Royal Yachts

[hrhcp]

Norway

The Royal Yacht NORGE

Starboard (right) view
Port (left) view

The Royal Yacht NORGE was the Norwegian people's gift to King Haakon VII in 1947. NORGE is owned by the King but maintained and manned by the Royal Norwegian Navy. The Royal Standard is flown when the King is on board.

History:
When Prince Carl of Denmark, a naval officer, agreed to be elected to the vacant throne of Norway in 1905, he was promised a royal yacht. Due to Norway´s difficult economic situation after the dissolution of the union with Sweden, it never materialized. By 1913, as King Haakon, he had decided to build a yacht at his own expense if the country would undertake to man and maintain it. Two world wars intervened. Afterwards a nation-wide appeal was made for funds to purchase a yacht for the respected and ageing king who had become a truly national symbol. In July 1947 the British motor yacht PHILANTE, built in 1937 for Sir Thomas Sopwith and used for Atlantic duty as a convoy escort vessel during World War II, was bought by Norway in time for a model to be made for the king's 75th birthday. After refitting was finished in 1948, King Haakon was finally able to take over his royal yacht, which was renamed NORGE.

With NORGE King Haakon was able to visit isolated communities along the whole length of the Norwegian coast, as well as many places abroad on official visits - not only neighbouring countries but also for example England, The Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany.

King Olav took over NORGE after his father in 1957 and a 10-year plan was adopted to upgrade the hull and technical equipment. The King followed the traditions introduced by King Haakon, using NORGE on both official and private occasions. In 1985 during welding operations on board when NORGE was docked for repair, a fire broke out with disastrous consequences, though fortunately the hull and engines survived. King Olav decided the ship was to be rebuilt, and a year later he was once more able to take over NORGE, with a higher standard of safety and better technical equipment than before the fire.

When King Olav died in 1991, NORGE was taken over by King Harald. There are now only two royal yachts in the world: NORGE and the Danish DANNEBROG.

Manning:
The royal yacht NORGE is owned by HM The King. A Royal Decree of 1947 provides that the ship shall be manned, operated and maintained by the Defence Forces. NORGE has a gross tonnage of 1628 and a maximum cruising speed of 16 knots, and is 264 ft long. In summer the complement of officers and crew is 54. The season begins when the King embarks in mid-June and ends when he disembarks in late September. In winter the complement is reduced to about 20, mainly for watch duty and maintenance. In February the new recruits begin theoretical and practical training for the coming season.

NORGE today:
The sailing schedule for the Royal Yacht varies from year to year. Some of the ship's activities are connected with HM The King's participation in regattas, for example in recent years in Polish, Spanish and British waters. When the King is competing in major international yacht races, he uses NORGE as a base. The King and Queen also make use of the Royal Yacht for official events in Norway and abroad: for example for the Southern Norway Royal Tour after the Consecration Service in 1991 and for the Northern Norway Royal Tour in 1992. When Their Majesties celebrated their 60th birthdays in the summer of 1997, royalty from the whole of Europe joined in a coastal cruise on board NORGE, the Danish royal yacht DANNEBROG and the naval ship, HNoMS HORTEN. The comprehensive upkeep of NORGE is carried out in the winter months by the ship's deck and engine crew. The ship is subject to Veritas control. The ship's officers and crew will be responsible for executing the plans and projects to renovate the ship's galleys and refrigerated storage rooms before summer 2000.

[hrhcp]

Denmark

The Royal Yacht DANNEBROG

Port view

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog was launched by Queen Alexandrine in Copenhagen in 1931 and was commissioned on 26 May 1932. The yacht now serves as the official and private residence for HM The Queen, HRH the Prince Consort and members of the Royal Family when they are on official visits overseas and on summer cruises in Danish waters. When at sea the Royal Yacht also participates in surveillance and sea rescue services.

The Dannedrog was built in 1931 – 1932 at the Naval Dockyard in Copenhagen to replace the previous royal vessel, the paddle steamer Dannebrog from 1879. The yacht has dual functions: it is primarily the Royal Yacht during peacetime, second – it can become a hospital ship during emergency alerts or war.

The ship’s hull is a riveted steel construction on transverse frames. The ship has a clipper stem and an elliptic stern. Viewed from the side the ship may be divided into two sections. In front of the funnel there is space for accommodation for the crew, cargo and the engine. At the rear is the Royal Apartment, which could accommodate patients if it was ever to be used as a hospital. During visits to Danish and foreign ports the covered quarterdeck is used for receptions.

The Royal accommodation comprises HM The Queen and HRH The Prince Consort’s the studies, a dining salon, a lounge, the bedroom, etc. HM The Queen and HRH The Prince Consort have taken a personal interest in fitting out the vessel and the choice of furnishings. The Royal Apartment contains furniture and fittings from the previous Royal vessel from 1879.

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog is an independent command, administered by the Chief of HM The Queen’s Naval Household, who is a member of the Royal Household. The crew of the Dannebrog comprises 9 officers, 7 sergeants and 36 enlisted able-seamen all of whom have all been hand-picked from the Navy. The officers are normally seconded for periods of two to four years, whereas the able-seamen stay for just one summer.

