The Kintyre Forum

A SHIP carrying out seabed surveys outside of Campbeltown Loch has discovered some interesting areas which could have been created by glacier activity. The surveys are being carried out to update the nautical chart used by fishermen and seamen across the country. On Thursday last week Courier reporter Ruth McClean took a trip on HMS Roebuck to see exactly what she is doing in the area.

As well as carrying out the surveys, the ship’s crew has also been collecting tide data using tide gauge on Campbeltown’s seafront. However since the last chart was updated not much has changed in the seabed due to the consistency of the heavy mud on the bed. The ship takes samples of the material using a ‘grab’ which lifts whatever it finds. It is then bottled and examined.

Leiutenant Becca Burghall told The Courier: ‘Generally round here the seabed doesn’t change much. In some areas there are massive changes where the material is looser, and they have to be surveyed often. But in this instance it is done every few years.’ All the information is collated and sent to UK Hydrographical Officer, Taunton in England where the current nautical chart will be updated with any new information.

The ship has been in the area over the last month and will return to the area again in December to collect more data and carry out further surveys on the seabed. Commanding Officer of HMS Roebuck, Lieutenant commander Richard Bird, appealed for fishermen and those using the waters in the area that if they find anything of interest to report it so it could be added to the charts.