About the Village of Cairnryan

A small Scottish village overlooking Loch Ryan, Cairnryan is mostly known today for its large modern ferry port which opened in 1973, which links Scotland with Larne in Northern Ireland.

This attractive village of white-painted houses, once the homes of oyster fishermen, and a fine Queen Anne house is set against a green hillside.

During World War II, Cairnryan became a Military Port, and three harbour piers and a military railway linking the village with nearby Stranraer were built by the army.

One of the piers still remains and anglers still use it as its offers rich pickings for a variety of seafish.

At the end of the war, the Atlantic U-Boat fleet surrendered in Loch Ryan and was anchored in the port before being towed to the North Channel and scuttled. This activity was codenamed Operation Deadlight.

After the war, ship breaking became the main industry; the great British aircraft carriers Centaur, HMS Blake, HMS Eagle, HMS Mohawk and most famously the Ark Royal were all sent here for decommissioning. As recently as 1990, Russian submarines have been dismantled here for scrap.

Where is Cairnryan?

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