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A New Royal Yacht Is Coming

• By Phil Draper
• January 7, 2022

There are yachts, and there are superyachts, but royal yachts tend to be something else again. The United Kingdom hasn’t had a royal yacht for almost 25 years, but the British government just announced its intention to replace Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia .

No firm details have been released of what this replacement could be, but design proposals were recently invited. Time is of the essence, given that the official policy statement came with a proposed launch date just three years away.

The open brief suggests that what is needed now is less yacht, more national ship—a world-first build. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he sees the vessel as more of a floating embassy to support royals and government ministers alike.

That concept is broadly familiar. During its 44-year service life as a ship of state, Britannia racked up more than 1 million nautical miles and 696 foreign visits. Every itinerary was about promoting the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and trade promotion was always a part of the job description. For instance, Britannia made several trips to the United States, including both coasts and Chicago via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Various presidents and their wives were guests aboard, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

But what defines a royal yacht?

It’s not just about scale, although the eight-deck, all-steel Britannia was one of the biggest yachts in the world when it launched. It was built at Scotland’s John Brown and Co. of Clydebank, the same yard that built the ocean liners RMS Queen Elizabeth and RMS Queen Mary . Britannia entered service in January 1954, one year after Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Her late husband, Prince Philip, was a former naval officer and enthusiastically oversaw Britannia’s specification and construction.

The yacht, beyond its routine duties, could rapidly convert to a 200-bed hospital ship or an offshore refuge for the royal family in case of nuclear war. Britannia is 412 feet length overall, has a 55-foot beam and measures 5,862 gross tons. Thanks to two turbine sets producing up to 12,000 hp, Britannia was capable of a continuous 21 knots throughout its service years.

Those were the days when a yacht of that size was unusual: There are now almost 30 giga-yachts afloat with more gross tonnage than Britannia . Only a quarter of them have any obvious royal affiliations.

But in its day, Britannia was an operation to behold. The yacht was home to 21 officers and 256 sailors of the British Royal Navy and could host functions with 250 guests. The staterooms and staff quarters were aft, and the crew were forward. The yacht’s complement included a Royal Marines guard detachment in separate onboard barracks, a 26-strong military band, and a full general surgery team with an operating theater. The permanent noncommissioned crew were known affectionately as the “yotties.”

Britannia was where the most senior members of the royal family stayed when on suitable official visits. It was not where they would normally spend vacations, although Prince Charles and Princess Diana famously used Britannia for a honeymoon cruise in the Mediterranean. They had the yacht’s only double bed installed aboard.

As for Britannia’s successor, various sources have quoted ballpark figures for the build in the low hundreds of millions of dollars. The final specification will depend on how much space is practical for conference and entertainment areas, the number of guest staterooms, the crew complement, helicopter use, tenders, provisions, technology, and security. Johnson also says he wants the vessel to incorporate cutting-edge green technologies and showcase best practices with regard to sustainability.

The new yacht is expected to have a service life of at least 30 years. Given that trillions of dollars’ worth of trade deals were reportedly secured aboard Britannia , the cost for that lifespan is not expected to be a concern.

Construction could start as early as next year, following consultations with the royal family, the Royal Navy and various government departments. The vessel will officially be the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense and classified as if it were a warship.

Floating History

Now retired, royal yacht Britannia lies permanently in Edinburgh, Scotland. This vessel has been one of the Scottish capital’s most popular tourist draws for more than 25 years. It is open daily and sees more than 1,000 visitors a day. Guided tours take in all areas, including a view into the queen’s bedroom, private sitting rooms, state dining room and drawing rooms, sun lounge and veranda, bridge, crew decks, and engine room.

The First Royal Yacht

The wooden wheel aboard Britannia came from the only other royal yacht to bear the name, the much older 122-foot gaff-rigged cutter Britannia . Built for Prince Albert Edward, who later became King Edward VII, it was famously campaigned at big-boat

regattas by him and his son, King George V. The yacht launched in spring 1893 and was a near-sister to Valkyrie II , which unsuccessfully challenged the Nathanael Greene Herreshoff-built Vigilant for the America’s Cup that same year. Both Valkyrie II and Britannia

were designed by George Lennox Watson and built at the D&W Henderson Shipyard in Scotland. Following George V’s death and per his wishes, the vessel was stripped of its spars and fitting, and scuttled in deep water off England’s South Coast on July 10, 1936.

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What Happened to the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Crown season five begins and ends with the same plot point: The Royal Yacht Britannia. The vessel serves as a—fairly obvious—metaphor in the first episode, where Imelda Staunton’s Queen Elizabeth describes it as “a floating, seagoing version of me.” The problem with her metaphorical marine self? It’s in desperate need of multi-million dollar repairs. 

She asks British prime minister John Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller, whether the government might be able to help foot the bill. He, in turn, asks if the royal family might front the cost, given the public pushback they both might receive if such a seemingly extravagant project was approved. In the final episode of the season (a note to the reader: spoilers will follow), Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth agree to decommission the yacht after Prince Charles’s trip to Hong Kong.

The Crown is known for taking much of its plot material from real-life events. In the case of the Royal Yacht Britannia, though—what really happened to the boat, and how much political controversy did it really cause?

