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Name Official number Flag IMO
BRITANNIA    GBR   
Year built Date launched Date completed
1954  16/04/1953  11/01/1954 
Vessel type Vessel description
Yacht   Steel Screw Steamer  
Builder Yard Yard no
John Brown & Co Ltd., Clydebank Clydebank  691 
 

Tonnage Length Breadth Depth Draft
5769 grt / 2376 nrt / 4960 disp 412. ft  55.1 ft   32.5 ft  15 ft 
Engine builder John Brown & Co Ltd., Clydebank
Engine detail
4 steam turbines SR geared to 2 screw shafts , 22.5knots  

First owner First port of register Registration date
Ministry of Defence (Navy Dept) Bath, Somerset.     
Other names
 
Subsequent owner and registration history
 
Vessel history
Britannia sailed on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth to Malta, departing 14/04/1954 carrying Princess Anne and Prince Charles to meet the Queen and Prince Philip at the end of the Commonwealth Tour. The Queen and Prince Philip embarked on Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 01/05/1954.
The yacht, regarded as the Royal refuge was a regular sight at Cowes Week in early August and for the remainder of the month, was home to the Queen and her family for an annual cruise around the islands off the West Coast of Scotland.Prince Charles and Princess Diana as the Prince and Princess of Wales,honeymooned on board in 1981.

Following the Labour Party's election victory in 1997 it was announced that Britannia would be decommissioned and no replacement would be built. Her last commmission was conveying the last Governor of Hong Kong and the Prince of Wales away from Hong Kong after its handover to China in July 1997. Britannia was decommissioned on 11/12/1997 after a Farewell Cruise round the British Isles.The Queen was seen to weep at the decommissioning ceremony.
It was decided that she would become a static exhibit and some controversy arose over the siting of the ship which was expected to be on the Clyde. However she was sited instead at Leith complementing the redevelopment of the former docks area. She is now one of the top tourist attractions in the UK 
Remarks
5111 tm. 
End year Fate / Status
  Preserved  
Disposal Detail
 
 

 


Image courtesy of :  Colin Campbell

31/10/1997
Image courtesy of :  Colin Campbell

31/10/1997
Image courtesy of :  Colin Campbell

Launch
Image courtesy of :  Paul Strathdee collection


Image courtesy of :  Paul Strathdee collection


Image courtesy of :  Paul Strathdee collection

Fitting out
Image courtesy of :  Paul Strathdee collection

Trials
Image courtesy of :  Paul Strathdee collection/ Steel& Bennie

Auckland Feb 74
Image courtesy of :  David T Jackson

http://www.shipsandharbours.com

Final voyage 1997
Image courtesy of :  Paul Strathdee



 


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