The John Murray

The John Murray was an original sonar search vessel built by The Loch Ness and Morar Project in 1981, having been transported from England as a ‘flat pack. It was a practical and innovative design based upon Adrian Shine’s ‘Keleck flotilla’ system of inflatable catamaran sponsons and plywood deckings for different purposes.
 John Murray was built for day and night sonar patrols along Loch Ness. She used a Ford Anglia van engine when travelling against the wind. For downwind patrols, the forward cabin pivoted the vessel before the wind instead of wallowing broadside like conventional vessels when not under power. 
Inside the cabin, the crew monitored a ‘searchlight’ sonar scanning around the vessel. Small, tinted windows reduced glare during the day, while red lighting was used at night to preserve the crew's night vision. The crew changed every 12 hours from a tented base camp.
One of the John Murray's first missions was supporting a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) survey of a crash landed WWII Wellington bomber. The sonar contacts made by the John Murray became the foundation for more detailed research throughout the 1980s.
In 1984, Adrian Shine and his team developed another version of the inflatable platform called the Monitor. Unlike the John Murray, in 1984 it remained anchored in one position over the 200-metre-deep southern basin of Loch Ness, where it carried out continuous sonar monitoring and water sampling for a month. Its smaller cabin reduced the effect of the wind, while bright orange ends made it visible to passing shipping using the Caledonian Canal.