To go back to the beginning, King George VI first commissioned the royal yacht that would become the Britannia in 1952. It was an exciting project, as the previous official boat had belonged to Queen Victoria, and was rarely used. (Queen Victoria, for one, did not like the water and never sailed.) Then, during the early 20th century, England was mostly at war, and making a massive, slow-sailing luxury ship would be a massive security risk in international waters. 

The Royal Yacht Britannia, George decided, should both be an extravagant vessel and a functional one, able to double as a hospital if times of war were to arise again. In 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth christened the ship with a bottle of wine, as champagne was still seen as too extravagant post-war. In 1954, she set sail for the first time.

The Royal Yacht fulfilled many functions, most of them leisurely. Over the years, the boat hosted four royal honeymoons, including that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, as well as many family vacations. In 1969, after his investiture as the Prince of Wales, Charles hosted an intimate party on board to celebrate. (Newspapers at the time wrote that he danced with his dear friend Lucia Santa Cruz —the very person who eventually introduced him to Camilla Parker Bowles.)

It also served as a grandiose mode of transport for many royal visits. In 1959, for example, Britannia sailed to Chicago to celebrate the recently-opened St. Lawrence seaway in Canada, and President Eisenhower joined her on board. Twenty years later, she sailed to Abu Dhabi for her first official visit to the United Arab Emirates, where she held a grand dinner for Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

And although Queen Elizabeth's reign was not during wartime, the royal yacht did execute a humanitarian mission, as King George VI had always planned for: In 1986, it sailed to Aden to evacuate over 1,000 refugees from the civil war in Yemen.

The New York Times once described the 412-foot Britannia as “an ordinary yacht what Buckingham Palace is to the house next door.” It wasn’t an exaggeration—Britannia was essentially a floating palace. It had a drawing room, a dining room, two sitting rooms, as well as galleys and cabins for all the officers. The stateroom interiors were just as ornate as any other royal estate, while the bedrooms—which all had their own bathrooms and dressing rooms—were designed to feel surprisingly personal. 

“Within the royal apartments, however, the regal elegance gives way to the homey, patched elbow chic of an English country house, with flowered chintz slipcovers, family photographs, and rattan settees, interspersed with the occasional relic of Empire—shark's teeth from the Solomon Islands here, a golden urn commemorating Nelson's victory at Trafalgar there,” the New York Times found when it boarded the ship in 1976.

The cost of running Britannia was always an issue. Politicians raised questions about its financial value as far back as 1954, when two MPs lobbied for an investigation on why the yacht’s refurbishment would cost 5.8 million pounds, accusing the royal family of waste and extravagance. A government committee later dismissed the accusations. In 1994, the Conservative government ruled the yacht too costly to refurbish, when repairs came in at a whopping 17 million, but then briefly walked back on their decision a few years later. 

However, when Tony Blair’s Labour government won the election, and the new government once again declined to pay for Britannia. Britannia’s final journey was to far-flung Hong Kong in 1997, as Prince Charles turned over the British colony back to the Chinese at the end of Britain's 99-year lease. When they finally decommissioned the boat that summer, the queen cried—one of the few times she’s shown emotion in public. The boat had logged over one million nautical miles.

Today, Britannia sits permanently docked in Edinburgh. Visitors can take tours of its grand galleys, or even rent it out for events. Yet, despite its retirement, the concept of the royal yacht lives on: In 2021, Boris Johnson floated the idea of a new boat. However, a mere eight days ago, Rishi Sunak has scrapped the project—showing that, even now, the concept remains a controversial one.

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Queen Elizabeth Cried When The Royal Yacht Britannia Was Decommissioned In 1997

The floating palace served the royal family for 44 years.

The Crown Season 5 kicks off with a flashback of a young Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland for the launch of the Royal Yacht Britannia , just as both she and the vessel were about to venture into uncharted waters. In an obvious metaphor, the United Kingdom’s newly crowned queen expressed her hope that the Britannia would be “dependable and constant, capable of weathering any storm.” As viewers now know, the late British monarch went on to enjoy a historic reign prior to her death on Sept. 8, 2022. As for whether the Royal Yacht had as impressive of a run, here’s everything to know about Britannia’s current whereabouts and sailing status.

The new royal yacht, which was commissioned just two days before King George VI died in February 1952, was designed to travel the globe and double as a wartime hospital ship. In light of the King’s declining health before his death, it was also intended to be a cruising convalescent residence for the ailing royal. As portrayed in the Netflix series, the Britannia launched from a Clydebank, Scotland shipyard in April 1953.

For the next 44 years, the yacht would serve as a royal residence for Queen Elizabeth, who welcomed aboard such world leaders as Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, and Rajiv Gandhi, among others, for various state dinners. Meanwhile, other members of the Royal Family over the years used Britannia for such purposes as family holidays and honeymoons. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones were the first newlyweds to honeymoon on the yacht in 1960, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana later famously spent their 1981 honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the yacht. According to Town & Country , the crew managed to duck the press so efficiently that the Britannia earned the nickname “the ghost ship.”

Outside of the vessel’s recreational uses, the Yacht also played a role in some major historic events. When a civil war broke out in South Yemen in January 1986, for example, the Britannia, as a non-combatant Royal Navy ship, was allowed to enter territorial waters to rescue trapped British nationals without inflaming the conflict.

