Leith,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6JJ
The Royal Yacht Britannia first launched in 1953 was the official seafaring vessel of Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family for over four decades. Used for state visits, royal vacations, and diplomatic trips, the vessel is now a popular tourist attraction moored in Edinburgh where it offers a fascinating glimpse into royal life.
Throughout its working life, the Royal Yacht Britannia was the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II during her overseas tours, sailing over one million miles around the world while promoting British interests abroad.
The vessel is now kept in immaculate condition by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust and is open year-round for visitors to follow in the footsteps of world leaders as they explore the royal’s private quarters and the below-deck rooms. Self-guided audio tours will take you to every nook and cranny of this enormous ship while information panels explain what life would have been like on board the vessel in its heyday.
There’s also an excellent restaurant onboard on the upper deck as well as a gift shop in the visitor centre, and as Britannia is moored alongside Ocean Terminal you can easily visit the restaurants, shops, and cinema that the waterfront shopping complex has to offer.
1: The Royal Yacht Britannia served as the floating residence of the British Royal Family for over 40 years. Exploring this iconic vessel gives you a unique opportunity to delve into the fascinating maritime history of the Royal Family and discover the stories behind their voyages and state visits.
2: The Royal Yacht Britannia has been meticulously preserved since its decommissioning in 1997. As you explore the ship, you’ll be able to view the opulent interiors which include the State Apartments, the Royal Bedrooms, and the impressive Royal Deck Tea Room.
3: The Royal Yacht Britannia is located in the historic port of Leith, just a short distance from Edinburgh’s city centre. The yacht is docked permanently, allowing visitors to soak in the waterfront views while they explore the vessel. After your visit, you can take a walk to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of Leith with its charming shops and restaurants.
1: Although the tickets are a wee bit pricey there’s a lot to see so you’ll spend a good 2-3 hours on Britannia. While the tickets are expensive if you only make one visit, they allow unlimited re-entry for one year, so keep hold of them in case you decide to return another day.
2: Ocean Terminal is a nice shopping centre with a cinema and several cafes and restaurants. You could easily stretch your Britannia visit to last most of the day if you use those facilities.
3: If you want to explore the city centre after a visit to Britannia take Lothian Bus services 11, 22, 34, 35 and 36. Highlights of Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle (obviously), Calton Hill , The Scott Monument , Holyrood Park and Holyrood Palace .
The ship is entered via the visitor centre in Ocean Terminal which is situated on the top floor of the shopping mall. As you walk around Britannia’s five main decks on a self-guided tour you can listen to an audio guide that explains what life was like on board not only for the royal inhabitants but also for the Royal Navy crew that manned it during its voyages.
Starting at the bridge you pass through the state apartments, the crew quarters, and the engine room before finally reaching the racing yacht Bloodhound which is part of an interesting royal sailing exhibition.
There are many highlights of this ship that all family members will enjoy – including the huge state banquet room with its massive dining table and the gleaming Rolls Royce Phantom that used to travel on the ship along with the Royal Family.
If you fancy a wee treat you can pick up some delicious homemade fudge in the NAAFI sweet shop. but make sure you leave enough room for the Royal Deck Tea Room where you can sample top-notch Scottish cuisine as well as coffee and sandwiches. The entry ticket includes free re-admittance for one year so if you ever go back to Ocean Terminal you could always take another visit just for the restaurant.
Britannia was built at the Clydebank shipyards near Glasgow and successfully launched in 1953, with its maiden voyage to Malta beginning in 1954. During its time at sea, Britannia was manned by volunteers from the Royal Navy, some of whom liked it so much they served onboard for over 20 years.
Whenever royalty was on the vessel a full troop of Royal Marines accompanied them, and during this time they would have sailed around the globe several times as the royal family undertook their ambassadorial duties in almost every nation on earth. Britannia also performed services as an aid ship, evacuating over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Aden in 1986, and was ready to be converted into a hospital ship at a moment’s notice.
Britannia was eventually decommissioned in 1997 after mounting political pressure regarding the cost of maintenance made its continued use impossible. The ship was finally tied up at Ocean Terminal where The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust was set up to look after it. Today, more than 300,000 people visit the Royal Yacht Britannia each year, making it one of the top five tourist attractions in Scotland.
Check out the Britannia Visitor Centre : Start your visit at the Britannia Visitor Centre located in Ocean Terminal. There, you can discover Britannia’s fascinating history through exhibits and photographs before you step aboard the yacht itself.
Explore the Royal Yacht Britannia : Step aboard the British monarch’s former floating palace and explore the state apartments, crew’s quarters, and engine room. This magnificent ship offers a unique glimpse into royal life at sea thanks to audio guides which are included in the ticket price.
Tea at The Royal Deck Tea Room : After your tour, unwind at the Royal Deck Tea Room. Enjoy traditional teas, delicious cakes, sandwiches, and spectacular views of the docks and the Firth of Forth . It’s a great way to reflect on your visit to Britannia before deciding where to go next.
Attend a Special Event : The Royal Yacht Britannia hosts a variety of events throughout the year, from Hogmanay celebrations to Burn’s Night suppers . To see which events are coming up next, head to the official Royal Yacht Britannia website .
Visit The Gift Shop : You cannot miss Britannia’s gift shop in Ocean Terminal which offers a wide range of exclusive gifts and souvenirs. From royal memorabilia to nautical-themed toys, you’re bound to find the perfect memento for your visit.
Ocean Terminal . 74 Ocean Dr., Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ. 2-minute walk. A large shopping centre that’s one of the first arrival points for ships sailing into the Firth of Forth. Ocean Terminal contains a collection of restaurants, coffee shops, and department stores.
Leith . 8-minute walk. A vibrant and historic area of Edinburgh that is renowned for its trendy bars and restaurants. Leith is architecturally significant for the number of restored Victorian warehouses that line Commercial Street and Bernard Street. Some of Scotland’s best restaurants are located in Leith, including The Kitchin and Wishart.
The Water of Leith . Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6HE. 11-minute walk. A walkway that runs for 12 miles from the Colzium Hills outside of Edinburgh to Leith. The majority of the path is set on quiet pavement that runs alongside the river. Much loved by locals for its wildlife.
