On the 26th of November, 1912, a severe storm hit the West Coast of Scotland. Tuesday 26th November 1912 started off with high winds which quickly gathered in strength, and as the sea rose, sections of the coastal towns were flooded long before high tide was reached at 12.48pm.
In Millport, the force of the wind drove huge waves of water over the seawall at Stuart Street, damaging it in several places. The pavement in front of the damaged seawall and the main road through the town were strewn with boulders and bits of masonry. One of the benches along the seafront was carried away by the sea.
The shops along Stuart Street fared badly. Several shop windows were broken enabling the seawater to flood the shops up to a level of three feet, destroying hundreds of pounds worth of stock. Houses along the seafront faced a similar fate. At the Garrison, the force of the water swept the sand off the beach depositing it in piles outside the Garrison walls. The floor of the Old Pier was ripped up, but the structure held. Keppel Pier was also damaged. Communication with the outside world ceased when the telegraph lines were brought down.
The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry couldn’t make Wemyss Bay after it had departed Millport and had to land at Gourock Pier instead. The Arran ferry also had to land its passengers at Gourock with the Captain reporting that the seas were so rough that it had been too dangerous to land at Ardrossan Harbour.
At Fairlie, the recently rebuilt breakwater at Fairlie House was washed away by the severity of the storm and the concrete pathway in front of Rockhaven was badly damaged. At Allanton Park Terrace the houses were flooded, and the garden fences demolished. At Largs, huge waves broke along the shoreline. Both Bath Street and the Quayhead were flooded, and the surface of the Bowen Craig walk was badly damaged. Roofs and chimneys throughout the town were damaged and windows blown in. The force of the storm brought down the telephone and telegraph wires, cutting off communication.