HMY Britannia

Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former Royal Yacht of the British Royal Family.  She is the second Royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the famous racing cutter built for The Prince Of Wales in 1893. She is now permanently moored as an exhibition ship at Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.

 

HMY Britannia was built at the shipyard of John Brown & Co, Ltd in Clydebank, being launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 16 April 1953 and commissioned on 11 January 1954.  The ship was designed with three masts, a 133-foot (41 m) foremast, a 139-foot (42 m) mainmast, and a 118-foot (36 m) mizzenmast. The top 20 feet (6.1 m) of the foremast and mainmast were hinged, to allow the ship to pass under bridges.

During her career as Royal Yacht she conveyed the Queen, other members of the Royal Family, and various dignitaries on 696 foreign visits and 272 visits in British waters. In this time Britannia steamed 1,087,623 nautical miles (2,014,278 km).
 The Royal Yacht's last foreign mission was to convey the last governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten and the Prince of Wales,away from Hong Kong after the handover of the British colony to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997.  Britannia was decommissioned on 11 December 1997.

She is seen here arriving Leith 5th May 1998

Seen having a touch up on the 20th July 1998

Alongside her previous berth on the 7th June 1999

Same berth different day (20th November 1999)

Alongside her new berth taken from MT Fidra during The International Festival Of The Sea event

A night shot of the yacht

Stern shot of the yacht

Final shot of Britannia on the Clyde passing the "bovril boat" Dalmarnock Head - A human waste disposal vessel.  Oh how the other half live!

HrMs De Ruyter

HrMs De Ruyter (F804) is a De Zeven Provinciën class frigate.

The De Zeven Provinciën class frigate are highly advanced air-defense frigates in service with the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy). This class of ships is also known as LCF (Luchtverdedigings- en commandofregat, air defense and command frigate). The ships are very similar to the German Sachsen class frigates.

The ships are classified as frigates by the Netherlands Navy but internationally are classified as destroyers as this better fits their armament and role.

She was commissioned into service on the 22nd April 2004, she has a complement of 174 (227 including command staff), is 144.24 m long, with a beam of 18.80 m and a draft of 5.18m.  She displaces 6.050 tonnes (full load) and her top speed is 30 knots.

HrMs De Ruyter (F804) was previously commanded by Commander Jeanette Morang.  She was the first woman to command a Netherlands Navy frigate.

She is seen here alongside in Leith on Friday 18 June 2010

Her sister HrMs De Zeven Provinciën is seen here arriving Leith on the 10th April 2010

And again arriving Leith 7th February 2003

HMS Sceptre

Following the return for the last time, HMS Sceptre arrived at Devonport (Plymouth) for the last time on Wednesday 25th May 2010.

HMS Sceptre entered port to the sound of the pipes for the final time on Wednesday 26th May after an eight month world-wide deployment and a distinguished 32-year career.  Since sailing from HM Naval Base Faslane in October 2009 she has been conducting training and exercises in the Indian Ocean and Atlantic and has now returned to Devonport Naval Base before decommissioning later in the year. 

Whilst on deployment Sceptre continuously trained to ensure she was ready to fight and win in any future conflict.  This included ensuring she was ready to fire her Tomahawk cruise missiles in case they were needed in support of current operations and taking part in anti-submarine warfare exercises with UK and our international partners’ naval and air forces.

During the 31,000 miles Sceptre covered on the deployment she visited South Africa, Turkey, the UAE and Portugal, building upon the stable and co-operative relationships the Royal Navy enjoys with all four countries.

This final deployment was typical of her role over the last decade, having also been around the world in 2003, 2004 and 2007.  Such work is a far cry from the Cold War role she was designed for in the 1970s.  She spent the 1970s and 1980s patrolling the North Atlantic, hunting for Soviet submarines.  Once the Cold War was over she spent much of the 1990s conducting training and trials with the US, working on joint US/UK submarine and anti-submarine tactics.

Sceptre’s Commanding Officer, Commander Steve Waller, said: “This is a sad day for the submarine community as HMS Sceptre, the last Swiftsure Class submarine still at sea, returns home for the last time.  However, we have signed off with a flourish having successfully completed a long and demanding worldwide deployment, contributing to the security and future prosperity of the UK.  My crew have lived up to the hard-working reputation of the Swiftsure Class, whilst Sceptre herself has proven how well submarines that began life as archetypal Cold War warriors have adapted to today’s needs”

Here are a few of my pics over the past few years...

During her refit in Rosyth in 2003

Seen here with HMS Spartan

Departing Rosyth dockyard 30 March 2003

A close up off her Conning Tower

And a few from a very recent trip on her from Gibraltar to Devonport

The ward room

The narrow bulkheads

Looking down from the Conning Tower

The steering controls and the main periscope in the foreground

The Ships Laundry (as a crew member said one setting only - Nuclear Inferno)

Junior Rates Mess

Aft Escape Area

Torpedo on the Torpedo Rack

The Torpedo Tube area aka Bomb Alley (this is where I slept for the three days I was on her recently)

Torpedo Tube (FLOODED AND LOADED!)

The Main Engine Control Area

Ships Crest and Badge

Ships Name

My sincere thanks to Commander Steve Waller and the crew for allowing me to join the ship (at Gibraltar) and sail with her on her final three days at sea, it was a fantastic experience, and I hope that you will like my images, off course many of the crew have already asked for images which they already have. 

Hms Spartan

Following the paying off of HMS Sceptre at Plymouth (on Wednesday 26 May 2010) there are no longer any S-Class (Swiftsure Class) in service.

I was lucky enough to get onboard a Police launch escorting HMS Spartan when she sailed from  HM Naval Base Clyde for the last time following 28 years of service with the Royal Navy (Wednesday 25th January 2006). Sailing out of the Gareloch with her 45 m decommissioning pennant blowing in the breeze Commander Paul Halton, the Captain of Spartan said: "It is sad leaving Faslane for the last time. Over the years the teams in the base have given us exceptional support to keep Spartan ready for operations and of course keeping the crew fed, watered and happy when alongside." 

Prior to her last sailing, and as is traditional in the Navy, a decommissioning ceremony was held on 20th January to mark the successful completion of her service and to thank the men who have served in the Swiftsure Class Submarine over the years. Guest of honour at the ceremony was former First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Raymond Lygo, KCB who's late wife, Lady Emily Lygo, was the boat's Sponsor having originally named and launched her in 1978. 

Spartan

Spartan's last patrol was one of the most successful yet, having completed a five month long global deployment which saw her cover some 30,000 miles, transit three oceans and visit four continents before returning home just in time for Christmas 2005.