After traveling more than one million nautical miles, former Prime Minister Tony Blair decommissioned the Britannia in 1997. The ship became the last of 83 Royal Yachts, a tradition dating back to Charles II’s reign in the 1660s. “Looking back over forty-four years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction,” said the Queen, who was photographed publicly shedding tears at the ceremony. All of the ship’s clocks remain stopped at 3:01, the exact time that she disembarked for the last time.

Now, the Britannia is located in Edinburgh and serves as a tourist attraction and exclusive events venue. Visitors can explore each of the five decks of Queen Elizabeth’s “floating palace” during hours that it’s open to the public. Meanwhile, the yacht is also available for private tours and exclusive use, as it is available to rent for birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, etc. For the first time, Britannia will also host a “Royal New Year” party for ticketholders to ring in 2023 aboard the historic yacht.

Plans for £250 million royal yacht to promote post-Brexit Britain scrapped

• Westminster
• Monday 7 November 2022 at 4:08pm

Plans to build a new royal yacht to drive post-Brexit trade deals have been scrapped with immediate effect.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs in the Commons on Monday he has terminated competition to build the flagship.

The project was launched by Boris Johnson's government in May 2021 as a way to "promote the best of British", and the vessel was expected to cost the taxpayer £250 million.

The then prime minister said it would show off "the UK's burgeoning status as a great, independent maritime trading nation" after Brexit.

It would have been the first national flagship since the Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997.

But as chancellor Jeremy Hunt prepares to make up to £35 billion in spending cuts on 17 November, the national flagship plan was sunk by Rishi Sunak's administration.

The ship was going to be named after the late Prince Philip and would have been used to host trade fairs, ministerial summits and diplomatic talks.

But it has faced criticism from MPs at a time when there are other priorities for defence spending.

It was expected to be constructed in the UK and take to the water in 2024 or 2025, and would have toured the world as a “floating embassy”.

Mr Wallace told MPs he was prioritising the procurement of the multi-role ocean surveillance ship (MROSS) instead of the flagship.

“In the face of the Russian illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s reckless disregard of international arrangements designed to keep world order, it is right that we prioritise delivering capabilities which safeguard our national infrastructure,” he said.

That meant he had “also directed the termination of the national flagship competition with immediate effect to bring forward the first MROSS ship in its place”. Mr Wallace told MPs the MROSS would “protect sensitive defence infrastructure and civil infrastructure” and “improve our ability to detect threats to the seabed and cables”. Shadow defence secretary John Healey welcomed the news that the “previous prime minister’s vanity project” has been scrapped and the spending switched to “purposes that will help defend the country”.

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The Daily Telegraph, which has been campaigning for a replacement for Britannia, reported the two private consortia bidding for the work were told on Monday morning that the project is being axed. The Commons Defence Committee warned in 2021 there was “no evidence of the advantage to the Royal Navy of acquiring the national flagship”.

It added the initial expenditure of around £250 million, combined with the £20–30 million a year running costs and providing a crew, would pile extra pressure on the senior service.

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Plans for £250M national flagship scrapped by British Government

The British Government has scrapped plans to build a national flagship yacht estimated to cost up to £250 million.

Initial plans for the national flagship were introduced under Boris Johnson and the vessel was envisioned as a successor to the 126 metre Royal Yacht Britannia. The yacht was intended to host diplomatic events and trade fairs but plans were heavily criticised as a "vanity project".

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs that the national flagship scheme is now suspended and that the Ministry of Defence would be commissioning the build of two multi-role ocean surveillance (MROS) ships instead to "protect the UK’s critical national infrastructure" following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Wallace said: "In the face of Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s reckless disregard of international arrangements designed to keep world order, it is right that we prioritise delivering capabilities which safeguard our national infrastructure."

The tendering process for the design and construction of the ship was already underway and has now been suspended.

Rear Admiral Rex Cox, CEO of the National Shipbuilding Office said: "The National Flagship project showcased the talent of the UK’s maritime industry and I am grateful to all those bidders who took part. The willingness to embrace modern design and production practices with a focus on green innovation embodies the essence of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh. This contemporary approach to shipbuilding and design will be fundamental to the success of the future shipbuilding pipeline."

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Royal yacht: Government sunk £2.5m on successor to Royal Yacht Britannia before project was scuppered

Boris Johnson in 2021 announced plans for a new royal yacht as a successor to Britannia, but the project was given the chop around a month ago.

Political reporter

Thursday 8 December 2022 16:00, UK

The government sunk almost £2.5m into commissioning a new royal yacht before scuppering the project, Sky News can reveal.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request found the Ministry of Defence (MoD) splashed £2,476,000 on the vessel, a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Announced in May 2021 by Boris Johnson and set to be named after the Duke of Edinburgh, the plans were cut adrift last month .

It was paid for by the MoD .

John Healey, Labour's shadow defence secretary, said the money was "blown" on a "Tory vanity project".

A breakdown of the spending obtained by Sky News shows that £648,000 was spent on crown servant and military staff costs.

Some £348,000 was spent on workforce replacement costs.

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• Ministry of Defence

Around £40,000 was spent on operating and admin costs, and £809,000 was spent on private sector support.

The government racked up £476,000 in consultancy fees, and £110,000 in branding and digital media costs.

