Originally posted by Canada_Rockies It looks very much like "The Lord" was manufactured to fit the locks (not lochs).
A wee bit of history on the vessel for you...
The cruise ship Lord of the Glens was built in Greece in 1985 and initially named "MS Victoria" (until September 1999). Between 1999-2000, the vessel was named "Victoria 2"
In 2000, Oliver Design worked with the Magna Carta Steamship Company, rebuilding a 1985 ferry then operating on the Aegean to operate as a small-format liner providing tourist cruises in Scotland. The “Lord of the Glens” is 46 metres in length by 10 in the beam and has a GRT of 729 tonnes. It has four decks and can accommodate 54 passengers and 20 crew. As well as this initial conversion work, Oliver Design also carried out rehabilitation and an upgrade in 2015.
The design challenge was to build a vessel that could transit the intricate waters of the Caledonian Canal as well as the sheltered waters around Scotland’s hauntingly beautiful fretted west coast.
The limiting factor being the size of the 36 locks (on the canal) each having a maximum dimension of 150 feet in length and 34 feet in width, with a depth of no more than 12 feet. Due to the width and meandering nature of the navigation, dual propulsion systems and bow thrusters are required to be controlled not only from the bridge but also from the side-wings of the vessel – this so that the Master is able to manoeuvre the ship into almost impossibly tight locks and around the many tortuous bends.