| Britannia |
 |
| Rig Class. | Cutter |
| Year built: | 1893 |
| Fate: | Scuttled after the death of HM King George V |
| General characteristics |
| Class & Type: | Cutter |
| Ton: | 220 tons |
| LOA: | 122 feet |
| Beam: | 23 ft 3 in |
| Draught: | 15 feet |
When Britannia was first built she was considered to be ugly to a generation educated to admire the hollow clipper bow, but she proved to be one of the best, if not the best, of the large cutters and her racing record was outstanding.
Looking at the accommodation plan below, it can be seen that about half of it is given to the crew and the galley. Aft of that is the saloon which, extending across the whole beam, was light and airy. Further aft, alongside each other, were two state rooms, the owner's being the one on the starboard side.
Astern of that is the ladies' cabin, separated from the rest of the accommodation by the companionway and the bathroom.
The counter was almost entirely a sail locker - a large space, but it was necessary to be like that as the sails were heavy and awkward to handle. In profile, this area seems to be a bit weak to cope with the strain of the mainsheet and the backstays, but it braced by a steel girder throughout its length.
The sail plan below shows the original rig with the jack yard topsail and reefing topmast in dotted lines. The Bermudan sail plan given to her in 1931 is in solid lines.
The gaff and all the associated halliards and blocks had gone, and the main was now a parabolic curve from truck to boom, whereas before it had been flattened at the gaff and the topsail (on one tack) was flattened where it pressed against the peak halliards. The result was that, with the saving of weight aloft and the higher efficiency of the main, she was faster to windward than before, but the rigging of these tall masts wasn't properly understood at the time and it was a risky experiment - which succeeded.
The bottom four photos below show Britannia in the four different configurations of her long career.
Owners