It is not unusual for unrealised projects to cost a lot of money - the garden bridge commissioned by Mr Johnson when he was London mayor cost the taxpayer tens of millions before it too was scrapped.

An MoD spokesperson said: "The initial phase of the National Flagship programme delivered significant value to the maritime industry that will be fundamental to the future success of the British shipbuilding pipeline.

"There are multiple costs involved in commencing a credible, rapid commercial competition, including internal and external staff costs, consultancy spend and private sector support.

"However, as threats continue to evolve it is right that we prioritise delivering capabilities which safeguard national infrastructure."

Mr Healey said: "The Conservatives have blown millions on a Tory vanity project at a time when threats are increasing, and they are cutting the size of our armed forces.

"The scale of waste in the defence department is unacceptable. Ministers are failing British troops and British taxpayers.

"A Labour government would get to grips with these deep-seated problems from day one.

"We would commission the NAO to conduct an across-the-board audit of MoD waste and make the MoD the first department subject to our new Office for Value for Money's new tough spending regime."

All of the vendors were approached for comment, but most either declined to comment or did not reply.

A spokesman for the Royal Institute of British Architects did get back to Sky News, saying: "The MoD contracted RIBA for the provision of specialist architectural services and support related to the design of the National Flagship project."

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World Travel Awards 2022

Jersey's leading hotel.

The Royal Yacht is delighted to have won ‘Jersey’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards 2022 in Mallorca. 

The gala ceremony was held in Mallorca at the Hilton Mallorca Galatzo Hotel on Saturday 1 st October. The Royal Yacht was awarded ‘Jersey’s Leading Hotel’ for the 6th time (previously claiming the award in 2020, 2018, 2012, 2011 & 2010).

Mr Vieira, Hotel General Manager, pictured with the World Travel Award Certificate

The World Travel Awards serves to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across the global travel and tourism industry. Each year the World Travel Awards acknowledge the world’s best hotels in a multitude of different categories. According to Hospitality Net ‘the WTA brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire’.

General Manager, Mr. Vieira said “It’s an honour to receive the award for ‘Jersey’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards once again. It has been a busy year for the hotel. We are delighted to have been recognised by our guests, industry partners, friends and followers and thank them greatly. This award is a display of the continu­ed consistency, hard work and level of service shown by all our staff and it is with great pride that these acknowledgements are announced.”

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What to Know About the Royal Yacht Britannia Featured on 'The Crown' Season 5

The Royal Yacht Britannia served as the official royal yacht of the British monarchy for 44 years

The Crown is diving into royal events from the '90s in season 5 , and that includes the decommissioning of Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia.

In the first episode of the new season, Claire Foy ( who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1 and 2) reprises her role as the monarch as a flashback shows the yacht's official launch in April 1953.

At the time, the new yacht held special significance as it was launched by the Queen just before her own coronation in June 1953 .

Through the years, the vessel sailed over 1,000,000 nautical miles on 968 state visits with the royal family as they entertained prime ministers and presidents, per the Royal Yacht Britannia website. It also served as the venue for several royal honeymoons , including Princess Diana and Princes Charles in 1981 .

From when it was commissioned to where the Royal Yacht Britannia is now, here's everything to know about the royal yacht.

When was the Royal Yacht Britannia commissioned?

As shown on The Crown , Royal Yacht Britannia was officially launched on April 16, 1953 , at the shipyard of John Brown & Co. Ltd in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, where Queen Elizabeth unveiled the yacht's official name.

Following Queen Elizabeth 's coronation on June 2, 1953, the Royal Yacht Britannia was commissioned into the Royal Navy on January 11, 1954, before sailing her first overseas port on April 22.

How big is the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The Royal Yacht Britannia is about 412 feet long , with a beam width of 55 feet and five decks , and weighs over 4,000 tons.

Who used the Royal Yacht Britannia?

The yacht was described as the royal family's "floating residence" during its 44 years of service. As it was used to host "magnificent state receptions and banquets, and guests ," numerous world leaders boarded the yacht over the years, including Sir Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan and Rajiv Gandhi.

Per the Royal Yacht Britannia website, the yacht also " allowed the Royal Family some rare privacy away from their public duties and was famously described by HM Queen Elizabeth II as 'the one place I can truly relax.' "

Furthermore, the Royal Yacht Britannia was the venue of four royal honeymoons : Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. All four royal marriages ended in divorce, which Queen Elizabeth famously reflected on in her 1992 speech where she referred to the past year as her "annus horribilis ," or horrible year.

When was the Royal Yacht Britannia decommissioned?

The yacht's retirement was announced in 1994 as a result of the substantial costs needed to repair the ship. It was estimated that the cost would £17 million, which would only prolong the yacht for another five years.

On December 11, 1997, the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned during an official ceremony that was attended by most of the senior members of the royal family. It was been reported that Queen Elizabeth was seen uncharacteristically shedding a tear during the decommissioning.

"Looking back over 44 years we can all reflect with pride and gratitude upon this great ship which has served the country, the Royal Navy and my family with such distinction," the Queen said at the time .

Where is the Royal Yacht Britannia now?

Listed as part of the National Historic Fleet, people can now visit the Royal Yacht Britannia at Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. Visitors are able to see various parts of the yacht including Britannia's five decks, the state apartments, as well as the Sun Lounge, which was the Queen's favorite room in which to have her afternoon tea.

