Holy Loch
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The Holy Loch (Scottish Gaelic "An Loch Sianta/Seunta") is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Open to the Firth of Clyde at its eastern end, the loch is approximately one mile wide and between two and three miles long, varying with the tide. The town of Dunoon on the Cowal peninsula lies on the shores of the Clyde just to the south of the loch, and houses continue round the villages of Kirn, Hunter's Quay at the point with the landing slip for Western Ferries, Ardnadam and past Lazarette point the village of Sandbank, with open countryside at the end of the loch, then on the northern shore Kilmun, and at Strone Point the village of Strone continues round to the western shore of the Clyde, almost joining Blairmore on Loch Long.
All the villages used to have piers served by Clyde steamers, and now Western Ferries runs between Hunter's Quay and McInroy's Point on the outskirts of Gourock, while the Caledonian MacBrayne service runs from Dunoon to Gourock pierhead. At the end of the loch a road runs past the Benmore Botanic Garden and Arboretum (also known as the Younger Botanic Gardens) to scenic Loch Eck and on towards Oban.
During World War II the loch was used by the Royal Navy as a submarine base, served by the depot ship Forth. An anti-submarine boom was constructed between Dunoon and the Cloch Point Lighthouse to defend waters from German U-boats. The loch was used extensively for trials and exercises by Royal Navy submarines during the Second World War, the submarines Vandal and Untamed still lie at the bottom of the loch having been lost in accidents during exercises.
Between 1960 and 1992, the Holy Loch was the site of a United States Navy base and home to the Polaris nuclear fleet. As a result, it was the location of frequent demonstrations by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and others opposed to the siting of nuclear arms on UK territory.
The name Holy Loch is believed to date from the 6th century when Saint Munn landed there after leaving Ireland.
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