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| Loch Doon | |
|---|---|
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  Loch Doon | |
| Location | Carrick |
| Coordinates | 55°15′00″N4°22′19″W / 55.250°N 4.372°W /55.250; -4.372 |
| Type | freshwaterloch |
| Primary outflows | River Doon |
| Basin countries | Scotland |
Loch Doon (Scottish Gaelic:Loch Dùin,pronounced[l̪ˠɔxˈt̪uːɲ]) is a freshwaterloch inCarrick, Scotland. TheRiver Doon issues from its northern end, while the loch itself receives waters from Gala Lane[1] andLoch Enoch (in theGalloway Hills) via Eglin Lane.
In the 13th century, it was a site ofBalloch Castle, owned by theEarls of Carrick. In theScottish Wars of Independence it was held by one Gille Brighde, SirGilbert de Carrick, anative Carrick nobleman who surrendered it to the English. It was soon recovered by the Scots. In the 15th century, it was frequently in the hands of theKennedy Clan, although it was briefly in the hands of theMaclellans (backed byWilliam Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas) after a siege in 1446. Thecastle was destroyed in the 16th century by KingJames V as part of a general policy of reducing the power of the barons.
In theFirst World War, there was a growing need to trainpilots andaircrew inaerial gunnery. Loch Doon was thought to be ideally suited for such an establishment with its surrounding steep hills being an ideal position for targetranges. Work began in September 1916 and anairfield,slipways, piers,jetties,seaplane hangars, tramways and other associated buildings erected. The remains of these can still be found on the Loch shore today.
The loch wasdammed in the 1930s, raising the water some 27 feet (8.2 m) to provide seasonal storage for theGalloway hydro-electric power scheme. As a reservoir, Loch Doon has an effective capacity of over 82 million cubic metres. When rainfall is plentiful, water is diverted to the loch from the Water of Deugh via a tunnel system. When water is required for power generation, water is released at Drumjohn to feed Kendoon power reservoir, the first in a series of generating stations andreservoirs on theWater of Ken.
During construction work, theruins of the castle were moved from anisland in the Loch to the shore to avoid the rising water.
Twoaircraft are known to have crashed in or near the Loch in theSecond World War.
On 18 March 1944F/O Roswell Murray MacTavish of439 Squadron,Royal Canadian Air Force was on a training flight fromRAF Heathfield inHawker Hurricane Mk. IV LD564 when it crashed into the forest beside the loch. MacTavish was killed and is buried in Ayr Cemetery.[2] Remains of the aircraft, including itsRolls-Royce Merlin engine, are still at the crash site.
On 25 October 1941F/O František Hekl ofNo. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF crashed aSpitfire Mk IIA into the loch on a solo training flight from RAF Heathfield. The Spitfire was serial number P7540, carrying the marking DU-W.[3]
An eyewitness saw the Spitfire flying low over the surface of the loch when Hekl banked the aircraft to starboard and its starboard wingtip caught the water surface. Hekl lost control and the aircraft broke up and sank, leaving only a patch of oil on the water. An RAF salvage crew brought a boat and spent several days trawling parts of the bed of the loch, but failed to find either the aircraft or Hekl's body.[4]
In 1977 the Dumfries branch of the Scottish Sub Aqua Club began a systematic search of the bed of the loch in the area where an eyewitness thought the aircraft had crashed. In 1979 several clubs from the Northern Federation of British Sub-Aqua Clubs joined the search, and Blackpool Sub-Aqua Club took over organisation of the project.[4]
The search was unsuccessful so in 1982 it was moved to a different area of the loch, where divers quickly found the Spitfire's tail and rear part of the fuselage. In subsequent dives other parts of the aircraft were found, scattered over a distance of 200 metres. Both wings were badly damaged, magnesium parts such as the undercarriage wheels had corroded away, but theMerlin Mk XII engine was recovered in good condition. Hekl's body was not found.[4]
The wreckage was moved toDumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum, where the aircraft was slowly restored and a pair of replica wings fitted.[4] Restoration to non-flying condition was completed in 2017.[5]
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