Ceremony commemorates Britannia’s 60th anniversary

THE 60TH anniversary of the Royal Yacht Britannia was today celebrated with a flag-raising ceremony at its berth in Edinburgh.

Built in the Clyde shipyards, the Royal Yacht was launched at 2.15pm on April 16, 1953, from the John Brown shipyard in Clydebank.

Britannia’s longest-serving Yachtsman, Ellis Norrell, raised a new flag made in honour of the ship’s crew, and was accompanied by Albert ‘Dixie’ Deane - who served with Mr Norrell and established the Association of Royal Yachtsmen - and former shipbuilder George Leishman, who worked on the engine room.

The Royal Yacht, which had taken the Queen around the world for a period of over 40 years, called at over 600 ports in 135 countries during its service.

The vessel was decommissioned in 1997, and is permanently berthed in Leith, where it is still a visitor attraction.