Leith Links . 4 Links Gardens, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 8AA. 18-minute walk. Informal gardens and a play park that was historically a golf course but has been revamped into a recreation area.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society . The Vaults, 87 Giles St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BZ. 13-minute walk. The Vaults is the main site for the SMWS in Edinburgh. Visitors can sample a range of quality single malt whiskies as well as gins and rums, along with optional expert-led tasting sessions.
Where is the royal yacht britannia berthed.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is berthed at Leith Port in Edinburgh, next to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre. Ocean Terminal is a 15-minute drive from Edinburgh city centre, and the Royal Yacht Britannia Visitor Centre is on the second floor. Address: Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6JJ.
No, the British Royal Family does not currently have a yacht. The last royal yacht was the HMY Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 and is now a museum ship in Edinburgh.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is owned and managed by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997 due to maintenance costs and changing politics which meant the yacht was considered unnecessary. It was estimated in 1996 that a refit would cost £17 million and would only prolong the ship’s life for an additional 5 years.
Craig Neil is the author, photographer, admin, and pretty much everything else behind Out About Scotland. He lives near Edinburgh and spends his free time exploring Scotland and writing about his experiences. Follow him on Pinterest , Facebook , and YouTube .
It doesn't get more majestic than Queen Elizabeth II's yacht.
Seventy years ago, the Britannia began its journey as the royal yacht for Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. Over the next 44 years she’d travel more than a million nautical miles and, in all her glamour and old world elegance, served as a residence that welcomed state visits from all over the world and family holidays alike. Then and now, she was and is a majestic symbol of the British Commonwealth and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II .
“Britannia is special for a number of reasons,” Prince Phillip once said. “Almost every previous sovereign has been responsible for building a church, a castle, a palace or just a house. The only comparable structure in the present reign is Britannia. As such she is a splendid example of contemporary British design and technology.”
Although she retired from service in 1997, today the Britannia, one of many of the world's grandest yachts , is docked in Edinburgh, where she is open as a visitors’ attraction and host of private events. Below we give you all the Royal Yacht Britannia facts you might want to know, from who owns the yacht now to why she was decommissioned to how fast she is to how to get tickets to visit. Britannia was, after all, the one place the queen said she could “truly relax,” so why not see why for yourself?
On February 4, 1952, John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, received the order from the Admiralty to build a new Royal Yacht to travel the globe and double as a hospital ship in times of war, according to the royal yacht's website . King George VI passed away two days after, sadly, and so on April 16, 1953, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II announced the yacht’s new name as the ship was revealed.
"I name this ship Britannia,” she said. “I wish success to her and all who sail in her." Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy in January 1954 and by April of that year sailed into her first overseas port: Grand Harbour, Malta.
The queen and The Duke of Edinburgh worked with interior designer Sir Hugh Casson for the ship to serve as both a functional Royal Navy vessel and an elegant royal residence. Queen Elizabeth II selected deep blue for Britannia’s hull, instead of the more traditional black. Its Naval crew included 220 Yachtsmen, 20 officers, and three season officers—plus a Royal Marines Band of 26 men during Royal Tours.
All of them might have had to change uniform up to six times a day, so the laundry service on board worked nonstop. The yacht also engaged in British overseas trade missions known as Sea Days and made an estimated £3 billion for the Exchequer between 1991 and 1995 alone.
The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, also named Britannia, according to Boat International , and the 126-meter ship could reach speeds of 22.75 knots, or a seagoing cruising speed of 21 knots, according to Super Yacht Times . Other fun facts: The yacht could produce her own fresh water from sea water, and shouting was forbidden aboard to preserve tranquility, favoring hand signals for Naval orders instead.
Over the next 44 years, the Britannia would sail the equivalent of once around the world for each year, in total visiting 600 ports in 135 countries. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones were the first of four couples to honeymoon on the ship in 1960, gifting them all privacy to sail to secluded locations. Prince Charles and Princess Diana followed in 1981 on the Mediterranean as well as Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips before them in 1973 in the Caribbean and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 in the Azores.
For family vacations aboard the ship, games, treasure hunts, plays, and picnics were organized, and on warm days the children could play in an inflatable paddling pool on the Verandah Deck.
In the Sun Lounge, the queen especially enjoyed taking breakfast and afternoon tea with views through large picture windows, a space you can see replicated in the TV show The Crown. Although no filming took place on board the Britannia for the show, researchers ensured scenes aboard it were accurate. In the queen’s bedroom, the resemblance is seen down to the decorative wall light fittings and embroidered silk panel above her bed that had been specially commissioned.
In 1997, the ship was decommissioned after the government decided the costs to refit it would be too great. On its final day in her service that followed a farewell tour around the U.K., the queen openly wept as the Band of HM Royal Marines played "Highland Cathedral."
"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," Queen Elizabeth II said. All clocks on the ship stopped at 15:01, the exact time the Queen disembarked from the yacht for the final time, and they would remain at that time until the present.
Today the yacht is owned by Royal Yacht Britannia Trus t, and all revenue it generates goes to the yacht’s maintenance and preservation. Ticketed entry allows you to step into state rooms like the Sun Lounge, the State Dining Room and State Drawing Room, in addition to the working side of the ship in the Crew’s Quarters, Laundry and gleaming Engine Room. Along the way you will see original artifacts from the shop—95 percent of which is on loan from The Royal Collection.
You can visit the Britannia any day of the year on Edinburgh’s waterfront. Hours vary by season, and you can find them listed and purchase tickets on the yacht’s website . Private tours are also available, and you can visit the Royal Deck Tearoom, where the Royal Family hosted cocktail parties and receptions, for drinks, meals and scones. Additionally, the Britannia hosts special ticketed events for New Year’s and other occasions, and event spaces can be booked as well.
While you are in Edinburgh, you can also stay on the Fingal , a neighboring yacht-turned-floating-hotel, which is a seven-minute walk from the Britannia, and dine at its Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar, which serves breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner, and cocktails.
