Royal yacht
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A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often crewed by personnel from the navy and used by the monarch and their family on both private and official travels.
Some royal yachts have been small vessels only used for short trips on rivers or in calm waters, but others have been large seaworthy ships.
History
Depending on how the term is defined royal yachts date back to the days of antiquity with royal barges on the Nile in ancient Egypt.Template:Citation needed
Later the Vikings produced royal vessels. They followed the pattern of longships although highly decorated and fitted with purple sails (purple sails remained standard for royal vessels the next 400 years).Template:Sfn
In England, Henry V sold off the royal yachts to clear the Crown's debts. The next royal vessels in England were built in the Tudor period with Henry VIII using a vessel in 1520 that was depicted as having cloth of gold sails.Template:Sfn James I had Disdain, a ship in miniature (she was later recorded as being able to carry about 30 tons), built for his son Prince Henry. Disdain was significant in that she allowed for pleasure cruising and as a result can be seen as an early move away from royal ships as warships.
The first ships to unquestionably qualify as royal yachts were those owned by Charles II of England Scotland and Ireland.Template:Citation needed The first was gift from the Dutch but later yachts were commissioned and built in England. This established a tradition of royal yachts in Britain that was later copied by other royal families of Europe. Through the 19th century royal yachts got larger as they became a symbol of national wealth. World War I brought this trend to an end and the royal families that survived found it harder to justify the cost with the result that there are only three royal yachts left in use in Europe.Template:WhenTemplate:Citation needed For the most part royal yachts have been superseded by the use of warships in this role, as royal yachts are often seen as a hard-to-justify expenditure. In addition most monarchies with a railway system employ a special set of ceremonial royal carriages. Most monarchies are also granted access to government owned aircraft for transportation.
Yachts by country
Australia
Austria-Hungary
- Phantasie
- Miramar
Belgium
- La Clémentine (1897–1918)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Alberta (1896–1914)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Falcao Uno (1965)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Alpa IV (2009–2022)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="luxejacht">Template:Cite web</ref>
Denmark
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The Danish royal family have had several royal yachts. Two of them have been named Dannebrog.
- HMDY Sophia Amalia (1650–1687)
- HMDY Elephanten (1687–1721)
- HDMS Kronprindsens Lystfregat (1785)
- HMDY Kiel (1824–1840)
- HDMY Ægir (1841–1855)
- HMDY Slesvig (1855–1879)
- HDMS Jylland (1874–1885) – a frigate which served as a royal yacht on occasion.
- HDMY Dannebrog (1879–1932)
- HDMY Dannebrog (1932–present)
Egypt
- Mahroussa (also known as El Horria) (1866–1951) was built for Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt. She passed the Suez Canal during its opening. Lengthened twice, she was converted from paddle steamer to screw propellers. She now serves as a school ship for the Egyptian Navy.
Germany
During the existence of the German Empire, the Kaiser used these imperial yachts:
- SMY Hohenzollern (1878–1912); renamed SMY Kaiseradler in 1892
- SMY Hohenzollern II (1893–1914)
- SMY Hohenzollern III (begun in 1914 but never finished)
The Kriegsmarine fleet tender Grille was built as a state yacht for Adolf Hitler.
Greece
- Amphitrite<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hawaii
- Cleopatra's Barge (1820–1824) renamed Haʻaheo o Hawaiʻi ("Pride of Hawaii")<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Kamehameha III (until 1849), seized by the French when they invaded Honolulu
Iran
- Naseruddin
- Mozaffari (1902–1914), turned into gunboat
- Chahsevar (1936–1979), turned into corvette
- Kish (1970–1979), turned into training ship
Italy
- Savoia (1883–1904)
- Trinacria (1900–1925), former steamship America
- Savoia (1923–1944)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Japan
- Banryu (1857–1888) An iron screw schooner, she was given to the shōgun Tokugawa Iesada by Queen Victoria to commemorate the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Jingei (1881–1903) A wooden-hulled paddle steamer designed by Léonce Verny.
- Hatsukaze (1902–1945) presented by Baron Hisaya Iwasaki to the Crown Prince (later Emperor Taisho) to commemorate his visit of the Mitsubishi Shipyard in Nagasaki.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Jordan
King Hussein of Jordan was aboard his royal yacht (name not reported) in the Gulf of Aqaba when on 7 June 1981 it was overflown by eight low-flying Israeli F-16s en route to attack the Osirak reactor in Iraq during Operation Opera. One of the pilots described it as 'stunning white... incredible'.Template:Sfn
Monaco
- Princess Alice (1891 by Prince Albert I) Template:Cvt<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Deo Juvante II (1956–1958 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace) Template:Cvt<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Carostefal (1964 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace) Template:Cvt<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Stalca (1971–1972 by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace) Template:Cvt<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Pacha III (1990–present by Princess Caroline)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Morocco
- El Boughaz I (2006–present)
Netherlands
- Koningssloep (1818–present)
- De Groene Draeck (1957–present)
- Jumbo VI (1997-2005), a Moonen 85<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Aldebaran (2014–2021), a Wajer 38<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Alma (2021–present), a Wajer 55<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Norway
King Haakon VII received the royal yacht Norge as a gift from the people of Norway in 1947. The royal yacht is owned by the king but maintained and crewed by the Royal Norwegian Navy. Before this other naval ships had served as royal sea transport and the king used some smaller boats for short trips mostly on official occasions.
