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 manned by personnel from the navy and used by the monarch and his/her family on both private and official travels. Some royal yachts have been/are small vessels only used for short trips on rivers or in calm waters, but others have been/are large seaworthy ships. Historically most monarchs have had a royal yacht, but at this time there are only two left in use in Europe. For the most part royal yachts have been superseded by the use of warships in this role, as royal yachts are often seen as a hard-to-justify expenditure.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 royal carriages. Most monarchies also employ aircraft as a luxurious (and much more speedy and timely) mode of transportation. Although many monarchs and presidents have yachts used for their personal recreation, they are mostly privately manned. For a ship to be a true royal yacht it should be manned by the navy and paid for by the government of that country. For example the King of Norway has a large sailing yacht called Fram XVI, but the Norge is considered the only Norwegian royal yacht.
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Denmark
The Danish royal family have had several royal yachts. Two of them have been named Dannebrog.
- HDMY Elephanten (1687–21)
- HDMY Sophia Amalia (1650–?)
- HDMY Kiel (1824–40)
- HDMY Ægir (1841–55)
- HDMY Slesvig (1855–79)
- HDMS Jylland A frigate which served as a Royal Yacht on occasion 1874–55
- HDMY Dannebrog (1879–32)
- HDMY Dannebrog (1932–present)
Egypt
- Mahroussa aka. El Horria 1866–1951. Built for Isma'il Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt. She passed the Suez Canal during its opening. Lengthened twice, converted from paddle steamer to screws. Now serves as a school ship for the Egyptian Navy.
Germany
During the German Empire The Kaiser used these Yachts:
- SMY Hohenzollern 1878–1912, renamed SMY Kaiseradler in 1892
- SMY Hohenzollern II 1893–1914
- SMY Hohenzollern III built in 1914 but never finished
Netherlands
- De Groene Draeck (1957–present)
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 manned by the Royal Norwegian Navy. Before this other Navy ships had served as royal sea transport and the King used some smaller boats for short trips mostly on official occasions.
Oman
- Al Said (1982–)
- Zinat al bihaar built in Oman under a design of British naval architect Colin Mudie, she resembles a dhow.
- HMSS Fulk Al Salamah
Russia
Yachts employed by the Tzar of Russia:
- Alexandria (I) (1851-1906)
- Standart (I) (1857-1892)
- Derzhava (1871-1905)
- Tsarevna (1874-1917)
- Livadia (1880-1917/1926) was never used as an imperial yacht due to a flawed design.
- Polyarnaya Zvezda (1890-1917/1961)
- Alexandria (II) (1904-1917/1927)
- Standart (II) (1895-1917/1963)
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Royal Yachts have included the following:
- Abdul Aziz (1984–) Now owned by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz
- Al Riyadh (1978–)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had 83 royal yachts since the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. Charles II himself had 25 Royal Yachts, while five were simultaneously in service in 1831. Since the decommissioning of Britannia in 1997 the Queen does not have a royal yacht.
Other Nations
Other nations that employ some form of yacht presently or in the past include China, Iran, Russia, and Sweden. The United States in the past employed presidential yachts which functioned identically, serving the US President. Most notably was the USS Potomac (1936–1945) and the USS Williamsburg (1945–53). The most recent presidential yacht was the USS Sequoia (1933–77). Earlier vessels included the USS Mayflower (1906–29), damaged by fire during the Great Depression. Turkey also bought the Savarona as a presidential yacht for Kemal Atatürk in 1938, but it was later used as a school ship for the Turkish Navy.
See also
Sources
- Article in Vi Menn magazine number 31 2006