Does the Royal Yacht Britannia have a successor?

Plans for a successor to the Royal Yacht Britannia first began in 2019 when it was reported that the late Sir Donald Gosling had donated £50 million to pay for the construction . In 2021, the yacht was commissioned by Boris Johnson to host trade fairs and diplomatic events and it was expected to go into service in 2024 or 2025.

However, in November 2022, it was reported by BBC that plans for the yacht were being scrapped as the government "searches for spending cuts." The new yacht was estimated to cost up to £250 million.

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What really happened to Royal Yacht Britannia from ‘The Crown’ Season 5?

LONDON — The much-hyped fifth season of “The Crown” opens with a heavy-handed metaphor weighing approximately 4,000 tons.

It’s 1953, and a young Queen Elizabeth II, a month before her coronation, is in Scotland to launch the new royal yacht, the Britannia. “I hope this brand-new vessel, like your brand-new queen, will prove to be dependable and constant, capable of weathering any storm,” she declares to great applause.

And so the queen and her ship are inextricably linked as the Netflix TV show fast-forwards to 1991, when questions about costly repairs for the Britannia are presented in parallel to questions about whether the 65-year-old queen is too old for her role.

King Charles III wants to look ahead. ‘The Crown’ drags him back.

There is no missing that this is a narrative device in a series now labeled a “fictional dramatization.” But the episode’s release this week has renewed interest in the history of the royal yacht and ignited a debate about how the British monarch interacted with her government. It also happened to coincide with a modern-day echo of 1991, as new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, facing a recession, sank plans for a replacement royal yacht.

What to know about Britannia, ‘the floating palace’

There is a real Royal Yacht Britannia, and, as in the show, the young queen really did announce its name and christen it with a bottle of Empire wine. (Though not with a self-referential speech.)

The Britannia was the latest in a series of royal yachts dating back to 1660 and King Charles II . In 44 years of service, the ship sailed more than 1 million nautical miles — equivalent to more than 40 circumnavigations of Earth — calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries and projecting British influence around the world.

The Britannia was used for state visits and receptions, royal family holidays and honeymoons. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton all spent time on board, as did Boris Yeltsin and Nelson Mandela. When civil war broke out in South Yemen in 1986, the yacht was rerouted to help evacuate civilians.

“The Crown” suggests the yacht was the queen’s favorite “home,” cherished even more than Balmoral in the Scottish highlands. Biographers don’t dispute that this could have been true. In his book “Queen of Our Times,” Robert Hardman writes, “There were few places where the Queen would be happier.”

Although served by a crew of 220, the ship was a place where the royal family could relax and escape the watchful eye of the public. Hugh Casson, who designed the interior, once recounted, “the overall idea was to give the impression of a country house at sea.” Prince Philip, the queen’s husband, was fascinated with the birds he saw during voyages in the 1950s and even published a book titled “Birds from Britannia.”

Did the queen lobby for repairs?

The controversial part of “The Crown” portrayal centers on whether the queen actively lobbied Prime Minister John Major for the government to pay for extensive repairs — which could have amounted to inappropriate interference in politics by a constitutional monarch.

She says in the show: “Here I am, coming to you, prime minister, on bended knee, for the sign-off, but I’m hoping that will be a formality.”

The character of Major, who was prime minister during a tough recession, responds by suggesting the royal yacht is “something of a luxury” and that spending public money on it while the economy is in the tank would not be good for the government or the royal family.

The queen persists, arguing that the yacht is “a central and indispensable part of the way the crown serves the nation” and “a floating, seagoing expression of me.”

The queen-ship metaphor is dragged out in a later conversation, when the character of Prince Charles — impatient to be king — tells Major about the Britannia: “Sometimes these old things are too costly to keep repairing.”

So did any of that actually take place?

The real-life Major has called the show’s imagined conversations “a barrel-load of nonsense.”

Robert Lacey, a historical consultant on “The Crown,” defended the depiction. He told The Washington Post that the subject of the yacht would have inevitably come up between the queen and the prime minister, who met once a week to discuss matters of state.

“She certainly spoke about it to the prime minister,” Lacey said. “Obviously, the royal family would have lobbied for it. The queen did want another royal yacht.”

Hardman, the royal biographer, insisted that while the queen no doubt would have been interested in repairs or a replacement, she would not have “leaned on her prime ministers for money.”

In a letter written in 1994, later stored in the National Archives, the queen’s deputy private secretary Kenneth Scott wrote to the cabinet office that “the Queen would naturally very much welcome it if a way could be found of making available for the nation in the 21st century the kind of service which Britannia has provided for the last 43 years.”

Scott noted, however, that “the question of whether there should be a replacement yacht is very much one for the government” and “the last thing I should like to see is a newspaper headline saying ‘Queen Demands New Yacht.’”

The Times of London headline when the letter was uncovered in 2018: “ I want a new yacht, Queen told Whitehall in secret letter .”

What happened to the Britannia?

Major’s government wasn’t swayed by arguments to repair or renew the ship. Even with a retrofit costing an estimated 17 million pounds, the Britannia would be expensive to run and hard to maintain. It was hard to justify when air travel was a readily available alternative for royal trips and trade missions.