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From humanitarian missions to hosting royal honeymoons, the HMS Britannia has a fascinating history serving the British Royal Family for over four decades. When she was decommissioned in 1997, Queen Elizabeth II shed a tear in a rare display of emotion. The occasion marked the end of long succession for royal yachts dating back to the reign of Charles II. As the country prepares to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee, we remember her beloved Britannia .
Britannia was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father and was launched from John Brown & Co. Ltd - the shipyard that built the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary cruise liners - in 1953. However, there was to be no traditional Champagne-smashing against her bow. In a post-war Britain, Champagne was considered too extravagant so instead, a bottle of Empire wine was selected to do the honours at her official launch ceremony.
Unlike her predecessors, Britannia possessed a more modern profile with a clipper bow and cruiser stern. The ship was designed with three masts: a 41-metre foremast, a 42-metre mainmast, and 36 metre mizzenmast. The last six metres of the main mast were placed on a hinge so she could pass under bridges.
Between family vacations and official tours, Britannia logged over one million nautical miles, which roughly equates to one trip around the world for each of her 44 years in service.
The ship’s wheel was taken from King Edward VII’s racing yacht, a 37-metre gaff-rigged cutter also named Britannia . She was a near sistership to Valkyrie II which challenged for the 1893 America's Cup, and won over 230 races in her lifetime. At the end of her life she was stripped of her spars and fittings - the wheel was saved and fitted on Britannia
The engine room was hyper-clean Rumour has it that the engine room on Britannia was kept in such pristine condition that any visitors were made to wipe their feet on a door mat before entering.
A number of royal couples chose to spend their honeymoons on Britannia given its privacy and security. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones started the trend with a six-week sail between Mustique, Trinidad and Antigua, followed by Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, and Princess Diana and Prince Charles. The royal apartments were located on the shelter deck with access to a large veranda.
During royal tours, Britannia was manned by 220 yachtsmen, 21 officers and three season officers and a Royal Marine band of 26 on royal tours. Up until the 1970s, the crew had a daily ration of rum and she was the last Royal Navy vessel to have the crew sleep in hammocks.
Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in times of war. Although she was never used in this capacity, she did assist in the evacuation of refugees during the South Yemen civil war. The drawing room was used as a temporary dormitory for the evacuees.
It was common for officers to send junior crew off on a fool’s errand to search for a single "golden rivet". It became a right of passage and engrained in maritime folklore. During a state visit, so the story goes, the Queen had caught wind of this elusive rivet and was keen to see it for herself, so the crew found some gold leaf and hastily created a golden rivet to present to Her Majesty.
HMS Britannia was officially retired from royal service in 1997. Britannia is now permanently berthed in Edinburgh and has been converted into a museum. To this day, all the clocks on board remained stopped on 3.01pm which is the exact time the Queen last disembarked the vessel.
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28 nov 2022.
The 83rd and last in a long line of royal yachts, HMY Britannia has become one of the most famous ships in the world. Now permanently moored at Edinburgh’s Port of Leith, the floating palace is a visitor attraction welcoming some 300,000 people aboard each year.
For Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia was the ideal residence for state visits and peaceful royal family holidays and honeymoons. For the British public, Britannia was a symbol of Commonwealth. For the 220 naval officers who lived aboard Britannia , and the royal family, the 412-foot-long yacht was home.
Having travelled more than a million nautical miles over 44 years of service to the British Crown, Her Majesty’s beloved boat was decommissioned in 1997. Here are 10 facts about life aboard HMY Britannia.
Champagne is traditionally smashed against a ship’s hull during launching ceremonies. However, in a post-war climate champagne was seen as too frivolous, so a bottle of Empire wine was used instead.
Britannia launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland.
King George VI , Elizabeth II’s father, had first commissioned the royal yacht that would become Britannia in 1952. The previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria and was rarely used. The tradition of royal yachts had been started by Charles II in 1660.
George decided that the Royal Yacht Britannia should both be a regal vessel as well as a functional one.
Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although that function was never used. Additionally, as part of the Cold War plan Operation Candid, in the event of nuclear war the ship would become a refuge off the north-west coast of Scotland for the Queen and Prince Philip.
She carried Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Malta to meet the Queen and Prince Philip at the end of the royal couple’s Commonwealth tour. The Queen stepped aboard Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 1 May 1954.
Over the next 43 years, Britannia would transport the Queen, members of the Royal Family and various dignitaries on some 696 foreign visits.
The HMY Britannia on a visit by the Queen to Canada in 1964
Image Credit: Royal Canadian Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In July 1959, Britannia sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway to Chicago where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the city. US President Dwight Eisenhower hopped aboard Britannia for part of the journey.
In later years, Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton would also step aboard. Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981.
After 365 days’ service, crew members could be admitted to the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen (‘Yotties’) and serve until they either chose to leave or were dismissed. As a result, some yachtsmen served on Britannia for over 20 years.
The crew also included a detachment of Royal Marines, who would dive underneath the ship each day while moored away from home to check for mines or other threats.
The ‘sea daddies’ were primarily tasked with looking after the children and keeping them entertained (games, picnics and water fights) during voyages. They also oversaw the children’s chores, including cleaning the life rafts.
The yacht had a total of three galley kitchens where Buckingham Palace ‘s chefs prepared meals. Among these galleys was a chilled room called the ‘Jelly Room’ for the sole purpose of storing royal children’s jellied desserts.
The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. In 1994, another expensive refit for the ageing vessel was proposed. Whether or not to refit or commission a new royal yacht entirely came down to the election result of 1997. With repairs at a proposed cost of £17 million, Tony Blair’s new Labour government were unwilling to commit public funds to replace Britannica.
HMY Britannia in 1997, London
Image Credit: Chris Allen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In December 1997, Britannia was officially decommissioned. The clocks have been kept at 3:01pm – the exact moment the Queen went ashore for the last time following the ship’s decommissioning ceremony, during which the Queen shed a rare public tear.
The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ
Tel: 0131 555 5566 Email us: [email protected]
Please pre-book your tickets to guarantee admission
Britannia was the first Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity and designed as a Royal residence to entertain guests around the world. When she was decommissioned in 1997, it marked the end of a long tradition of British Royal Yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.