- Sophia Amalia (1650–?)
- Elephanten (1687–1721)
- Heimdal (1892–1946)
- Stjernen I (1899–1940)
- Stjernen II (1945–present)
- Norge (1947–present)
- Horten (1985)
Oman
The Oman Royal Yacht Squadron operates the following major vessels from Muscat and Muttrah in Oman:
| Name | Length (m) | Shipyard | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Said | 155<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Lürssen, Germany | 2007 | Has a helipad, orchestra and swimming pool. It is berthed in Mutrah port most of the time |
| Fulk al Salamah<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 165 | Mariotti Yachts, Italy | 2016 | Replacement support vessel and secondary yacht. |
| Al Dhaferah<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 136 | Bremer Vulkan, Germany | 1987 | Retained as logistics and helicopter support ship. |
| Zinat al Bihaar<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 61 | Oman Royal Yacht Squadron<ref>Template:Cite web
</ref>|| 1988 || Luxury sailing yacht built in Oman with imported engine from Siemens | ||
| Al-Noores | 33.5<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | K. Damen Netherlands | 1982 | Specialized tug boat for the other royal yachts |
Ottoman Empire
The Imperial Ottoman Government used many yachts for its head of state.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These include:
- Tesrifiye
- İzzeddin
- Template:Ship
- Talia
- Ertuğrul
The Republic of Turkey also has presidential yachts
Portugal
- Veloz (Template:Cvt): 1858
- Sirius (Template:Cvt): 1876
- Amélia I (Template:Cvt): 1888
- Amélia II (Template:Cvt): 1897
- Amélia III (Template:Cvt): 1898
- Amélia IV (Template:Cvt): 1901
The Portuguese King Charles I used four successive royal yachts, all named Amélia, after his wife, Queen Amélie of Orleans. These yachts were, mainly, used by Charles I for his oceanographic missions. It was in the Amélia IV that King Manuel II and the Portuguese royal family left the country for the exile, after the republican revolution of 5 October 1910. In the republican regime the Amélia IV was renamed NRP 5 de Outubro and operated by the Portuguese Navy.
Romania
- Ștefan cel Mare <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Luceafarul <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Russia
Imperial yachts employed by the Tsar of Russia:
- Alexandria (I) (1851–1906)
- Standart (I) (1857–1892)
- Derzhava (1871–1905)
- Tsarevna (1874–1917)
- Livadia (1873–1878); wrecked in Crimea October 21–22, 1878
- Livadia (1880–1926); flawed experimental ship, retired and hulked soon after commissioning. Used by the Romanovs only twice.<ref>By Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia on her maiden voyage from Brest to Ferrol, Spain and by Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia as a passenger on the Black Sea.</ref>
- Polyarnaya Zvezda (1890–1917/1961)
- Alexandria (II) (1904–1917/1927)
- Standart (II) (1895–1917/1936–1961 as Soviet Navy minelayer Marti)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Saudi Arabia
- Prince Abdulaziz (1984–) Now owned by descendants of Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz
- Al Riyadh (1978–)
- Al Salamah (1999–)
- Issham al Baher (1973–)
Spain
- Giralda (1900–1912) Template:Cvt Template:Citation needed
- The luxury yacht Fortuna belonged to King Juan Carlos I until he renounced it in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sweden
United Arab Emirates
Dubai is the personal yacht of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. Completed in 2006, she is the third largest yacht currently in service<ref>Matt Spector (6 August 2008) "World's Elite Make a Splash With Megayachts", ABC News</ref> at Template:Convert long. She came to world media attention when she sailed out to welcome the retired ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth 2 to Dubai in November 2008.
Another personal yacht of the Sheikh is the Template:Convert Alloya, built by Sanlorenzo in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had 83 royal yachts since the restoration of Charles II of England in 1660.<ref name="Roy1">Template:Cite web</ref> Charles II himself had 25 royal yachts,<ref name="UofSou">Template:Cite web</ref> while five were simultaneously in service in 1831.Template:Sfn Since the decommissioning of Template:Ship in 1997 the British monarchy no longer has a royal yacht.<ref name="Roy2">Template:Cite web</ref>
Other nations
The Principality of Monaco owned the princely yacht Deo Juvante II between 1956–1958. This Camper and Nicholsons yacht was a wedding gift from Aristotle Onassis to Prince Rainer and Grace Kelly and was used on their honeymoon. The yacht, now called M/Y Grace, is now owned and operated by Quasar Expeditions.
Yugoslavia had some royal yachts before World War II (most notably, one was a sister ship of Ilinden which sank in Lake Ohrid in 2009).
Zanzibar had only one naval ship in 1896, the royal yacht Template:Ship. It was sunk by the British during the shortest war in history, the Anglo-Zanzibar War.
Other nations that employ some form of yacht presently or in the past include China and Sarawak.
See also
References
Citations
Sources
- Template:Cite book
- Article in Vi Menn magazine number 31 2006
- Template:Cite book