HMY Britannia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids History
Britannia departs Cardiff for the last time.
United Kingdom
Name	Britannia
Owner	The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust
Ordered	4 February 1952
Builder	John Brown & Company, Glasgow, Scotland
Yard number	691
Laid down	16 June 1952
Launched	16 April 1953
Commissioned	11 January 1954
Decommissioned	11 December 1997
Identification	IMO number: 8635306
Status	Museum ship
General characteristics
Tonnage	5,769 GT
Length	412 ft (126 m)
Beam	55 ft (17 m)
Height	123 ft (37 m) to top of mainmast
Draught	15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion	2 Pametrada steam turbines, 12,000 hp (8,900 kW)
Speed	21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)
Range	2,400 nautical miles (4,400 km)
Capacity	250 guests
Crew	21 officers 250 Royal Yachtsmen

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia was a special ship used by the British Royal Family. She served them from 1954 until 1997. Britannia was the 83rd royal ship since King Charles II became king in 1660. She was also the second royal yacht to be called Britannia. The first was a racing boat built in 1893 for the Prince of Wales.

During her 43 years of service, Britannia traveled over 1 million nautical miles (about 1.85 million kilometers). She visited more than 600 ports in 135 countries around the world. Today, Britannia is no longer used by the Royal Family. She is now a popular museum ship. You can visit her at Ocean Terminal in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. Over 300,000 people visit her every year.

Building the Royal Yacht Britannia
Who Worked on Britannia?
Britannia's Journeys and Events
- Why Britannia Stopped Sailing
Visiting Britannia Today
Ideas for a New Royal Ship
See also

Building the Royal Yacht Britannia

HMY Britannia was built at the John Brown & Co. Ltd shipyard. This shipyard was located in Clydebank, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II launched the ship on 16 April 1953. She officially started service on 11 January 1954.

The ship had three tall masts. The front mast was 133 feet (40.5 meters) tall. The main mast was 139 feet (42.4 meters) tall. The back mast was 118 feet (36 meters) tall. The very top part of the front mast and the top 20 feet (6 meters) of the main mast could fold down. This allowed the ship to pass under bridges.

Britannia was designed to be used as a hospital ship if there was a war. However, during the Falklands War, it was found that she couldn't easily be changed into one. She used a special type of fuel that was hard to find. Also, she could only hold 200 beds. Instead, a different ship, the SS Uganda, was used as a hospital ship.

There was also a secret plan for Britannia during a nuclear war. The plan was for the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to hide safely on board. They would have stayed off the north-west coast of Scotland.

Who Worked on Britannia?

Royal Yacht Britannia Crest

Royal Navy officers served on Britannia for up to two years. The rest of the crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy. After serving for 365 days, they could become "Royal Yachtsmen." These special crew members could serve for many years, some for 20 years or more.

A group of Royal Marines also served on the ship. When Britannia was on royal duties away from her home port, a band from the Royal Marines Band Service would also be on board.

Britannia's Journeys and Events

Britannia began her first journey on 14 April 1954. She sailed from Portsmouth to Grand Harbour, Malta. She carried Prince Charles and Princess Anne. They met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Malta. The Queen and Duke first boarded Britannia on 1 May 1954 in Tobruk.

HMY Britannia sailing through the Welland Canal in Canada, 1959

In 1959, Britannia sailed through the new Saint Lawrence Seaway. She traveled from Canada to Chicago. This made the Queen the first British monarch to visit Chicago. U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower was on board for part of this trip. Later, Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton also visited Britannia.

Many important family events happened on the yacht. Princess Anne and Mark Phillips took their honeymoon cruise on the ship in 1973. Prince Charles and Diana did the same in 1981. In 1986, the ship helped over 1,000 people escape from a civil war in Aden.

Britannia at the Spithead Fleet Review in 1977

When Britannia was on royal duties, a Royal Navy warship would always escort her. The yacht was often seen at Cowes Week, a famous sailing event. Every August, the Queen and her family would also use Britannia for a holiday cruise. They would sail around the islands off the west coast of Scotland.

During her time as the Royal Yacht, Britannia carried the Queen and other royals on 696 visits to other countries. She also made 272 visits within British waters. In total, she traveled 1,087,623 nautical miles (about 2,014,282 kilometers).

Why Britannia Stopped Sailing

Britannia in London, 1997

In 1994, the government announced that Britannia would stop service. The ship needed a very expensive repair, costing around £17 million. Even with this repair, she would only last another five years. It was decided that she was too old and costly to keep running.

There was a discussion about whether to build a new royal yacht. However, after a new government was elected in 1997, they decided not to spend public money on a replacement. The Defence Secretary, George Robertson, explained that a new yacht was not needed for royal travel.

Britannia's last foreign trip was very important. She carried the last Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, and the Prince of Wales from Hong Kong. This was after Hong Kong was returned to China on 1 July 1997. Britannia officially stopped service on 11 December 1997. It was reported that the Queen, who usually doesn't show much emotion in public, cried at the ceremony. Most of the Royal Family were there.

Visiting Britannia Today

Actress Ursula Andress celebrating her 70th birthday on HMY Britannia in 2006

Today, Britannia is a National Historic Fleet ship. She is a popular place to visit. She is docked in the old Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a charity, takes care of her.

Over 300,000 people visit the Royal Yacht Britannia each year. She is also one of the UK's top places for evening events. In 2006, the famous actress Ursula Andress celebrated her 70th birthday on board. In 2011, a party was held on Britannia for the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, and her fiancé, Mike Tindall, before their wedding.

When you visit, you can see five decks of the ship. This includes the Queen's bedroom, which is behind a glass wall. You can also see the fancy dining and drawing rooms. Kings, queens, presidents, and prime ministers from all over the world were once welcomed here. All the clocks on board are stopped at 3:01. This is the exact time the Queen last left the ship. A royal deck tea room was added in 2009.

An old Land Rover car is displayed in the ship's garage. A retired Rolls-Royce Phantom V royal car is parked on the dock next to the ship.

The racing yacht Bloodhound is now docked next to Britannia. The Queen and Prince Philip once owned Bloodhound. It was a very successful ocean-racing yacht. King Charles III and Princess Anne learned to sail on this yacht. The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust bought Bloodhound in 2010. She is now part of an exhibit about the Royal Family's love for sailing. Visitors can see Bloodhound from a special walkway.

Since 2019, the MV Fingal has been docked near Britannia. The Fingal was once a ship for the Northern Lighthouse Board. It has been turned into a fancy hotel. The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust also owns this hotel.

Ideas for a New Royal Ship

There have been ideas to build a new royal yacht. Some people suggested it could be paid for by loans or by the Royal Family themselves. In 2019, it was reported that Sir Donald Gosling left £50 million in his will to help pay for a new ship.

In 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans for a "new national flagship." This would be a ship, not just a luxury yacht. It was planned to start service within four years and cost up to £200 million. There were discussions about naming it after Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. However, these plans were later changed. By 2022, two design teams were working on ideas. In October 2022, it was reported that plans for a new yacht might be stopped to save money.