There is additional information about Britannia's specifications and construction contained in the technical paper .
Britannia's predecessor was the Victoria & Albert III - the first Royal Yacht not to be powered by sail. It was built for Queen Victoria, but she never stepped on board, concerned about the yacht's stability. King Edward VII did sail on the Victoria & Albert, mainly in local waters and the Mediterranean. Having served four sovereigns over 38 years and not left Northern Europe since 1911, the Victoria & Albert was decommissioned in 1939. She was eventually broken up for scrap at Faslane in 1954
It was decided that a new Royal Yacht should be commissioned that could travel the globe and double as a hospital ship in time of war. It was also hoped a convalescence cruise would help the King's ailing health. The John Brown & Co shipyard in Clydebank received the order from the Admiralty for a new ship on 4 February, 1952. Sadly King George VI passed away two days later. Not only did Queen Elizabeth II now have to prepare for her new role, but she also had responsibility for the commissioning of the new Royal Yacht.
John Brown & Co was one of the most famous shipyards in the world, having built the famous liners Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. The keel of the new, as yet unnamed, Royal Yacht was laid down in June 1952. One of the last fully-riveted ships to be built with a remarkably smooth painted hull, she was finally ready to be launched on 16 April, 1953. The ship's name was a closely guarded secret, only being revealed when Queen Elizabeth II smashed a bottle of Empire wine (Champagne was considered too extravagant in post-war Britain) and announced to the expectant crowds "I name this ship Britannia… I wish success to her and all who sail in her". You can read more about getting Britannia ready for Royal service by downloading Letters from a Fish to his Admiral (below), a series of notes and letters written by Acting Captain J S Dalglish, the Officer in charge of commissioning Britannia. John Brown continued as a shipyard until they sadly closed in 2001.
After the launch, Britannia's building work continued as her funnel and masts were installed, before beginning sea trials on 3 November 1953 off the West Coast of Scotland. On successful completion, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 11 January 1954. On 22 April, Britannia sailed into her first overseas port as she entered Grand Harbour, Malta. During 44 years in Royal service Britannia sailed the equivalent of once round the world for each year, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries, including the United States of America, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Britannia was an ideal Royal honeymoon venue. The Royal Yacht was very private and could sail to secluded locations. Four Royal honeymoons were enjoyed on board, Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones being the first in 1960.
As well as hosting state functions, Britannia was an ambassador for British business, promoting trade and industry around the globe. These British overseas trade missions were known as ‘Sea Days’ and an invitation to come aboard proved irresistible to the world’s leading business and political figures. The Overseas Trade Board estimated that £3 billion was made for the Exchequer as a result of commercial days on Britannia between 1991 and 1995 alone.
At 20:00 on 17 January 1986, the Yacht dropped anchor at Khormaksar Beach. Civil war had broken out in South Yemen and ships were urgently required to evacuate British nationals and others trapped by fighting. As a non-combatant Royal Navy ship, Britannia would be able to enter territorial waters without further inflaming the conflict.
"Looking back over forty-four years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction." - Queen Elizabeth II. View the entire Paying-Off Ceremony letter below.
After arriving in Leith, Edinburgh on 5 May 1998, The Royal Yacht Britannia opened as a visitor attraction on the 19 October 1998.
The Royal Yacht Britannia, now a five-star visitor attraction and exclusive evening events venue, celebrated welcoming 5 million visitors since opening in 1998.
In January 2019, our luxury floating hotel Fingal opened to the public. Fingal, a former Northern Lighthouse Board tender, had undergone a £5 million development to become a 22 cabin five-star floating hotel, berthed moments away from Britannia. In September 2023, Fingal was awarded AA Hotel of the Year Scotland.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was voted Tripadvisor's No.1 UK Attraction 2023. What a wonderful accolade for our team who passionately provide a five-star customer experience to ensure each and every visitor has a memorable time on board. Britannia had previously been awarded this prestigious accolade in 2014.
19 October 2023 marks 25 wonderful years since Britannia opened to the public as a visitor attraction. During this time we have welcomed over 7 million visitors, a brilliant milestone to mark the occasion. We thank each and every visitor who has stepped aboard and look forward to welcoming many more to share our history.
TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK ATTRACTION 2023 - 2024
The Royal Yacht Britannia is scheduled to be closed 7 – 10 October for planned building works out with our control.
Click on the Visit page for more information before you visit.
Step aboard to enjoy a great day out!
Get away from the everyday aboard Britannia’s sister ship, Fingal. Extend your visit with a stay in one of Fingal’s luxurious cabins, your own oasis by the sea.
TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK LUXURY HOTEL TRIPADVISOR'S NO.1 UK SMALL & BOUTIQUE HOTEL AA Hotel of the Year Scotland, AA five-star hotel and 2 AA Rosettes
Learn more: fingal.co.uk
Queen Elizabeth’s farewell to the Royal Yacht in 1997 was one of the only occasions in her 70-year-reign that Her Majesty publicly shed a tear.
Almost 25 years ago, HMY Britannia left Portsmouth for a farewell tour around the UK . It went to six major ports across the UK, including Glasgow.
Why was the Royal Yacht Britannia decommissioned and where is it today?
The Royal Yacht was decommissioned in 1994 by John Major’s Government because “the costs were too great”, according to the official website.
The decision was made after the Royal Yacht was used for a long and successful journey spanning 44 years and travelling more than one million miles across the globe.
The issue of a new royal yacht became a political issue in the run-up to the 1997 General Election, when the new Labour Government came into power.
After the election, Tony Blair’s Government confirmed in October 1997 there would be no replacement for Britannia.
It marked the end of a long tradition of British royal yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.
Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland .
Today, the Royal yacht is open to curious visitors and welcomes more than 300,000 visits each year.
Britannia was launched in 1953 from the John Brown and Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland .
Its purpose was to serve the Royal Family and it was the first to be built with complete ocean-going capacity, designed as a royal residence to entertain guests around the world.
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For more than 44 years, it travelled more than one million miles with Her Majesty for state visits, official receptions, royal honeymoons, and relaxing family holidays.
