Created in 1973 with the amalgamation of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. and David MacBrayne, CalMac’s black hulls and white toppings have been a common sight on the Clyde estuary, sailing to the Western Isles and on numerous short crossings in the western Highlands. So widely does the company operate in the west of Scotland that it has even been immortalised in song. Starting with much old tonnage, the fleet has been updated over the past decades with more new ships due to come into service, and now comprises some very modern shipping, still sailing to the Western Isles, through the wonderful landscape of the western Highlands and to Arran, Bute and Cumbrae. This book, the follow-up to Alistair Deayton’s illustrated histories of David MacBrayne and the Caledonian Steam Packet, tells the story of CalMac, from its inception to the present day.

Alistair Deayton is a well known author and an acknowledged expert on West Coast steamers. He has written numerous books on the subject including the hugely important Directory of Clyde Paddle Steamers. He lives in Glasgow.