The yacht’s final voyage abroad was to Hong Kong in 1997, when the territory was handed back to China. A few months later, the Britannia undertook a farewell tour of Britain, calling at six major ports and blasting its sirens as it passed the shipyard that built it, before returning for a decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth, England on Dec. 11, 1997. The ship’s clocks were stopped. The Royal Marines band played. Lacey noted: “The only time the queen was seen to cry was when the royal yacht was de-commissioned.”

The ship is now a visitor attraction site in Edinburgh, Scotland. On the day of the queen’s state funeral in September, a lone piper played a lament on the deck.

What about plans for a replacement royal yacht?

The possibility of a replacement yacht gained some traction during the 1997 general election, but the incoming Labour government nixed the idea.

More than two decades later, as part of a campaign to promote a reinvigorated “Global Britain” in the aftermath of Brexit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed a new royal yacht . There was a push to name the ship after Prince Philip, who died last year, though it would be more for the government than for the royal family. In Johnson’s vision, the ship would tour the world as a “floating embassy,” where officials would host summits and cement trade deals. It would cost an estimated 250 million pounds to build, plus 30 million pounds a year to run.

But once again, the economic climate is not favorable for big yacht projects. The new Sunak administration announced this week that it was terminating the royal yacht plan and would instead procure a surveillance ship that could protect energy cables and other infrastructure. The prime minister’s spokesman said it was “right to prioritize at a time when difficult spending decisions need to be made.”

Mingming Mania in Moscow

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Breaking news, ukraine targets moscow in one of largest-ever drone attacks on russian capital as war intensifies.

Ukraine targeted Moscow with at least 11 drones on Wednesday, one of the biggest such attacks on the Russian capital since the war began. 

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down a total of 45 drones over the country on Wednesday, with 11 intercepted over the Moscow region, 23 over Bryansk, six in Belgorod, three in Kaluga and two in Kursk. 

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some of the drones were destroyed over the city Podlsk, just 24 miles south of the Kremlin headquarters. 

“This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever,” Sobyanin said on Telegram.

“The layered defense of Moscow that was created made it possible to successfully repel all the attacks from the enemy UAVs.”

Russian outlets aired unverified footage of several drones soaring overhead above Moscow before they were shot down by the Kremlin’s air defense system. 

Officials in the regions where the drones were spotted said no deaths or serious damage had been reported as a result of the drone strike.  

Main sites of the Ukrainian counteroffensive

• Melitopol:  Kyiv’s forces continued advancing toward the city of Melitopol on the Sea of Azov in the south. If Ukraine were to claw back Melitopol, it could bring it closer to breaking through the Russia-held land corridor linking the annexed Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia, splitting Moscow’s forces in two and cutting their supply lines.
• Zaporizhzhia:  Intense battles raged in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, where US officials said Kyiv has launched its “main thrust” aimed at retaking 20% of its occupied territory. While Moscow claimed to have repelled Ukraine’s attacks involving dozens of armored vehicles and inflicted heavy losses on Kyiv’s troops, the Institute for the Study of War reported that the Ukrainian offensive appeared to have broken through some Russian defenses.
• Donetsk:  Ukrainian troops on Thursday recaptured the strategically significant village of Staromaiorske located in the Donetsk region south of a cluster of settlements along the Mokri Yaly river that Kyiv had seized at the start of the counteroffensive. Control of the village could open the way for Ukraine to push southward toward the coast.
• Bakhmut:  Ukrainian forces were said to be “gradually moving forward” near Bakhmut in the east, where Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar claimed Russians were dying at a rate eight times higher than Ukrainians. Geolocated footage showed that Kyiv’s troops have made gains south of the town of Klishchiivka, and additional fighting was reported near the settlements of Kudriumivka and Andriivka.

The attack was reminiscent of the May 2023 assault where eight drones were shot over Moscow in what Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed as Kyiv’s attempt to scare and provoke the Kremlin.  

Since the start of the year, Ukraine has stepped up its drone warfare against Russia, attacking oil refineries and airfields to slow the enemy invasion. 

The latest drone strikes come 15 days into Ukraine’s ground incursion in Kursk, where Kyiv has seized dozens of Russian towns and hundreds of square-miles of land past the border. 

Russia’s state media claims 31 people have died since the incursion began on Aug. 6, with official figures yet to be independently verified. 

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With more than 120,000 civilians fleeing neighboring towns, Russian officials have condemned the Ukrainian incursion and said “any possibility” for peace has passed. 

Who will negotiate with them after this, after the atrocities, the terror that they are committing against peaceful residents, the civilian population, civilian infrastructure and peaceful facilities,” said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry. 

Kyiv has said it’s looking to establish a “buffer zone” in Russia after Ukraine took out three bridges in the region, hindering Moscow’s supply lines and redeployment efforts to fight off the invading soldiers. 

With Post wires 

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Royal Caribbean's Newest Ship Will Have a Suspended Infinity Pool, a 1930's-inspired Supper Club, and More

The cruise line just released more details about its newest ship, Star of the Seas, which will sail next year.

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean 

Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Star of the Seas , will welcome guests on week-long cruises out of Port Canaveral in Florida and delight them with half a dozen thrilling waterslides, more than 40 bars and restaurants, and more.

