Loch Doon (, ) is a freshwater loch in Carrick, Scotland. The River Doon issues from its northern end, while the loch itself receives waters from Gala Lane and Loch Enoch (in the Galloway Hills) via Eglin Lane. History In the 13th century, it was a site of Balloch Castle, owned by the Earls of Carrick. In the Scottish Wars of Independence it was held by one Gille Brighde, Sir Gilbert de Carrick, a native Carrick nobleman who surrendered it to the English. It was soon recovered by the Scots. In the 15th century, it was frequently in the hands of the Kennedy Clan, although it was briefly in the hands of the Maclellans (backed by William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas) after a siege in 1446. The castle was destroyed in the 16th century by King James V as part of a general policy of reducing the power of the barons. In the First World War, there was a growing need to train pilots and aircrew in aerial gunnery. Loch Doon was thought to be ideally suited for such an establishment with its surrounding steep hills being an ideal position for target ranges. Work began in September 1916 and an airfield, slipways, piers, jetties, seaplane hangars, tramways and other associated buildings erected. The remains of these can still be found on the Loch shore today. The loch was dammed in the 1930s, raising the water some to provide seasonal storage for the Galloway hydro-electric power scheme. As a reservoir, Loch Doon has an effective capacity of over 82 million cubic metres. When rainfall is plentiful, water is diverted to the loch from the Water of Deugh via a tunnel system. When water is required for power generation, water is released at Drumjohn to feed Kendoon power reservoir, the first in a series of generating stations and reservoirs on the Water of Ken. During construction work, the ruins of the castle were moved from an island in the Loch to the shore to avoid the rising water. Air crashes Two aircraft are known to have crashed in or near the Loch in the Second World War. On 18 March 1944 F/O Roswell Murray MacTavish of 439 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force was on a training flight from RAF Heathfield in Hawker Hurricane Mk. IV LD564 when it crashed into the forest beside the loch. MacTavish was killed and is buried