The boom and bust years of Arnish
29 June 2022
Much of Scotland’s recent history is defined by its industries, now a new BBC Alba documentary explores the ups and downs of Arnish -
The programme looks back at the “boom and bust” of Stornoway fabrication yard Arnish.
Told through the eyes of the men and women that worked at the Lewis site, which produced large steel structures for the oil industry, the documentary offers a vivid recollection of life at the yard and on the island at the time.
From welders and fabricators to office staff and nurses, Arnish is remembered in different ways, but largely fondly despite some challenging times.
Founded in 1974 with the backing of Norwegian company Olsen’s, headed up by shipping magnate Fred Olsen, Lewis Offshore heralded a boom for the local economy and changed the landscape of the Isle of Lewis forever.
At that point, the traditional industries of fishing and weaving were experiencing a downturn, but Arnish would change all that, bringing along with it seismic shifts socially, culturally and economically.
“It was like winning the lottery,” Callum C Macleod recalled.
For DL Smith, it was “the biggest thing that ever happened” in Lewis.
Building barges like Lonka and repurposing rigs such as Buchan Alpha for the North Sea oil industry, the business brought prosperity to the island.
Most of the participants in the documentary started at Arnish as apprentices, training at Lews Castle College and earning wages at the yard in excess of their peers.
The cash was spent in different ways, some electing to buy a brand new car, others built houses, while some would simply enjoy the burgeoning nightlife in Stornoway.
The place was booming, as Ian Jamieson describes: “Stornoway was like the Wild West on a Saturday night.”
The workers at Arnish were also picking up new skills and opportunities from their days in the yard.
Not only did the workers of Arnish benefit, the town and island as a whole grew to meet the demand of the large workforce.
New businesses opened, and others flourished, including the shop where all the workers got their distinct orange boiler suits, rigger boots and hard hats.
However, the late 80s brought tougher times as the orders dried up. The yard was under the new ownership of Dutch company Heerema, and the strike culture was emboldened.
Heerema would pull out of Arnish in 1988 before a local management buyout brought it back in 1990.
The oil industry declined again in 1998, but the renewable industry has offered another opportunity with Arnish taken over by Harland and Wolff in 2021.
Whatever comes next the memories and legacy of Arnish lives on.
Trusadh: Arnish, produced by MacTV, airs on Monday July 4 at 9pm.
Former Arnish workers John Macaskill, Ann Fraser and George Murray