The ship, which will debut in August 2025, will be the next in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class and will feature many of the features travelers have come to love on the company’s Icon of the Seas , which launched earlier this year. And from a dizzying number of thrills and family-friendly poolside fun to an adults-only escape complete with a suspended infinity pool, this ship will have something for everyone.

“ Star of the Seas is the second bold act of this exciting, new era of vacations first introduced with Icon of the Seas, and it’s putting the world’s best vacation on the map at yet another top travel destination,” Michael Bayley, the president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said in a statement . “Between Miami and Port Canaveral (Orlando), more adventurers than ever can set their sights on the only vacation that combines the best of all vacations – from the beach retreat to the resort escape and the theme park adventure – with experiences that have and will continue to make headlines and memories for years to come.”

Star of the Seas will feature eight different neighborhoods, several of which will be dedicated to cooling off, like at Thrill Island with its six waterslides from family raft slides to a drop slide option. Then there’s Chill Island, which is spread over three decks and features four different pools (of seven total on the ship), including a swim-up bar and the largest pool at sea. 

Families aren’t left out either with the Surfside neighborhood, featuring splash pools for small children along with a nearby Water’s Edge pool for their adults.

And speaking of grown ups, Royal Caribbean will bring back the adults-only The Hideaway neighborhood with its suspended infinity pool, a DJ, a dedicated bar, whirlpools, and more.

Guests will also love Royal Caribbean classics like the FlowRider surf simulator and mini golf, and the AquaTheater complete with a 55-foot waterfall, along with favorites like the Royal Promenade — which runs through the heart of the ship — and the open-air Central Park with more than 30,500 real plants.

When it comes to bars and restaurants, Star of the Seas boasts plenty to choose from, including a new Lincoln Park Supper Club inspired by 1930's Chicago, pick-up windows for sushi and Champagne, and even an AquaDome Market food hall.

As a bonus, the ship will feature its own resident dog named Sailor to surprise guests similar to Icon’s chief dog officer, a Golden Retriever puppy, USA Today reported .

Star of the Seas will sail 7-night cruises to popular destinations like Cozumel, Mexico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and more, and will stop at Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay .

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UK tech pioneer Mike Lynch dead at 59

Tycoon's demise follows us acquittal after years of legal battles with hp.

Obit UK software tycoon Mike Lynch has been found dead two days after he went missing in a sailing tragedy off the coast of Sicily.

The news ends a period of speculation since reports emerged describing the British entrepreneur's disappearance after the Bayesian, the billionaire's 56-metre superyacht, went down near Porticello in violent storms at around 5am on Monday, local time.

The accident came as 59-year-old Lynch was said to be looking forward to a new life following years of legal battles to clear his name and put the acrimonious sale of his analytics company, Autonomy, behind him.

Lynch is remembered as a unique talent in the UK tech industry. Born to Irish parents in London, he grew up in Essex, winning a scholarship to a private school in London. His academic prowess led him to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he studied natural sciences as an undergraduate, before completing a PhD in artificial neural networks, the precursor to latter-day machine learning. He later held a research fellowship in adaptive pattern recognition.

While making his mark in academia, he was also starting out in business. He reportedly started his first company, audio-tech firm Lynett Systems, with a £2,000 loan negotiated in a bar while studying for his PhD.

But he soon moved on to apply his research project in the real world. Cambridge Neurodynamics was founded by Lynch in 1991 in an effort to build effective fingerprint recognition technology. It produced three spin-offs: character recognition company Neurascript, database search outfit NCorp, and Autonomy, which produced software designed to look for patterns in unstructured data resulting from phone calls, emails, and videos, for example.

The latter venture was his big hit. Founded in 1996 by Lynch – along with media and internet entrepreneur David Tabizel and technologist Richard Gaunt – the company designed software to employ adaptive pattern recognition techniques centered on Bayesian inference and apply them to business problems including enterprise search and knowledge management.

Autonomy was floated on the European technology stock market EASDAQ in 1998 at a share price of approximately £0.30. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2000, where it peaked at more than £30 a share.

The company survived the dotcom crash to make a series of acquisitions including competitor Verity for $500 million, email archive company Zantaz for $375 million, and content management software outfit Interwoven for $775 million.

But when Autonomy became an acquisition target of Hewlett-Packard, the success story entered a more troubled chapter.

Brit tech mogul Mike Lynch missing after yacht sinks off Sicily amid storms

Former autonomy cfo banned from chartered accounting group until 2038.

• Brit tech tycoon Mike Lynch cleared of all charges in US Autonomy fraud trial

HP-Autonomy: Attorneys wrap up arguments in Mike Lynch's stateside criminal fraud trial

HP paid about $11 billion in cash for Autonomy in 2011, but within a year wrote down the deal by $8.8 billion. The move prompted HP shareholders to sue in 2012.

In 2015, HP sued Lynch and Sushovan Hussain, former Autonomy CFO, in the High Court of England and Wales. Lynch responded by filing a $150 million counter-suit for defamation.

In May last year, Lynch was extradited to the US to stand trial.

However, in June 2024, Lynch was acquitted of criminal fraud and conspiracy charges in the United States arising from the 2011 sale of Autonomy to HP. A federal court jury in San Francisco cleared Lynch of all 15 charges relating to the allegation that he, along with Stephen Chamberlain, formerly VP of finance at Autonomy, unlawfully inflated the company's value prior to its acquisition. Chamberlain was also cleared of any wrongdoing at trial.