Britannia quickly became one of the most famous ships in the world and now stands as a majestic symbol of Great Britain.
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The Royal Yacht, according to Her Majesty, was “the one place where I can truly relax.”
But Britannia was far more than a posh royal cruise liner. She was a showcase for cutting-edge naval engineering and the first royal yacht that could do double duty as a floating hospital in wartime, if necessary. In 1986, for instance, she rescued more than 1,000 refugees from South Yemen. Over the course of her 44 years in service, Britannia facilitated 968 official visits and traveled over one million nautical miles.
She was also, of course, a time capsule of the best British design of the time, in terms of both technological prowess and decoration. Read on for more about the ship’s history, and where the Royal Yacht Britannia is now (hint: You can visit !).
This history of royal liners goes back centuries. In fact, Britannia was the 83rd royal yacht; the first, HMY Mary, was constructed in 1660 by the Dutch East India Company and given as a gift to Charles II. Britannia ’s predecessor, Victoria & Albert III, was completed in 1901 and used by Edward II up through George VI, but was decommissioned in 1939 and eventually broken up as scrap. A new yacht was commissioned on February 4, 1952, in an effort to help King George VI’s health, according to the Royal Yacht Britannia museum, but the king died just two days later. The task to oversee the construction of the new yacht, then, fell on the young Queen Elizabeth II.
Britannia was designed by John Brown & Co., the same marine engineering firm that built the RMS Lusitania and the Queen Mary. Construction on Britannia began in June 1952, and she was launched in a ceremony on April 16, 1953. The young queen didn’t reveal the name of the liner until her televised address in which she proudly stated before roaring crowds, “I name this ship Britannia .” Notably, a bottle of wine as opposed to the more traditional Champagne, was smashed across the ship’s bow during the christening—Champagne would have been much too ostentatious amid postwar austerity.
According to a technical paper presented to the Institution of Naval Architects in the spring of 1954, the royal and state apartments were to be on par with those of a first-class ocean liner. “The suitability of the decorative design and the furnishing of the Royal and State apartments has, of course, been very important,” the paper noted.
At first, Patrick McBride of the Glasgow, Scotland–based firm, McInnes Gardner & Partners, was selected to design the interiors, but the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh rejected those plans, deeming them too lavish, according to the Royal Yacht Britannia museum. Sir Hugh Casson, the director of architecture at the 1951 Festival of Britain, was the perfect candidate, with his modern eye and lack of ostentation. The design, the architect later wrote in his diary, “was really running a lawn mower over the Louis XVIl adornments. I was going to concentrate on one-color carpet throughout, which was sort of lilac/gray, and all the walls would be white. The only enrichments would be a bit of gilding in grand places.”
Working with Casson, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were highly involved, giving input for everything ranging from the furniture (much of it salvaged from the vessel’s predecessor, Victoria & Albert III , as another way to appear thrifty) to the ship’s blue exterior paint, inspired by the Duke of Edinburgh’s racing yacht, Bluebottle. Apartments featured a design like an elegant-yet-muted English country house, filled with floral sofas and antiques. The state drawing room could accommodate up to 250 guests. The Queen’s favorite room was the sun lounge, with its warm teak walls and rattan furnishings, and views across the veranda deck.
“I suppose Britannia was rather special as far as we were concerned because we were involved from the very beginning in organizing the design and furnishing and equipping and hanging the pictures and everything else,” Prince Philip said in a 1995 documentary film about the yacht. “For us it was rather special because all the other places we live in have been built by our predecessors. They started building Windsor 1,000 years ago, and they built Balmoral 100 years ago, and they built Sandringham 70 or 90 years ago. So we, in a sense, had our own.”
So successful was the partnership that Casson would go on to become a dear friend of the royal family and design interiors for Buckingham Palace, Balmoral , and Windsor Castle
Britannia was also a second home for the royal children. Each was given a member of the crew or “sea daddy” to look after them. “We found as children that there was so much to do, we expended so much energy that we couldn’t describe our time on the yacht as a rest,” Princess Anne said. Milk was delivered fresh from a farmer each day for the royal children, according to letters from the ship’s Acting Captain J. S. Dalglish. Later, the yacht would become the venue for numerous royal honeymoons and vacations, including Princess Diana and Prince Charles’s infamous 1981 Mediterranean cruise.
As documented in season 5 of The Crown , the Royal Yacht was decommissioned on December 11, 1997, at a ceremony in Portsmouth, U.K., after nearly half a century in service and having traveled more than one million nautical miles. In addition to Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward all attended the ceremony. As the British ensign was lowered to the tune of a navy band, Her Majesty was photographed blinking back tears .
Britannia was retired to Port of Leith in Edinburgh. Today, as one of the most popular tourist sites in the U.K., she serves as a museum and receives some 350,000 visitors per year who can tour the State dining room, the Queen’s bedroom, and sun lounge, as well as view the engine room and crew’s cabins. Visitors can even have tea and scones on the royal deck. The majority of the items on display are original to the yacht and are on loan from the Royal Collection.
In a bizarre 21st-century twist, former British prime minister Boris Johnson announced plans to build a Britannia successor, a £250 million yet-to-be-named, taxpayer-funded superyacht to operate as a “floating embassy.” The new British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, recently torpedoed those plans in favor of building a surveillance ship.
Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling. Prior to joining the staff, she has held positions at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record magazines. elledecor.com
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After years of design and development, INEOS Britannia prepares to battle it out for supremacy on the waves in the 37th America’s Cup – and become the first British team to win the world’s oldest, international sporting trophy.
INEOS Britannia’s weapon of choice for the battle in Barcelona is Britannia, their 75ft, 6.2 tonne AC75 foiling race boat which was designed and developed in partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
So what exactly goes into an America’s Cup race boat? We outline Britannia’s key stats in numbers below.
