| Luce Bay | |
|---|---|
| Scotland | |
Aerial view of Luce Bay. Looking across the eastern part of Loch Ryan and over Stranraer. In the distance can also be seen the Isle of Man
| |
  Luce Bay Location of Luce Bay within Outer Hebrides Show map of Dumfries and Galloway Luce Bay Luce Bay (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 54°50′42″N 4°52′07″W / 54.845°N 4.8687°W / 54.845; -4.8687 |
| Type | Missile Range |
| Site information | |
| Owner | QinetiQ |
| Operator | Qinetiq |
| Controlled by |  Royal Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1930 (1930) |
| Airfield information | |
| Elevation | 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) AMSL |
Luce Bay is a large bayinWigtownshire in southern Scotland. The bay is 20 miles wide at its mouth and is bounded by the Rhins of Galloway to the west and the Machars to the east. The Scares are rocky islets at the mouth of the bay.
From the 1930s to the 1990s, it was a bombing range used for training purposes by RAF aircraft (and later allied aircraft on a leasing basis) based at West Freugh. Discharged bombs were retrieved by a retired minesweeper based at Drummore. It is still a licensed Ministry of Defence range with byelaws[1] restricting access during test and evaluation activities conducted by QinetiQ[2] on behalf of the MOD.
Once an important commercial fishery, Luce Bay is now seldom used for this purpose. It contains important marine and littoral life, and has been declared a Special Area of ConservationbyScottish Natural Heritage
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