Many a passage on HMY Britannia saw her slip through the Hurst Narrows. If you were lucky enough to be watching from Hurst Castle, you might have spotted the flag at Keyhaven Yacht Club lowered in acknowledgement of the royal yacht, with Britannia returning the salute in time-honoured fashion.
Ordered just two days before the death of King George VI, in February 1952, the royal yacht was intended both to transport the royal family around the globe and to serve as a hospital ship should the need arise. Too late to offer convalescence for the ailing King, she went on to become a highly visible symbol of the Queen’s reign, logging a total of 1,087,623 nautical miles during the fulfilment of 968 visits.
The 412ft (126m) steam-powered yacht was built by John Brown & Co, the Scottish shipbuilder that was also responsible for the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. Just weeks from the coronation, she was launched by the new Queen at Clydebank on 16 April 1953.

If the traditional three masts towering over the decks ensured that Britannia was capable of flying all the flags required of a royal vessel, her clipper bow represented a break from the past. Her fitting out was far from conventional, too – not least because the Queen’s children would be on board. From sandpits and slides to lifeguards and a month’s supply of fresh milk, it was a daunting task, taken on by Acting Captain J S Dalglish, widely known as Fish. His ‘Letters from a Fish to his Admiral’ make fascinating reading!

A year after the launch, all was ready for the inaugural royal trip to Malta, the first of over 600 ports in 135 countries to be visited during her royal tenure. Perhaps fittingly, the first royal passengers were the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, with the yacht going on to become a family holiday home among the Scottish islands, and later a honeymoon ship for four royal couples.

Alongside her role as a floating palace and royal hideaway, Britannia played an important part in diplomatic relations, not least helping to evacuate British nationals caught up in civil war in South Yemen in 1986. Visiting heads of state included several US presidents, from Dwight D Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton. The ship was also no stranger to business affairs, a stately reminder of the economic value of the monarchy. And still she found time to turn up at Cowes Week.
Britannia’s final formal role came in July 1997, when the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, joined the Prince of Wales on board following the ceremonial handover of the territory to the People’s Republic of China. After 44 years of loyal service, the much-loved royal yacht was decommissioned on 11 December 1997.