120,000 Individual parts
50,000 Construction hours
35,000 Design hours
30,000 Data channels
700 Sensors and channels
100 Designers
33 On-board cameras
16 Athletes
8 Athletes on-board at any one time:
4 Cyclors
4 Flight Controllers/Trimmers
2 Helms
All to win 1 America’s Cup
Each AC75 has two Helmsmen. One sits port side; the other, starboard. Communication is key because their vision is limited due to the huge, deck-sweeping sails. They steer the boat and have multiple functions on their steering wheels where they can trim the pitch, cant and angle of the boat at the touch of a button.
The two Flight Controller/Trimmers keep the boat up in flight on the foils and achieve target speeds through trimming the sails effectively. They work in conjunction with the helmsmen and can also assist in tactical decisions.
The Cyclors’ job is to churn out watts faster than the other teams. They must maintain up to 500+ watts on the static bikes, which are fixed inside the 75ft carbon-fibre hull, for spells of 20 minutes and nail sprints at up to 1,800 watts. In doing so, they provide the hydraulic power to trim the sails and make the boat go faster. One Cyclor has likened the job to cycling and competing in a rugby match at the same time.
Tatjana Pokorny
· 30.08.2024
Wenn foiler unfreiwillig zu verdrängern werden, “britannia” gewinnt kampflos, “taihoro” weniger stark beschädigt als befürchtet.
Leichte Winde haben den zweiten Tag der Herausforderer-Runde zum 37. America’s Cup gelähmt. Erst mit Verspätung konnte das einzige Duell des Tages zwischen der US-Yacht “Patriot” und Alinghi Red Bull Racings “BoatOne” auf den Kurs vor Barcelona geschickt werden. Während die Schweizer bereits in der Startbox von den Foils fielen und eine gefühlte Ewigkeit nicht mehr auf die Beine kamen, segelte «Patriot» zunächst noch einigermaßen leichtfüßig davon. Alinghi Red Bull Racings “BoatOne” kreuzte die Startlinie erst drei Minuten später.
Entschieden war der Nervenpoker damit aber noch nicht. Denn auch “Patriot” fiel im weiteren Verlauf des Rennens vielfach von den Foils, hatte sich allerdings beim Auftakt ein Polster von mehr als einem halben Kilometer Vorsprung erworben. Es war teilweise erbarmungswürdig anzusehen, wie die Crews minutenlang vergeblich darum kämpften, ihre entzauberten Foiler wieder in Schwung zu bringen. Die Wettfahrtleitung verkürzte den Kurs immer wieder, bis er keine Seemeile mehr maß und von sechs auf vier Schenkel reduziert war – auch, um das Zeitlimit von 45 Minuten nicht zu überschreiten.
Für Alinghi Red Bull Racing schwanden mit der schrittweisen Kursverkürzung alle Chancen, das Duell doch noch zu drehen. Nicht nur den üblicherweise sehr moderaten Sailing Team Manager der Eidgenossen ärgerte das. America’s-Cup-Gewinner Rodney Ardern sagte nach dem Rennen: “Die größte Frustration resultierte heute daraus, dass die Regattaleitung das Rennen verkürzte, um ein 34-minütiges Rennen zu erreichen, während wir noch versuchten, das andere Boot einzuholen. Die Regeln sehen eine Höchstdauer von 45 Minuten vor. Darum fällt es uns schwer zu verstehen, worin die Dringlichkeit bestand, das Rennen zu verkürzen, während wir noch unterwegs waren.”
Weiter sagte Ardern: “Grundsätzlich verstehen wir, dass man während des Rennens Bahnen verkürzen kann – die Entfernung und die Richtung zu den Bahnmarken – aber heute wurden mehrfach Bahnen verkürzt, obwohl die Boote sich schon auf dieser Bahn befanden. Eine immer kürzer werdende Bahn, die ein Aufholen praktisch unmöglich machte, das ist super frustrierend.“
Das Fazit des Ocean-Race- und America’s-Cup-Veteranen: “Wir sind alle hier, um gegeneinander zu segeln. Leider mussten wir heute beide mit herausfordernden Bedingungen kämpfen. Glückwunsch an American Magic, die das besser hinbekommen haben als wir. Sie hatten die gleichen Probleme, auch sie waren zeitweise auf den Foils und dann wieder nicht. Insofern war es ein Glücksspiel, eine Lotterie. Für die nächsten Tage hoffen wir auf gute, faire Rennen und gute Bedingungen. Hoffentlich können alle Rennen stattfinden und Sportler und Zuschauer hochwertige Rennen erleben.“
Die Nervenschlacht und ihren ersten Siegpunkt im Louis Vuitton Cup der Herausforderer gewannen die Amerikaner. Auch deren Co-Pilot Tom Slingsby sagte: “Das war gar nicht hübsch, sondern echt harte Arbeit.” Der America’s-Cup-Gewinner von 2013, dreimalige SailGP-Saisondominator und Laser-Olympiasieger warf einen realistischen Blick auf das stressgeladene Rennen: “Wir hatten zu Beginn ein bisschen Wind, und wir hatten sie von den Foils geholt. Also dachten wir, 'okay, wir sollten in der Lage sein, einfach den Kurs abzufahren'.”
Auch wenn wir heute gewonnen haben, so ist man immer am Rande des Abgrunds.” Tom Slingsby
So einfach aber war es eben nicht, wie auch Tom Slingsby berichtete: “Der Wind wurde immer schwächer, ging von 7,5 auf 6,5 Knoten runter. Dann hatten wir zeitweise nur noch fünf Knoten. Als wir auf dem letzten Abschnitt von den Foils fielen, habe ich versucht, mir das so vorzustellen: Wenn ich 10 Knoten bei 120 Grad segle und er jetzt auf den Foils ist, wie lange wird er brauchen, um uns einzuholen? Diese Bedingungen sind so anstrengend, und ich bin froh, dass wir einen ausreichenden Vorsprung hatten, um den Punkt zu sammeln. Wenn man einen kleinen Fehler macht, kann das Rennen schon vorbei sein.”
Das zweite Rennen des Tages gewann Ineos Britannia ohne Gegner und mit erfolgtem Start. Anschließend brach die Wettfahrtleitung das Rennprogramm in zu leichten Winden ab. Das Duell zwischen Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli und NYYC American Magic musste auf Samstag vertagt werden.
