National Historic Ships UK has announced The Royal Yacht Britannia as the host venue for its 2023 Awards.

In this special Coronation year, what better location for the annual awards than this truly iconic National Historic Fleet vessel.  Britannia is also celebrating two anniversaries – 70 years since her build and 25 years of operation as a heritage site.

National Historic Ships UK’s annual Awards have run since 2010 and celebrate historic vessels at their best.  The ceremony reveals the winners of the annual Photography Competition, Excellence in Maritime Conservation and Volunteer Awards, as well as the Flagships of the Year.

The event was first hosted virtually during the pandemic and has remained online since to reach as wide an audience as possible.  Filmed at a top UK maritime location each year, the Awards include content created by the winners, plus tours and scenes from the host venue.  The resulting film is streamed from National Historic Ships UK’s website and can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in maritime heritage.

Previous Awards venues include HMS Belfast (2020), Boathouse 4 at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (2021), and Historic Dockyard Chatham (2022).

The Royal Yacht Britannia

Image: Helen Pugh

Britannia was launched in 1953 from John Brown’s Shipyard in Clydebank, Glasgow, to begin over 44 years of faithful service to Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family.  70 years on, Britannia is berthed in Leith, Edinburgh, and welcomes over 350,000 visitors per year who step aboard to explore this iconic ship and the illustrious role she proudly played in British history.

Voted Best UK Attraction (Which magazine readers) and a must-see when in Edinburgh, Britannia is also a prestigious evening events venue.  Highlights include the teak-panelled Sun Lounge, elegant State Dining Room and gleaming Engine Room.

The Fleet

As well as Britannia herself, The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust also owns a fleet of other craft – four of which are on the National Register of Historic Vessels and four of which were previously owned by the Royal Family.

These are: Fingal, a former Lighthouse Board tender transformed by the Royal Yacht Britannia Trust into a 22-cabin luxury floating hotel; the classic 1930s ocean-racing yacht Bloodhound, on which the young Prince of Wales and Princess Anne learned to sail; the famous Uffa Fox-designed ‘Flying Fifteens’ keelboat Coweslip, on which Prince Philip won the 1952 Britannia Cup; dragon class Bluebottle, which was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as a wedding present by the Island Sailing Club, Isle of Wight; and the Royal Nore, which was used by the Queen for official visits on the Thames for over 40 years.

The National Historic Ships UK Awards Ceremony will be streamed from its website on Tuesday 21 November 2023.  Read more about the individual Awards: www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/our-awards

National Historic Ships UK’s Photo Competition runs from 1 May – 31 August 2023 and this year’s theme is ‘In All Weathers’.  Find out more: www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/photocomp

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