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Racing Career

Scuttling

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Racing Career

HMY Britannia was commissioned in 1892 by the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, and designed by the famous scottish designer G.L. Watson and built by D&W Henderson Yard on the Clyde. She was launched on April 20, 1893.
She was a 23-Meter Class Cutter, 121 feet long, 23 feet 4 inches beam, 221 tons displacement, 164 feet tall mast and 10,327 square feet of sail.
By the end of her first year's racing Britannia had scored thirty-three wins from forty-three starts. In her second season she won all seven races for the big class yachts on the French Riviera, and then beat the 1893 America's Cup winner Vigilant in home waters.
After the death of King Edward VII, she was raced by King George V, who was also a keen yachtsman. She rested unattended during World War I but was raced again in 1920. Yet again, she raced with great success and was refitted in 1922 and raced until 1935. By 1935, she was outclassed by the newer J-class yachts and she was retired. Her last race was at Cowes in 1935. During her racing career she had won 231 races and been placed in 129.

Scuttling

King George V's dying wish was for his beloved yacht to follow him to the grave. On July 10, 1936, after she had been stripped of her spars and fittings her hull was towed out to St Catherines Deep near the Isle of Wight, and she was sunk by HMS Winchester, commanded by Captain W.N.T. Beckett RN.

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