Since the flag was first hoisted in 1932, the yacht has travelled more than 300,000 nautical miles and visited most of the ports of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The yacht has also visited European ports, especially in France and cruised the Mediterranean and the Caribbean Seas.

A major overhaul was carried out in 1980 to 1981 in order to extend the life of the yacht beyond the turn of the century. We have now passed that point and the 70-year-old yacht is still going strong. One of the major improvements was the replacement of the main engines.

Dimensions of the Royal Yacht:
Length: 78.43 m
Width: 10.40 m
Draught: 3.62 m
Mast height: 23.00 m
Load displacement: 1238 t

Main engines:
Two diesel engines, B&W Alpha Diesel, type 6T23L-KVO, 870 HP each
Auxiliary engines:
Three diesel engines SCANIA, type DS11ol MO 1, 136kW each
Speed:
13.5 knots
Cruising radius:
3600 nautical miles

[hrhcp]

Similar yachts for Norway and Denmark

Denmark - Dannebrog
Norway - Norge

[hrhcp]

Sweden

No official government provided ship.

Their two royal neigbouring countries are more sea-faring, hence its a tradition, although from what I've read Sweden is getting more and more into the big ship business ... so will this mean a royal yacht in the future ?

Kung Carl XVI Gustaf has however a number of privately owned yachts. Here is the link to a description of them.

[hrhcp]

United Kingdom

No longer an official government provided ship.

They used to have the Britannia.

Britannia is one of the most famous ships of the 20th century. Launched at John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank in 1953, the Royal Yacht proudly served Queen and country for 44 years. Now in retirement, you can visit Britannia berthed in Edinburgh's Port of Leith.

[hrhcp]

How about the other Royal Houses .... what sort of yachts do the Kings and Crown Princes play with ?

- King Harald is onto his seventh? sailboat now, the Flam VII ? He likes to race with King Juan Carlos of Spain.

- so King Juan Carlos has a sailboat.
- I recall Prince Felipe got a new sailboat earlier this year.

- Princess Caroline has her Pacha III.

- how about Crown Prince Haakon, is the deepwater itch in his veins ? He did after all do his military training in the navy.

- how about the Belgian, Dutch and Luxemburgers ... they have any "holes in the water into which you pour the money" ?

[Cathérine Bergeyck]

King Albert of Belgium, has a boat, but I would by no means call it a yacht :P

It's very modest. Does anyone know the name of his boat?

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[GrandDuchess]

Sweden has no royal yacht or ship - and I don't think there will ever be one. I think it's because we don't have that kind of tradition in our royal house. In stead, we have had great war ships of The King (call regal ships in Swedish), not only the Vasa, but also many great and magnificent war ships. The Royal House has done their boating in private, and has never had the traditions of other European royal houses, making long official trips by boat.

Our royals go sailing or boating in their private time.

[DDD]

The Dutch royals don´t have their official boats like in Norway and Denmark, but we do have private boats.
Queen Beatrix, then princess, received on a sailboat on her 18th birthday from the Dtuch people, it´s called the Groene Draeck. she often makes trips with family and friends with her sailboat.
Her father has a yacht, the Jumbo VI, I think, He makes trips to Italy, to his house in porto Ercole. he bought the boat/ yaught for 5 million gulden, that's arround the 2.2 million euro's.

[DDD]

The pictures didn´t work

Bernie´s boat

With his boat after the repairing-thing
FIRE
Firemen

[ElisaR]

It's a pity that the British haven't their yacht any more. :(
Britannia was decommissioned in late 1997 with a ceremony attended by moved Queen and Duke: a gift from the new government for their Golden Wedding! (20 November).

[selrahc4]

I recently purchased the book "The Royal Yacht Britannia: The Official Story" by Richard Johnstone-Bryden. A magnificent book which I enjoyed enormously. The pictures are great. I loved the one of The Duke of Edinburgh with a Beatles wig and guitar!

[norwegianne]

It seems quite useful to have a boat to stay on when moving around the country, like both Norway and Denmark does - or using them as extra hotels for visiting guests, as was done when Sonja and Harald celebrated their 60th birthdays in Trondheim.

[Layla1971]

Originally Posted by GrandDuchess

Sweden has no royal yacht or ship - and I don't think there will ever be one. I think it's because we don't have that kind of tradition in our royal house. In stead, we have had great war ships of The King (call regal ships in Swedish), not only the Vasa, but also many great and magnificent war ships. The Royal House has done their boating in private, and has never had the traditions of other European royal houses, making long official trips by boat.

Our royals go sailing or boating in their private time.

Sad really! It would be nice to see the RF sailing on a grand, beautiful yhact!

[crisiñaki]

Isn't the Fortuna a royal yatch for the Spanish royal family? It seems strange that they don't owe a royal yatch because everyone in the family adores the sea and loves to sail, so it would look kind of weird to me

[...JuAnItA...]

Originally Posted by crisiñaki

Isn't the Fortuna a royal yatch for the Spanish royal family? It seems strange that they don't owe a royal yatch because everyone in the family adores the sea and loves to sail, so it would look kind of weird to me

Yes! Fortuna is a yatch of SRF!
And it seems to be a good yatch!

[RoyalProtocol]

I have a great book on Royal Yachts, I bought it at The Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh last year. It is called "The Royal Yachts of The World" I got it in the sale and apparently it was one of the last in stock.