Caledonia with Claymore in Oban harbour, 1985
History
United Kingdom
Name	1966 – 1970: Stena Baltica 1970 – 1987: Caledonia Heidi
Namesake	Roman name for Scotland; 1934 paddle steamer
Operator	1966 – 1970: Stena Line 1970 – 1987: Caledonian MacBrayne
Port of registry	Glasgow
Route	Isle of Arran then Mull
Builder	A/S Langesunds Mek Versted, Langesund, Norway Engine Builders: Masch. Augsburg-Nurnberg, (M.A.N) Augsburg, West Germany[1]
Cost	£600,000
Yard number	53
Completed	1966
Acquired	1970
Identification	IMO number: 6513451[2] MMSI Number: Callsign: IWUA (Heidi)
Fate	Sunk 2005
General characteristics
Tonnage	1,157 GT
Length	58.22 m (191 ft 0 in) 61.78 m (202 ft 8 in) 12.58 m (41 ft 3 in) 3.16 m (10 ft 4 in)
Beam	12.22 m (40 ft 1 in)
Draught	3.47 m (11 ft 5 in)
Installed power	2x Oil 4SCSA 9 cyl. 300 x 450 mm
Speed	14 knots (service)
Capacity	650 passenger, 40 cars

MV Caledonia was a roll-on roll-off vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in Scotland.

History

Built as Stena Baltica in 1966, she operated on various Scandinavian routes.^[1]

In 1970, she was acquired by the Caledonian Steam Packet Company and rebuilt at Scott Lithgow in Greenock. Renamed Caledonia, she replaced MV Glen Sannox, on the Isle of Arran route, becoming the first roll-on roll-off ferry on this route.^[3] She soon proved too small for the route (as well as criticisms of her abilities, being replaced by MV Clansman) and was moved to Oban, until April 1988, when she was replaced by the larger MV Isle of Mull.

Purchased for conversion to a floating restaurant, she was laid up in Dundee until December 1988, when she was sold for service in Italy, as Heidi.^[3] In 2005, she sank at her moorings in Naples,^[3] she was re-floated and towed to Aliağa, Turkey for scrapping.^[4]

References