Ships that sail in the night

The Royal Yacht 'Britannia' Leaving Sydney, c. 1960, O/CB by John Allcott (Australian 1888-1973), 

sold by Louis J Dianni Auctioneers for USD800. 

HMY Britannia is one of the world's most famous ships. Launched at John Brown's Shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, the Royal Yacht proudly served Queen and country for 44 years. During that time Britannia carried The Queen and the Royal Family on 968 official voyages, from the remotest regions of the South Seas to the deepest divides of Antarctica. As 83rd in a long line of Royal Yachts that stretches back to 1660 and the reign of Charles II, Britannia holds a proud place in British maritime history. On 16 April 1953, Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia rolled down the slipway at John Brown's Clydebank Shipyard, on the start of her long and illustrious career. Commissioned for service in January 1954, Britannia sailed the oceans for 43 years and 334 days. Britannia was decommissioned on 11 December 1997.

Britannia is now permanently moored at Leith in Edinburgh, and during the time we lived there we toured this floating museum, which had poignant memories for us, as it had been the backdrop to the handover ceremony at HMS Tamar in Hong Kong on 30 June 1997, at which the Prince of Wales represented the Queen. The ceremony was held during leaden skies and at times very heavy rain, and we, like all participants, were soaked through to the skin. It felt like the tears of heaven, and at the time there was much sorrow from locals for the conclusion of British administration, and fear about what was to replace it. Two pieces of music still evoke the memories of that day - Highland Cathedral played by bagpipes as the Governor, Chris Patten left Government House for the last time, and Elgar's Nimrod, by the band at the parade.

At midnight Patten sent the following telegram to the Foreign Office: "I have relinquished the administration of this government. God Save the Queen", as Britannia sailed out of Victoria Harbour.

The following day we left during a downpour of even heavier rain for a week's recuperation in a private pool villa in Ubud, Bali.

What strikes one most about the interiors in Britannia is its total lack of ostentation, and indeed the Spartan quarters provided for the Royal Family, including the Queen's bedroom.