HMY Britannia

Britannia departs Cardiff for the last time.
History
United Kingdom
NameBritannia
OwnerThe Royal Yacht Britannia Trust[1]
Ordered5 February 1952
BuilderJohn Brown & Company, Glasgow, Scotland
Yard number691
Laid down16 June 1952
Launched16 April 1953
Commissioned11 January 1954
Decommissioned11 December 1997
IdentificationIMO number8635306
StatusMuseum ship
General characteristics
Tonnage5,769 GT
Length412 ft (126 m)
Beam55 ft (17 m)
Height123 ft (37 m) to top of mainmast
Draught15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion2 Pametrada steam turbines, 12,000 hp (8,900 kW)
Speed21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)
Range2,400 nautical miles (4,400 km)
Capacity250 guests
Crew
  • 21 officers
  • 250 Royal Yachtsmen

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in their service from 1954-97. 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 nautical miles around the world to more than 600 ports in 135 countries.[2] Now retired from royal service, Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland, where it is a visitor attraction with over 300,000 visits each year.[3]

  1. ^ "The Royal Yacht Britannia – The Trust". Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  2. ^ Bellamy, Martin (2022). "Editorial". The Mariner's Mirror. 108 (4). Society for Nautical Research: 387.
  3. ^ "The Royal Yacht Britannia Official Website | Best UK Attraction".