Auch nicht antreten konnten an Tag zwei im Louis Vuitton Cup die America’s-Cup-Verteidiger vom Emirates Team New Zealand gegen Frankreichs Orient Express. Ohne die Flautenverschiebung des Duells auf den nächsten Tag hätten die Franzosen den Siegpunkt abgestaubt. Die neuseeländische Cup-Yacht „Taihoro“ war am Vorabend beim Herauskranen aus dem Wasser sechs Meter tief auf seinen Lagerbock gestürzt.
Teamchef Grant Dalton hatte am Morgen danach zunächst gesagt: “Die Reparaturen haben bereits begonnen. Wir hatten Glück, dass das Boot in den Lagerbock gefallen ist. Die Jungs haben ein Stück des Bootes weggeschnitten, das gerade ein bisschen wie die Titanic aussieht. Sie waren heute morgen schon dabei, das Stück neu zu bauen.” Der Zeitpunkt der Rückkehr der Verteidiger ins Renngeschehen war zunächst ungewiss geblieben. Alles hatte darauf hingedeutet, dass “Taihoro” möglicherweise schwerere Strukturschäden erlitten hat und länger ausfallen könnte.
Die Wende kam mit einem neuen Statement der Kiwis am Freitagabend. Darin hieß es: “Das Design- und Shore-Team von Emirates Team New Zealand hat seit dem gestrigen Vorfall beim Rauskranen der AC75-Yacht ‚Taihoro‘ nonstop gearbeitet. Nach gründlicher Untersuchung war das Team erleichtert, dass der Schaden nicht so schwer war wie zunächst erwartet.” Die überraschende Botschaft: “Das Team hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, morgen, am Samstag, den 31. August, wieder zu seinen nächsten Rennen aufzukreuzen.“
Der Louis Vuitton Cup wird bis zum 8. September und der Ermittlung der vier Halbfinalisten unter fünf Herausforderern fortgesetzt. Das Programm für Tag drei hat nach den Verschiebungen am Samstag mit insgesamt sechs Matches XL-Format. Der Renntag wird mit den Nachholduellen zwischen Italien und den USA sowie Neuseeland gegen Frankreichs “Orient Express” eröffnet. Es folgen die Begegnungen zwischen Alinghi Red Bull Racing und Ineos Britannia, Frankreich und den NYYC American Magic, “Britannia” gegen “Luna Rossa” und der Schweiz gegen Neuseeland. Damit sind jeder der fünf Herausforderer und die Verteidiger jeweils zweimal gefordert.
Hier geht es zu den Ergebnissen. Dabei ist zu beachten, dass für die Ermittlung der vier Halbfinalisten von den beiden Ergebnislisten für den Louis Vuitton Cup die Matchbilanz der Herausforderer ohne die neuseeländischen Verteidiger relevant ist. Ineos Britannia und Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli führen das Herausforderer-Klassement mit jeweils einem Sieg bei keiner Niederlage an. Die Amerikaner und die Franzosen folgen mit je einem Sieg und einer Niederlage. Tabellenschlusslicht ist zu diesem frühen Zeitpunkt der doppelten Round-Robin-Runde mit insgesamt 30 Matches bei zwei Niederlagen das am Freitag so unglücklich geschlagene Alinghi Red Bull Racing.
Louis Vuitton Cup, Tag 2, Rennen 5 – NYYC American Magic vs. Alinghi Red Bull Racing:
Grant Dalton – der entschlossene, kantige und kreative Teamchef der Kiwis und Dirigent der 37. America’s-Cup-Edition im Gespräch:
Barcelona, Spain — Emirates Team New Zealand worked on Friday to replace a piece of the hull of its yacht that was damaged in a crane incident after its first warmup race at the America’s Cup .
The mishap happened late on Thursday when the 75-foot yacht named “Taihoro” was being removed from the water after racing.
Team leader Grant Dalton said the multimillion-dollar boat fell some six meters (20 feet) onto the support cradle at their team base inside Barcelona’s old port. Dalton said the impact sounded “like a bomb went off.” The boat was eventually lifted to get the tips of its critically important hydrofoils off the concrete ground.
On Thursday, Dalton believed the repair job could keep his defending champion team sidelined throughout the double round-robin phase that lasts through next week.
But less than 24 hours later, Dalton said enough work was done overnight to give him hope they could be back on the water sooner than he expected.
“It’s possible that we could be back out by tomorrow,” the CEO of the team and race said.
“We're pretty lucky. If it had fallen 200 millimeters to either side it could have been a whole bunch worse, but it fell into the cradle, perfectly into the cradle,” he said. “The guys have literally cut out a hole, it looks like the Titanic.”
Missing any racing time is a setback, but it should be manageable as long as the boat can be refitted in the coming days or even weeks since as defending champions the Kiwis are guaranteed a spot in the finals in October.
The incident means New Zealand didn't participate in the two warmup races it was scheduled for on Friday. That won’t impact the standings since its races don’t count; they are essentially only for practice to keep the team sharp for the final.
One of those races was against INEOS Britannia, which according to the rules had to start the race even though its rival couldn't.
“We were obviously very worried that someone had gotten hurt initially, so we are very happy that everyone was safe,” INEOS helmsman Dylan Fletcher told The Associated Press about how he saw the Kiwis' crane incident.
“You don’t really wish anyone to have bad luck or anything like that to go wrong because you just want to beat them because you're better.”
American Magic got its first point and handed Switzerland's Alinghi Red Bull Racing a second straight defeat after a race where both teams struggled to find wind and spent long periods of time becalmed. The race control shortened the race from six to four legs to keep it from dragging on. It still lasted 31 minutes.
“It wasn’t pretty at all. It’s just tough conditions,” American Magic helmsman Tom Slingsby said. “I would have loved to foil across the line, but we just did what we had to do to get the win.”
The light winds forced the postponement of the Americans' scheduled race against Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli later Friday.
One of the five challengers will be eliminated after the opening phase before the final four go to semifinals.
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Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy.She was in their service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million ...
