Photo: Netflix
The critically acclaimed drama about the British monarchy, The Crown, returned with Season Five, which is now available to stream on Netflix. And it's diving into the events of the royal family in the 90s, which also includes decommissioning of the Royal Yacht, Britannia.
The first episode of the new season of The Crown brings back Claire Foy (who portrayed her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth in the first two seasons) and gives a flashback to Britannia's official launch in April 1953, when Her Majesty unveiled the yacht’s name.
Queen Elizabeth officially launched the yacht just before her coronation in June 1953. It served the monarchy for 44 years and sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles (1,150,779 mi / 1,852,000 km) on 968 state visits.
Designed by John Brown & Co, the vessel has an overall length of 412 ft (126 m), and it’s a five-deck floating residence that includes several drawing rooms, dining rooms, and even individual apartments. Its speed was 22.75 knots (26 mph / 42 kph), with a cruise speed of 21 knots (24 mph / 39 kph). The engine room is a huge area of gleaming brass, chrome, and white enamel, and the two Parsons engines put out a total of 12,000 horsepower. The estimated total cost of the vessel is £2,139,000 (almost $3 million).
The yacht was retired in 1994 as it was in need of refurbishment that would cost the government £17 million ($19,774,000) and would only prolong its service for another five years.
It was officially decommissioned on December 11, 1997. "Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," the Queen said at the time.
Besides a means of travel, Britannia was also a place to relax or entertain. Numerous presidents and prime ministers stepped foot on the yacht, and it was also the venue of several royal honeymoons, including Princess Diana and Prince Charles, in 1981.
Besides Britannia, the Royal Family also sailed on the Victoria & Albert III, the first yacht not to be powered by sail, commissioned for Queen Victoria. She never stepped foot on the vessel and was mostly used by King Edward VII, serving four sovereigns over 38 years before it was decommissioned in 1939.
So, is there a replacement for the Royal Yacht? There have been numerous conversations about a New Britannia, but this month, BBC reported that the government is scrapping the plans as they are searching for “spending cuts,” and a new one was estimated to cost up to £250 million (approximately $284 million at today’s exchange rate).
Although at the moment there is no functioning Royal Yacht, you can visit Britannia if you’re ever in Edinburgh, UK. And plus, you get to check out a couple of the cars that belonged to Her Majesty, a restored Land Rover and a retired Rolls-Royce Phantom V state car found on board.
Queen Elizabeth officially launched the yacht just before her coronation in June 1953. It served the monarchy for 44 years and sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles (1,150,779 mi / 1,852,000 km) on 968 state visits.
Designed by John Brown & Co, the vessel has an overall length of 412 ft (126 m), and it’s a five-deck floating residence that includes several drawing rooms, dining rooms, and even individual apartments. Its speed was 22.75 knots (26 mph / 42 kph), with a cruise speed of 21 knots (24 mph / 39 kph). The engine room is a huge area of gleaming brass, chrome, and white enamel, and the two Parsons engines put out a total of 12,000 horsepower. The estimated total cost of the vessel is £2,139,000 (almost $3 million).
The yacht was retired in 1994 as it was in need of refurbishment that would cost the government £17 million ($19,774,000) and would only prolong its service for another five years.
It was officially decommissioned on December 11, 1997. "Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," the Queen said at the time.
Besides a means of travel, Britannia was also a place to relax or entertain. Numerous presidents and prime ministers stepped foot on the yacht, and it was also the venue of several royal honeymoons, including Princess Diana and Prince Charles, in 1981.
Besides Britannia, the Royal Family also sailed on the Victoria & Albert III, the first yacht not to be powered by sail, commissioned for Queen Victoria. She never stepped foot on the vessel and was mostly used by King Edward VII, serving four sovereigns over 38 years before it was decommissioned in 1939.
So, is there a replacement for the Royal Yacht? There have been numerous conversations about a New Britannia, but this month, BBC reported that the government is scrapping the plans as they are searching for “spending cuts,” and a new one was estimated to cost up to £250 million (approximately $284 million at today’s exchange rate).
Although at the moment there is no functioning Royal Yacht, you can visit Britannia if you’re ever in Edinburgh, UK. And plus, you get to check out a couple of the cars that belonged to Her Majesty, a restored Land Rover and a retired Rolls-Royce Phantom V state car found on board.
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