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NAVY NEWS BRITANNIA SUPPLEMENT, JANUARY 1998
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1863-1912 ... HMY Alberta
1870-1908 ... HMY Osborne
1907-25 ... HMY Alexandra
END OF THE LINE Final chapter in 300-year story of Royal Yachts
T
HE DEPARTURE of HMY Britannia has brought an end to a long line of Royal Yachts spanning three centuries. No fewer than 66 official yachts have been used by British monarchs since the first
was presented to Charles II by the people
of Amsterdam
where he had spent his exile. He took possession of the 50ft vessel soon after his return to England in 1660, and named her the Mary after his daughter, the first Princess Royal. For Charles, the Mary was the first of a fleet of no fewer than 27 yachts of various shapes and sizes, most of which, as a keen sporting yachtsman, he used in races - particularly against his brother, the future James II. One, however, became the first Royal Yacht to provide sumptuous living accommodation - a floating palace - in 1682. She was the strangely named Fubbs, reflecting Charles's blatant promiscuity, for "Fubbs" was the pet name of his favourite mistress of the time, the Duchess of Portsmouth. Fubbs sailed on well after her first owner's death, being rebuilt by William III and again by George I in 1724. However, Charles's successors in the 18th century lacked his enthusiasm for yachting, and built and maintained their own vessels mainly for passage across the Channel. Twenty-five of Charles's impressive fleet were passed on for general service with the Royal Navy. Most notable of these were the Merlin and Monmouth which in
1693 made the first comprehensive survey of Britain's coastal waters, producing charts which were still in use towards the end of the 18th centuiy. Nevertheless, it was in George II's time that the longest serving Royal Yacht was built. Initially called the Royal Caroline, she was renamed the Royal Charlotte after George Ill's bride, and served until 1817 when a new yacht, the Royal George, succeeded her. The Royal George, whose interior was fitted out in all the elegance and splendour of the period, was destined to be the last sailing Royal Yacht. Initially, she was used by the young Queen Victoria, but she was not amused by the vessel's slowness and motion - which made her violently seasick. After a three-day voyage to Scotland, during which the yacht was overtaken by steam colliers, Victoria vowed never again to set foot on the vessel, and promptly ordered a new one - a paddle steamer. Completed in 1843, she was the first of three vessels to be named Victoria & Albert. She was used by the Royal couple on average twice a year over the next ten years.
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y now maritime technology was advancing swiftly, and it was not long before the second Victoria & Albert was brought into service. Larger, faster and with a greater range than her predecessor, Victoria & Albert II served for 45 years from 1855 and was used by the Royal Family 150 times - two-thirds of those voyages being to foreign ports. Meanwhile, the Queen and Prince Consort's attachment to their home at Osborne House in
1901 -39
... HMY Victoria and Albert III, and (inset) her last, sad journey to the breakers in the 1950s.
the Isle of Wight, made it necessary to build a smaller vessel - the Elfin - which, with the Royal Yacht's tender, would be used to ferry them and their needs back and fore across the Solent. When the Queen was at Osborne, the Elfin, a small paddle steamer, made daily trips between Portsmouth to Osborne Bay, carrying despatches, newspapers and correspondence. Among the lesser known Royal Yachts were another two built for Queen Victoria - the Alberta, launched at Pembroke in 1863 and broken up at Portsmouth in 1912; and the Osborne, launched in 1870 and sold in 1908. It was during Victoria's reign that yacht racing became fashionable, and Cowes Week attracted royal patronage in the form of the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. Among the best known of his many yachts was the Britannia, which won 157 prizes at Cowes. When Edward died, she was inherited by George V who often took the helm himself at regattas. So fond was he of Britannia that he willed her to be scuttled when he
Covering the Britannia story . . . THIS limited-edition commemorative cover has been issued by the Royal Naval Philatelic Society to mark the paying-off of HMY Britannia. The cover incorporates four doublesided photocards and associated leaflet. As well as Britannia, the cards will also feature four previous Royal Yachts - Osborne. Alberta, Alexandra and Victoria and Albert III.
Four categories of the cover, many signed by former Royal Yachtsmen, will range in price from E6-C11. Members of the RN Philatelic Society will enjoy a discount. For orders and enquiries, contact the Royal Naval Philatelic Society. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. 19 College Road. HM Naval Base Portsmouth. P01 3LL (01705 291259;.
died - and his wishes were carried out in 1936. But her wheel, which steered her to so many yachting triumphs, continued in use - it was installed in the present Britannia. The third Victoria & Albert, and the last Royal Yacht before HMY Britannia was built, was never used by the Queen. She made her last voyage in Victoria & Albert II in 1900, soon after the launch at Pembroke of the more powerful, twin-screw ship. Victoria & Albert III was commissioned in July 1901, six months
after Victoria died. The new yacht, the first to have electricity, was much used for travel and lavish entertainment by Edward VII, who appreciated her comfort but bemoaned what he regarded as her ugliness. In addition, Edward had use of the smaller HMY Alexandra, launched in 1907 and named after his Queen The V & A III was used very little by George V who generally disliked foreign travel and did not warm to foreigners. However, George VI became fond of the vessel, using her for his Coronation
Review in 1937 and several times afterwards until the outbreak of World War II. On one of the last occasions she was used as a Royal Yacht, the V & A III took the Royal Family on a West Country cruise, during which a Dartmouth cadet dined on board - and that was the first recorded meeting between Princess Elizabeth and her future husband. During the war, the Victoria & Albert served as an accommodation ship in Portsmouth, eventually being broken up at Faslane in 1955 - without controversy.
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.•BS-^—WIMEMORATINGTHE •*" **"""" rti-OFF OF HMY BRITANNIA FOLLOWING +» YEARS SERVICE TO THE MONARCH, THE COUNTRY & THE ROYAL NAVY-11 DECEMBER 1997 I
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