News: 1622552471

Good news. 20 years overdue, but still.

Worth the price if it lasts as long as the last one and if schmoozing egos is what it takes to swing foreign orders our way then great.

Could be good PR

Park it next to some Russian oligarchs MegaYacht in Monaco and they will get the message about the relative strength and importance of Britain and decide where they can safely hide their money without worrying about a strong government.

I suspect it's more likely that it will be sold off cheap to some Russian billionaire oligarch after it's seized for non-payment of harbour fees in Monaco.

At only 200M - you are gonna need a bigger boat (budget)

Britannia was only retired when her pre and post nuclear strike role was deemed unnecessary and costs became very high. Cold war planners in the UK realised very important facts relatively early on. Namely that:

One large bunker like the bunker under Box in Wiltshire was not H bomb proof,

The missiles were getting more accurate,

One strike could take out a lot of people in one go.

And the Soviets almost certainly knew where the bunkers were.

So a new Top Secret plan was hatched to send groups consisting of civil servants, senior trade reprentatives/negotiators (UK Supply Agency), ministers etc. to dispersed locations in the period of tension before a likely conflict. This was codenamed PYTHON and a very select few people knew of the existence of it. Officially the plan was still go underground in Wiltshire. Britannia was to host a Python group which wouldn't have included the royals.

These groups would have met up after the bombing had stopped and tried to resupply the country from other nations. If you look up a bloke called Mike Kenner [1]@wellbright on Twitter [2]Gov document uncovered by Mike you can read more at [3]https://www.subbrit.org.uk/features/where-did-the-government-go/ by Dr Steve Fox

[1] https://mobile.twitter.com/wellbright

[2] https://mobile.twitter.com/wellbright/status/1084075695712751616/photo/1

[3] https://www.subbrit.org.uk/features/where-did-the-government-go/

The construction costs won't be confirmed until after delivery. We may never know the operating costs.

So they can’t say for certain that it will actually be built here?

Embarrassing doesn’t come close!

which is hoped will be built in the UK

Lemme see now..

* Imagined in Britain

* Designed in Cupertino, California

* Financed in The Emirates

* Built in China

Fixed it for you

Built in India, thank you. Probably designed there, too. Remember, India ‘s is now the #3 English-speaking navy in the world, and will catch up with and pass Britain for #2 shortly if HM Gov doesn’t get their fingers out.

precisely

Given they are pretending its for promoting UK trade (& not just another toy for the Royals as I'm sure randy Andy would like a floating shag palace) then if its not UK built then it will make the UK even more of an international laughing stock as its not promoting the UK if the boat is built in Japan, S. Korea or wherever (assuming that is even possible for UK reputation to drop further with its current poor image due to self inflicted damage of poor brexit & trade deal negotiations, pitiful COVID handling and a PM that is perceived rather less favourably in most other countries than by many UK voters). I thoroughly recommend reading "Foreign press" (albeit online easier than dead tree) to get a perspective on how the UK is viewed by others.

"I'm sure randy Andy would like a floating shag palace"

That's just nonce-sense.

Quite, isn't rather the argument that he prefers doing it on islands anyway?

Odd that you mention our glorious PM and "floating shag palace" in the same post, but don't connect the two. It was Boris who took his "Technology Tutor" on trade missions at Government expense wasn't it?

Most of the big ocean liners seem to be built up the road from me in Emsland, Germany.

But, still the UK has a rich history of building ships. Just look at the Swan Hunter, Lythgow, Thornycroft, Vospers... Oh, wait... History... :-S

First suspects would be the Netherlands and Germany really. Both have several well known builders of luxury yachts

The UK CAN build this class of yacht. However, I recall that the last UK Sea Cadet tall ship was built in Spain- rigged in the UK though. It was delayed a year because the spars were not ready....

To be fair, the original Britannia was built in Clydebank. If it was to be built near there again in the next decade, then I wouldn't bet with certainty that it was still being built in the "UK"...

... that is if wee McKranky doesn't have her way....

Does England still have any shipbuilding dockyards?

No but it has few places that can put down some civil service carpet and paint an existing ship red white and blue. Now all we need is to buy a used trawler cheap.

Civil-service carpet?! You might as well go full pleb and buy it from John Lewis! The Prime-Ministerial, sorry, Royal Yacht needs to be furnished to a higher standard than the common muck.

Judging from the annual office/apartment refurbishment cost scandal I assumed civil service decor was made from crushed Faberge eggs

>... that is if wee McKranky doesn't have her way....

She will be allowed to be towed behind in the; wee bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,

Of course it does! Where do you think Toppers come from?

