Tour Scotland 4K travel video, with Scottish music, of the Royal Yacht Britannia on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Britain, United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia, is the former royal yacht of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. She was in service from 1954 until 1997. HMY Britannia was built at the shipyard of John Brown & Company. Ltd in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire. She was launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953, and commissioned on 11 January 1954. Britannia was designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war, although this capability was never used. In the event of nuclear war, it was intended for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to take refuge aboard Britannia off the north west coast of Scotland. Royal Navy officers were appointed for up to two years. The crew were volunteers from the general service of the Royal Navy. After 365 days' service, they could be admitted to the Permanent Royal Yacht Service as Royal Yachtsmen and serve until they chose to leave the service or were dismissed for medical or disciplinary reasons. As a result, some served for 20 years or more. The crew also included a detachment of Royal Marines. A contingent of Royal Marines Band members embarked whenever Britannia was on duty away from home port. Britannia sailed on her maiden voyage from Portsmouth, England, to Grand Harbour, Malta, departing on 14 April and arriving on 22 April 1954. She carried Princess Anne and Prince Charles to Malta in order for them to meet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the end of the royal couple's Commonwealth tour. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh embarked on Britannia for the first time in Tobruk on 1 May 1954. On 20 July 1959, Britannia sailed the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway en route to Chicago, America, where she docked, making the Queen the first British monarch to visit the city. USA President Dwight D. Eisenhower was aboard Britannia for part of this cruise; Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were welcomed aboard in later years. Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, took their honeymoon cruise on Britannia in 1981. The ship evacuated over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Aden in 1986.The vessel sailed to Canada in 1991 and made a port of call in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario. HMY Britannia, when on royal duties, was escorted by a Royal Navy warship. The yacht was a regular sight at Cowes Week in early August and, usually, for the remainder of the month, was home to the Queen and her family for an annual cruise around the islands off the west coast of Scotland, known as the Western Isles Tour. In 1994, the Conservative government announced the yacht's retirement. Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, Britannia is a visitor attraction moored in the historic Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is cared for by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a registered charity. There was some controversy over the siting of the ship, with some arguing that she would be better moored on the River Clyde, where she was built, than in Edinburgh, with which the yacht had few links. Her positioning in Leith coincided with a redevelopment of the harbour area and the advent of Scottish devolution. The tour of the five decks open to the public includes the Queen's bedroom, which can be viewed behind a glass wall, and the state dining and drawing rooms, which hosted grand receptions for kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers throughout the world. The clocks on board are stopped at 3:01, the time that the Queen last disembarked. The royal deck tea room was added in 2009. Commanding officers have included; Captain J. S. Dalglish, 7 January to 28 April 1954, Vice Admiral Sir Conolly Abel Smith, 28 April 1954 to 30 January 1958, Vice Admiral Sir Peter Dawnay, 30 January 1958 to 25 January 1962, Rear Admiral Sir Joseph Henley, 25 January 1962 to 9 March 1965, Rear Admiral Sir Patrick Morgan, 9 March 1965 to 1 September 1970, Rear Admiral Sir Richard Trowbridge, 1 September 1970 to 11 September 1975, Rear Admiral Sir Hugh Janion, 11 September 1975 to 4 February 1981, Rear Admiral Sir Paul Greening, 4 February 1981 to 12 September 1985, Rear Admiral Sir John Garnier, 12 September 1985 to 18 September 1990; Rear Admiral Sir Robert Woodard, 18 September 1990 to 1 April 1995, Commodore A. J. C. Morrow, 1 April 1995 to 11 December 1997. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome.
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