HMY Britannia

HMY Britannia

HMY Britannia is the retired former royal yacht of the British monarchy, in service from 1953 to 1997. Built by John Brown & Co. Ltd in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, she was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on April 16, 1953, and made her maiden voyage on January 11, 1954. Designed to be convertible into a hospital ship during wartime, she was never actually converted for that purpose.

The yacht was used by the Queen and other members of the royal family, undertaking 696 foreign visits and 272 visits within British waters. In 1981, it was also used for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. As the British royal yacht, it also played a rescue role during wartime. In 1986, amid the civil war in South Yemen, the British government instructed the nearby Britannia to proceed to the Gulf of Aden to rescue refugees from various countries. At the time, other ships had fled the port to avoid the conflict, and refugees were brought aboard by motorboat. A total of 10,687 foreign refugees and diplomats were rescued, including Chinese diplomats stationed in Yemen.

In 1997, due to cost concerns, the Labour government announced the decommissioning of Britannia after coming to power. Her final mission was on July 1, 1997, when she carried Prince Charles and the then-departing Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, back to the UK following the handover ceremony in Victoria Harbour. On December 11, 1997, a decommissioning ceremony was held, presided over by Queen Elizabeth II with other members of the royal family in attendance.

Having sailed over one million nautical miles, Britannia is now permanently moored at the Ocean Terminal in Leith Harbour, Edinburgh, Scotland, serving as a tourist attraction where the public can admire her royal legacy.

HMY Britannia

Must-visit reason: Britain’s most famous royal yacht

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: Britain[Britain]

Province/State: Edinburgh [Edinburgh]

City: Edinburgh [Edinburgh]