Seriously, there are several luxury brands still down the south coast - Princess/Davenport. These sorts of ships might be actually built in a real shipyard though - like Harland or Vosper (yes, they do still exist)

The real question is will be allowed to propose a name?

BoatyMcBoatface II

AndysExtension?

Boris

The list would be endless.....

Nowadays, they have the capability to build a boat that could take you from the Scottish mainland to a nearby island, but do they have anything big enough to build something like that? I don't think so.

Britain hasn't built a yacht of any appreciable standard in decades.

I think Sunseeker in Poole still build yachts. But I don't think that they are in the same league as the type of ship that I expect the Government want.

You ought to bear in mind that HMY Britannia was built with dual purposes in mind. She was technically a ship of the navy, and was equipped to allow it to be converted to a hospital ship, although that never happened during her operational life.

Actually, at that budget, they could probably take the Type 31 frigate design, remove the weapon systems and the more military of the radar fit, and reduce the installed power, and end up with something interesting.

Might have some problems re-fitting the interior to make is more yacht-like, but the budgets are not that dissimilar.

When mostly peaceful riots around international summits (G7, etc) were all the rage, along with the associated cordoning off of city centres, I proposed that all future summits or conferences should be hosted at sea.

The result being that delegates can travel around to find the nicest weather and views, residents of cities would not be disrupted, protestors would cause less damage in major cities, policing costs could be reduced.

A single vessel could probably be used by most if not all of the world's leaders as summits tend to happen at different times - except for the counter summits that take place when some group want to highlight that their problems are not being addressed by the main summit.

Naval security can be handled by, err, navies as regular training exercises, thus keeping those costs down too.

I think I might prefer the name "Vasa" ...

I think I might prefer the name "Vasa" ...

Wrong country, otherwise I might agree.

So £400m then.

And it will be years before we find out who made a 10% commission from the design and implementation.

They are saying "green technology" but the last boat I ever saw built with green technology was HMS Victory - that was a carbon-neutral boat unless the admiral pissed out of the back windows.

"So £400m then?"

I think you are leaning on the conservative side.

Though at £200m it is cheaper than three F35s, probably cheaper to maintain and shouldn't become obsolete as quickly.

There's people , kids , going hungry in the UK and you spend 200 mils on a yatch for people who truly don't need it ?

Shame .. this whole thing is shamefull beyond belief. This is beyond acceptable. Shame on the whole bloody lot for even thinking they need this. They don't.. it's just another luxury for the 1% at your expense. What amazes me is " oooo it's a good idea .. " a good idea for the rich beyond belief that try to make you believe it's needed. Needed my a&& .. you're being taken for yet more of money that comes off your hard labor.

So, what do you reckon the Sasquatch-sized carbon footprint of the new (diesel powered, unless someone can confirm otherwise) tub will be then?

Large boats drink diesel like it’s going out of fashion. Oh hang on….

They'll probably change the design to electric at the last moment. Watch out for a CFT for 5,000 miles of power cable.

Or nuclear powered. Repurpose a Vanguard powerplant and Robert's your Dad's brother!

Finally a use for all the MPs, political advisors, researchers etc.

Give them an oar each.

There's your green technology.

They want green technology, so unlikely to be a gas guzzler.

I would suggest using pedalo technology, they could use MPs to power it and give them something useful to do while they are off on a foreign trip.

It will be powered by new magic Sovereignty (tm)

If it's "randy Andy's floating shag palace" then you could drop the 'l' and use Peado (sp??) technology....

I would suggest using pedalo technology, they could use MPs to power it and give them something useful to do while they are off on a foreign trip.

Not pedalo technology but hot air, something those MPs are very good at.

Not necessarily super yachts.

They are often be powered off mixed fuels - basically any oil that can be on boarded and filtered... Diesel, yes, but also heavy oils or rape seed. The generators are a different matter - they might be diesel (or battery storage, possibly)

I imagine the Great British Public will not be asked to come up with name this time....

It will be spec'd with the wrong type of landing pad/equipment and will then have to be equipped with US Marine crewed aircraft for its maiden voyage.

At least it will keep the flag-shaggers happy/quiet for a little while.

As long as they don’t repeat the mistake of forgetting to put the prop shaft in and then have to (literally) cut the thing in half to fit it.

Hopefully that particular balls-up is limited to our new aircraft carriers.

I just think that the days of us waltzing into a harbour and blowing peoples minds with a flash boat are in the past.

Would this really generate a pay-back ? Hard to believe.

Would this really generate a pay-back ? Hard to believe.

I think it'll be kick-backs, not pay-back.