Machir Bay
| Machir Bay | ||
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 View over Machir Bay |
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| Waters | Scottish Sea | |
| Land mass | Rhinns of Islay | |
| Geographical location | 55 ° 46 ′ 40 " N , 6 ° 28 ′ 10" W | |
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| width | 2.8 km | |
| depth | 1.2 km | |
| Tributaries | Allt na Criche, Allt Gleann na Ceardaich | |
 Rocky coastline with the sandy beach in the background |
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The Machir Bay is a bay on the west coast of the Scottish Hebridean island of Islay . It is located on the Rhinns of Islay peninsula in the southwest of the island a few hundred meters west of the small scattered settlement Kilchoman . At the entrance, the bay, which cuts about 1.2 km into the country, is 2.8 km wide. In the north the bay is bounded by Cape Coul Point . The north and south coasts of Machir Bay are usually rocky, but at the head the bay ends in a sandy beach area. Several small streams flow into Machir Bay along the coastline. Worthy of note are from Loch Gorm flowing Allt na Criche and the Allt Gleann na Ceardaich , both open out at the head of the bay. Kilchiaran Bay begins a few hundred meters south .
Surroundings
Although the area around Machir Bay is almost uninhabited today, it has been inhabited for a long time. In the southeast of the bay are the remains of two duns . One is on a rocky hill near the coast not far from the old Kilchoman- Kilchiaran road . The enclosed area covers an area of 20 m × 13 m. Of the approximately 3.5 m thick masonry, little more can be seen today than the grass-covered foundation walls. The second dun is also on a hill. Its 3.5 m thick outer walls essentially follow the naturally given shape and enclose an approximately circular area with a diameter of 13 m. The 1.5 m wide entrance is located in the west-northwest. There are also remains of an outer wall and other outdoor facilities, but the property has not been sufficiently archaeologically developed to allow a general overview.
A few hundred meters west of the bay are the ruins of Kilchoman Church . The construction of the currently visible church building was completed in 1827. However, there was a previous building from the 14th century. Since Kilchoman is one of the Christian centers in Scotland, there are also indications of its use dating back further than an early Christian site.
Shipping accidents
Numerous ship accidents occurred on the rocks of Machir Bay. The most famous event is probably the sinking of the Otranto . On October 6, 1918, as a military clashed auxiliary cruiser acting Otranto in adverse conditions with Kashmir , got list and finally crashed on the rocks of Machir Bay. This accident, which claimed 431 lives, was one of the most serious convoy accidents of the First World War . La Plata, from Norway , also crashed into a list on November 16, 1888 in Machir Bay. The cause was a load shift due to insufficient load securing. Three crew members died. From Palermo Dating Stella was by strong winds on their trip to Greenock driven on 18 November 1835 in the Machir Bay and ran there on reason. Parts of the loaded wine could be saved.
Individual evidence
- ^ Entry in the Gazetteer for Scotland
- ↑ Entry on Islay Traigh in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- ↑ Entry on Dun Chroisprig in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- ↑ Entry on Kilchoman Church in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- ↑ Entry on Otranto in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- ↑ Entry on La Plata in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
- ↑ Entry on Stella in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)