Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh (must see)

HMY Britannia, also known as Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, served as the official royal yacht for the British monarchy. This majestic vessel was active in royal service from 1954 to 1997. It holds the distinction of being the 83rd yacht of its kind since King Charles II's reign in 1660 and is the second yacht with the same name, the first being a racing cutter constructed for the Prince of Wales back in 1893.

Over its impressive 43-year career, Britannia covered more than a million nautical miles, visiting over 600 ports in 135 different countries across the globe. Now retired from its royal duties, Britannia is permanently docked at Ocean Terminal in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland, where it has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing in more than 300,000 visitors each year.

The construction of HMY Britannia took place at the shipyard of John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire. Queen Elizabeth II performed the launch ceremony on April 16, 1953, and the yacht was officially commissioned on January 11, 1954. The yacht was specially designed with three masts: a 133-foot foremast, a 139-foot mainmast, and a 118-foot mizzenmast. Interestingly, the top aerial on the foremast and the top 20 feet of the mainmast were hinged, allowing the ship to pass under bridges when necessary.

One notable feature of Britannia's design was its adaptability for use as a hospital ship during wartime, although this capability was never put into action. In the event of a nuclear war, the vessel was intended to serve as a refuge for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, off the north-west coast of Scotland.

The crew of Britannia included Royal Navy officers with appointments lasting up to two years. The remainder of the crew were volunteers from the Royal Navy's general service. After serving for 365 days, they had the option to join the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen, and they could continue to serve until they chose to leave or were discharged due to medical or disciplinary reasons. Consequently, some crew members dedicated more than 20 years to their service on the yacht.