Your Hordle AUGSEPT 22 (3) (1)

Through the
Hurst Narrows:
HMY Britannia
thedecks ensured that Britannia was
capableofflying allthe flags required of a
royalvessel, herclipperbow representeda
breakfromthe past.Her fittingout wasfar
from conventional, too –not leastbecause
theQueen’s children wouldbeonboard.
From sandpits andslidestolifeguardsand a
month’s supply of freshmilk, it wasa
dauntingtask, takenonbyActing Captain J
SDalglish,widely known as Fish. His
‘Letters from aFishtohis Admiral’ make
fascinating reading!
TheRoyal Yacht Britannia©Marc Millar
Many apassage on HMY Britannia sawher
slip throughthe HurstNarrows. If you were
luckyenoughtobewatching from Hurst
Castle, youmight have spotted theflag at
Keyhaven YachtClubloweredin
acknowledgementofthe royalyacht, with
Britannia returning thesalutein
time-honoured fashion.
Afterthe pompand ceremony, funand
communityspirit of thePlatinum Jubilee
celebrations,bothnationwide andin
Hordle,itseemsonlyfittingtogive HMY
Britannia herspell in thespotlight.
Ordered just twodaysbeforethe death of
King George VI,inFebruary 1952, theroyal
yachtwas intended both to transportthe
royalfamilyaroundthe globeand to serve
as ahospital ship should theneed arise. Too
late to offerconvalescence for theailing
King,she wentontobecome ahighlyvisible
symbolofthe Queen’s reign,logging atotal
of 1,087,623nautical milesduringthe
fulfilmentof968 visits.
The412ft(126m) steam-powered yachtwas
built by John Brown&Co, theScottish
shipbuilderthatwas also responsible forthe
QueenMary andthe QueenElizabeth.Just
weeksfromthe coronation, shewas
launched by thenew Queen at Clydebank
on 16 April1953.
If thetraditional three maststowering over
Ayear after thelaunch, allwas ready for
theinaugural royaltriptoMalta,the first of
over600 portsin135 countriestobevisited
duringher royaltenure. Perhaps fittingly,
thefirst royalpassengerswere theyoung
Prince Charles andPrincessAnne, with the
yachtgoing on to become afamilyholiday
homeamongthe Scottish islands, andlater
ahoneymoon ship for four royalcouples.
Alongside herroleasafloatingpalace and
royalhideaway, Britannia played an
importantpart in diplomaticrelations, not
leasthelping to evacuate British nationals
caught up in civilwar in South Yemenin
1986. Visiting headsofstate included
severalUSpresidents,fromDwightD
Eisenhowerand Ronald Reagan to Bill
Clinton. Theshipwas also no stranger to
business affairs,astately reminderofthe
economicvalue of themonarchy. Andstill
shefound timetoturnupatCowes Week.
Britannia’s final formal role came in July
1997,whenthe last governor of Hong Kong,
ChrisPatten,joinedthe Prince of Waleson
board following theceremonial handover
of theterritory to thePeople’s Republic of
China. After 44 years of loyalservice, the
much-lovedroyal yachtwas
decommissionedon11December1997.
TriciaHayne,MembershipSecretary, Friends
of HurstCastle.The group wasformedin1986
to support thishistoricbuilding, which is
ownedbyEnglish Heritage.Why notjoinus?
For details, contacttrjhayne@gmail.com
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