glasgow, and was launched in 1953. Its engine was built by Rankin & Blackmore of Greenock. [R.J.Ramsay, C.Eng., F.I.Mar.E., in "Paddle Steamer Machinery - a layman's guide"]