Our Hotel. Stay at our luxury floating hotel, Fingal, Tripadvisor's No1. UK Luxury Hotel, AA Hotel of the Year Scotland. The Royal Yacht Britannia is a five-star visitor attraction in Edinburgh. Britannia welcomes over 390,000 visitors a year from all over the world.
It was the first royal yacht designed for ocean travel. The ship was built by John Brown & Co at the same shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland in the same location the famous ocean liners the Queen ...
A Floating Palace. Britannia was launched from the John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, on 16 April, 1953. For over 44 years the Royal Yacht served the Royal Family, travelling more than a million nautical miles to become one of the most famous ships in the world. To Queen Elizabeth II, Britannia provided the perfect Royal ...
A Royal residence for over 40 years, The Royal Yacht Britannia sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles on 968 state visits with the Royal Family where they entertained prime ministers and presidents. Now Tripadvisor's No.1 UK Attraction 2023 - 2024, you can discover across five decks stories of life at sea for both the Royal Family and the 220 ...
The ship was altered with royal skirts in mind. Many photographs of the Royal Yacht Britannia show the family waving from the Royal Bridge as the vessel departed from or arrived at its destination.
The Royal Yacht Britannia has indeed been well preserved, with 95% of the tour being original to Britannia, and kindly on loan from the Royal Collection Trust. Our dedicated Maintenance and Housekeeping teams work hard to keep the Yacht looking shipshape. We are pleased that you also visited the Royal Deck Tearoom during your tour to try our ...
Visit this award-winning attraction, just two miles from Edinburgh's city centre at Ocean Terminal. The Royal Yacht Britannia played host to some of the world's most famous people, from Nelson Mendela to Winston Churchill, but above all was home for the British Royal Family for over 40 years. Now you can discover the heart and soul of this ...
Britannia was launched on 20 April 1893, a week ahead of Valkyrie II and joined a fleet of first class cutters that was growing fast as others followed the royal lead. In a highly competitive fleet, Britannia soon set about achieving the race results which would eventually establish her as the most successful racing yacht of all time. By the end of her first year's racing, Britannia had scored ...
The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997. It's five stories tall, had more than 240 staff, and was known as the queen's "floating palace." Britannia is now ...
The Royal Yacht Britannia was the royal family's private yacht from 1953 to 1997. The ship is now a museum open to the public in Edinburgh, Scotland. The tour shows the Queen's bedroom, state ...
The christening of The Royal Yacht Britannia serves as a cheeky season opener to The Crown. Black-and-white Pathé News-style footage shows a soon-to-be-crowned Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy ...
The Royal Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of HM Queen Elizabeth II and is located at the Ocean Terminal shopping centre in Edinburgh.The yacht is one of Scotland's premier tourist attractions, and visitors can explore it on a self-guided tour that takes them through the main dining hall, the royal family's private quarters, and the engine room.
The Britannia's Drawing Room. The ship's wheel was taken from King Edward VII's racing yacht, also named Britannia, according to Boat International, and the 126-meter ship could reach speeds of 22.75 knots, or a seagoing cruising speed of 21 knots, according to Super Yacht Times. Other fun facts: The yacht could produce her own fresh ...
The Royal Yacht Britannia is the last in a long line of royal vessels. Here we take a look back at the history of this magnificent yacht and discuss its past...
7. There were more than 200 crew on board. During royal tours, Britannia was manned by 220 yachtsmen, 21 officers and three season officers and a Royal Marine band of 26 on royal tours. Up until the 1970s, the crew had a daily ration of rum and she was the last Royal Navy vessel to have the crew sleep in hammocks. 8.
2. Britannia was the 83rd Royal Yacht. King George VI, Elizabeth II's father, had first commissioned the royal yacht that would become Britannia in 1952. The previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria and was rarely used. The tradition of royal yachts had been started by Charles II in 1660.
Britannia was the first Royal Yacht to be built with complete ocean-going capacity and designed as a Royal residence to entertain guests around the world. When she was decommissioned in 1997, it marked the end of a long tradition of British Royal Yachts, dating back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II.
Join me for a private tour of the late Queen's favourite home - The Royal Yacht Britannia. Go beyond the ropes for a look inside the private apartments, incl...
Today, the Royal yacht is open to curious visitors and welcomes more than 300,000 visits each year. Britannia was launched in 1953 from the John Brown and Company shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland .
The Britannia's final voyage took place in July 1997 to convey the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, and the Prince of Wales back from Hong Kong after its handover to the People's Republic ...
Take a full tour of the Queen's yacht, Britannia. This magnificent vessel was used by Queen Elizabeth II for over 40 years to travel the world and host stat...
The Royal Yacht in its current home in Edinburgh. The ship is open to the public as a museum. In a bizarre 21st-century twist, former British prime minister Boris Johnson announced plans to build a Britannia successor, a £250 million yet-to-be-named, taxpayer-funded superyacht to operate as a "floating embassy.".
We outline Britannia's key stats in numbers below. 120,000 Individual parts . 50,000 Construction hours . 35,000 Design hours . 30,000 Data channels . 700 Sensors and channels . 100 Designers . 33 On-board cameras . 16 Athletes . 8 Athletes on-board at any one time: 4 Cyclors .
The mishap happened late on Thursday when the 75-foot yacht named "Taihoro" was being removed from the water after racing. Team leader Grant Dalton said the multimillion-dollar boat fell some six meters (20 feet) onto the support cradle at their team base inside Barcelona's old port. ... One of those races was against INEOS Britannia ...
Der Renntag wird mit den Nachholduellen zwischen Italien und den USA sowie Neuseeland gegen Frankreichs "Orient Express" eröffnet. Es folgen die Begegnungen zwischen Alinghi Red Bull Racing und Ineos Britannia, Frankreich und den NYYC American Magic, "Britannia" gegen "Luna Rossa" und der Schweiz gegen Neuseeland.
The mishap happened late on Thursday when the 75-foot Taihoro yacht was being removed from the water after racing. ... The other two races that do count will see INEOS Britannia face France's ...
Barcelona, Spain — Emirates Team New Zealand worked on Friday to replace a piece of the hull of its yacht that was damaged in a crane incident after its first warmup race at the America's Cup.