Britannia ship-shape for public viewing again

The yacht is now back in its permanent berth in Edinburgh after it was moved to a dry dock earlier this month for maintenance.

During the move, on 6 January, fire crews had to be called because the boat started taking on water from a leak in a door seal. It was the first time the vessel had been moved in 14 years.

A major part of the work was repainting the area of the hull below the waterline. Britannia had to be taken out of the water and into the dry dock to allow the hull section to be inspected, treated and repainted.

Now staff are putting the finishing touches to the ship’s interior and polishing the cutlery as it prepares to reopen to the public today.

Bob Downie, chief executive of the Royal Yacht Britannia, said: “It is great to have Britannia back at her permanent berth and ready to open to the public again after undertaking an enormous amount of work whilst we were closed.

“The good news is that our insurance surveyors have given Britannia’s hull a very clean bill of health and it should be another 20 years before having to go back into dry dock.”

Launched in April 1953, the yacht travelled 1,087,623 nautical miles before being taken out of service in 1997.