Photos from the HMY Britannia, at Leith in Edinburgh and can be visited by tourists

The HMY Britannia, used by Britain's Queen Elizabeth for more than 40 years, was finally decommissioned in the year 1997, and was probably the last such ship available to the Queen. It has not been replaced by another ship, and at times of austerity and recession, it would not be politically feasible for any Government to announce the construction of a large ship for the Queen. British subjects have changed, from loving the Queen and the royal family earlier, to now grumbling about the expenditure on the royal family. As a part of this, let us see some more photos from the decommissioned ship and the way that the royalty would travel.

Bunks for the crew inside the decommissioned royal yacht HMV Britannia (get more photos here)

These bunks is how the crew would rest and sleep inside the royal ship, HMY Britannia. These have been retained in a manner that would show visitors their way of living, including items they would use, their dress uniforms, and so on. These seem pretty comfortable, but then this was a royal ship and one would expect the crew to not live in a bad condition. Visitors get to see these quarters as part of their tour around the ship.

The glass enclosed corridor leading to the HMV Britannia (View more photos here)

HMY Britannia is berthed permanently, and is now a tourist attraction. When you look at the bus tours in Edinburgh, many of them include the ship in their tours, and there is a whole support system for this. On the land side, there is an entire building infrastructure for guiding tourists, providing shops for them to buy food and drinks and memorabilia. This corridor is one that connects the ship and the building, allowing a smooth flow for tourists.

Grand staircase inside the berthed royal yacht HMV Britannia, cordoned off to prevent tourists from entering (more photos)

A grand staircase inside the ship, meant for leading to the royal quarters and other parts of the ship. This area is off limits for tourists and hence the gentle reminders - with cordons at the bottom and top end of the staircase. And of course, with the number of tourists who visit the ship, too many people up and down the carpet is liable to make the carpet ragged.

The royal gangway along with red carpet used by the royal family (More photos at this link)

As part of maintaining the royal ship, this special entry gangway has also been preserved, along with the red carpet. And to ensure that nobody does any mischief, the entire area is blocked using a wooden fence, with the entry only being seen from a higher point, such as from the ship.