68. Douglas Pier, Loch Goil. (NS 195 995)

The QinetiQ facility on Loch Goil is used for the trials of torpedoes and underwater test vehicles in the surrounding area, particularly on the noise range. 8 km long and 80m deep, the loch is used for static trials with ships or submarines moored to buoys. The range covers the northern half of the loch, and is used for measuring the acoustic signatures of surface and subsurface vessels. Static trials enable the measuring the acoustic contributions of particular machine systems on board the vessels as well as assessing active and passive sonar. The facilities at Douglas Pier, including Range control room, staff offices, conference facilities, workshops, stores and a jetty are operated all year round by a staff of 31 multi-disciplinary personnel. Sonar experiments have been undertaken in Loch Goil since the early 1940s.

Also on Loch Goil is a nuclear submarine Z-berth, consisting of two mooring buoys. It is one of the most frequently used in Scotland by nuclear submarines as submarines routinely go there to check for their mine signature.