NEW EXHIBITION SHINES LIGHT ON
CLYDE ANCHORAGE EMERGENCY PORT IN WW2
‘HERITAGE HARBOURS TRANSFORMED BY WAR’
Scottish Maritime Museum, Irvine Harbourside
Opens Sunday 14 September
The Scottish Maritime Museum will welcome the Maritime Heritage Trust’s touring exhibition Heritage Harbours Transformed by War from Sunday 14 September.
Free to view and hosted in the Museum’s Boatshop on Irvine Harbourside, the exhibition marks the end of World War II using historical photographs, maps, documents and other archival materials to explore how coastal communities across the UK were impacted by the war effort.
The exhibition highlights the Firth of Clyde, which the Admiralty identified as an ideal location for a new emergency port, thanks to its deep, sheltered waters which would be perfect for redirecting vital wartime supplies away from high-risk zones.
Beyond Scotland, Heritage Harbours Transformed by War examines how coastal areas across the UK adapted. These included North Norfolk, which became a restricted zone due to fears of invasion, and Ramsgate, which endured heavy bombing due to its proximity to German airfields in France.
The exhibition also delves into the training of women for shipbuilding roles, the challenges faced by smaller shipyards struggling with limited resources under government control and the long, postwar process of returning requisitioned land.
Eva Bukowska, Exhibitions and Events Officer at the Scottish Maritime Museum, says:
We’re delighted to help mark the end of World War II by hosting the Maritime Heritage Trust’s powerful exhibition, which sheds light on the lesser-known wartime experiences of our coastal communities. The story of the Clyde Anchorage Emergency Port is especially remarkable. It’s a largely forgotten yet significant achievement of the war.”
Henry Cleary, Chair of the Maritime Heritage Trust, adds:
Maritime Heritage Trust, on behalf of the Heritage Harbours National Group, is delighted to partner with Scottish Maritime Museum and bring this exhibition to Scotland. Some of the material is based on new research, mainly in the National Archives and some is from the individual Heritage Harbours.”
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE NEW CLYDE PORT
With Glasgow and Greenock under heavy strain and lacking the specialised skills to transfer cargo between large ships and coastal vessels, the Government used wartime powers to establish the Clyde Anchorage Emergency Port, which would operate independently from existing ports.
Following bombing disruptions in London, 600 dockworkers, equipment and around 400 vessels, including cranes, tugs, and barges, were relocated to the Clyde and the new port opened on 12 September 1940.
The original plan for the new port was to offload cargo from Atlantic convoy ships anchored above the anti-submarine boom between Cloch Light and Dunoon, onto coasters, which would then distribute goods across the UK.
When it became clear there weren’t enough coasters available, barges were used to offload cargo at steamer piers for onward rail transport. Fairlie Pier (now demolished) and Craigendoran became the main transfer points for barge traffic, while Troon, Ayr, Irvine and Largs continued to support coaster operations. The barges included around 50 Dutch small motor coasters which had escaped the occupying German forces and were chartered by the Admiralty with their crews.
The Clyde anchorages went on to run efficiently throughout the war without suffering bomb damage. Scruttons later estimated that, throughout the war, they handled 1,885 vessels, 2 million tons of cargo and 10 million individual packages. Scruttons commissioned the former official war artist, Arthur Burgess, to record the operations in 1941and his painting of operations at Craigendoran is in the collection of the Scottish Maritime Museum.
The Maritime Heritage Trust aims to make more people aware of, care for and share our rich maritime heritage in all its dimensions– physical, cultural, social and environmental. Heritage Harbours are community led initiatives which aim to safeguard and promote the facilities and features of small ports which are vital to operation of the UK’s historic vessels, while also benefitting the community and environment.
See https://maritimeheritage.org.uk/heritage-harbours/about-heritage-harbours
The ‘Heritage Harbours Transformed by War’ exhibition is free to view and runs in the Scottish Maritime Museum’s Boatshop on Irvine Harbourside until mid January 2026.
Issued on behalf of the Scottish Maritime Museum by
Joanna Harrison