(Chamberlain was hit by a car on Saturday and died from his injuries on Monday, the same day Lynch went missing from his yacht off the coast of Italy.)

In 2022, HPE, which inherited the civil litigation after HP split into HPE and HP Inc, prevailed in its British civil case and is seeking $4 billion in damages from ex-CFO Sushovan Hussain and Lynch. The case is yet to be settled but the damages awarded are likely to be lower.

Lynch's death came as he was looking to put these episodes in his life behind him.

He is remembered by those who worked with him as possessing a clear vision with a fantastic mind for data analytics. He was made an OBE for services to enterprise in the 2006 New Year Honours list. In June 2008, the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK made him a fellow.

Following the sale of Autonomy, Lynch – often described as Britain's answer to Bill Gates – co-founded, along with his venture-capital firm Invoke Capital, cybersecurity biz Darktrace .

Lynch is survived by his wife, Angela Bacares, who was rescued from the Bayesian. Hannah, 18, one of the couple's two daughters and who was on the superyacht at the time of the storm, tragically perished. ®

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Reinforcing resilience: NATO’s role in enhanced security for critical undersea infrastructure

• Eoin Micheál McNamara
• 28 August 2024

Undersea infrastructure is vital in a global economy powered by data. 99% of the world’s data is transmitted through a global network of subsea cables. An estimated USD 10 trillion in financial transactions alone traverses these vast cable networks each day. As well as data cables, critical undersea infrastructure also includes electricity connectors and pipelines supplying oil and gas. As great power tensions escalate, undersea infrastructure serving the Euro-Atlantic community has emerged as an attractive target for hybrid interference, meaning that the security of this infrastructure should be a NATO priority.

99% of the world’s data is transmitted through a global network of subsea cables. Photo © US Navy / Joshua Knolla

Economic logic indicates that undersea infrastructure will remain vital for both global commerce and security into the foreseeable future. However, mitigating risk by finding secure alternative transit for these undersea supplies entails complicated economic and logistic predicaments. For example, Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is often more expensive to transport and manage via container freight than natural gas transported in pipelines. Similarly, governments and industry frequently discuss uploading more data traffic to satellites, but progress in this area has been slow. NATO members will continue to develop these alternative pathways, but in order to maintain the security of data and energy supplies, they must focus on reinforcing the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.

Ambiguous seascapes

Since 1982, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) differentiates between the territorial waters of maritime countries, international waters, and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) . Limited to 12 nautical miles from a country’s coastline, territorial waters bestow full sovereign rights, but specific responsibilities for security are much vaguer under UNCLOS for the vast sections of undersea infrastructure intersecting international waters or the EEZs of multiple countries. Within its EEZ, a country has the right to maintain undersea infrastructure, but it is not legally entitled to restrict the military activity of other states. In international waters (alternatively called the High Seas), laws regulating both the protection of undersea infrastructure and military activity are even more ambiguous.

Harsh maritime conditions offer some coincidental protection. Many undersea communication cables connecting North America and Europe cross the mid-Atlantic where the average depth is approximately 3,600 metres. This makes it arduous but not impossible for a submarine to interfere. Harsh conditions may also cause cables to become damaged or malfunction without human interference, and so cable owners have built up a dense network of alternative cables to which data is routinely re-routed. This vast network – approximately 600 cables are globally active or planned ; active cables are estimated to extend over a distance of 1.4 million kilometres – offers its own form of protection. In the Euro-Atlantic area, density ensures that hostile actors seeking to cause a serious, effective data outage must coordinate simultaneous aggression at multiple undersea cable nodes. A prepared maritime deterrence posture ensures that NATO can deter or respond to an attack like this. Risks of interference with undersea infrastructure increase in shallower waters proximate to coastlines. Shallow and/or rugged undersea topography may allow adversaries to escalate hybrid operations if deterrence is weak.

While NATO militaries have an operational advantage in the North Atlantic, Russia’s hybrid tactics can still target cracks where cooperation between EU and NATO members is less developed. Hybrid conflict is normally experienced below the threshold of direct aggression. If undeterred, it fosters insecurity, creating an environment that advantages the instigator.

As great power tensions escalate, Russia, China and other strategic competitors are poised to continue to utilise hybrid interference to challenge Western interests. Moscow and Beijing might acknowledge that the collective West, institutionally underpinned by NATO and the EU, have greater military and economic strength. Nevertheless, Russian and Chinese strategists understand that Western power can be weakened when gaps in security cooperation are targeted. Cooperation gaps between multiple stakeholders puts undersea infrastructure serving Euro-Atlantic democracies at risk.

Institutional adaptation

Vulnerabilities with maritime infrastructure were starkly highlighted by sabotage to the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, spurring the creation of NATO’s Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell (henceforth the Cell) in February 2023. Under the auspices of NATO’s international staff, the Cell will “map vulnerabilities, and coordinate efforts between NATO Allies, partners, and the private sector.” The Cell contributed to the NATO-European Union (EU) taskforce on resilience and critical infrastructure that reported its recommendations for enhanced EU-NATO security cooperation in energy, transport, digital infrastructure and space policies in June 2023.

Much undersea infrastructure is owned and/or operated by private companies, sometimes making the responsibility for security unclear between governments and commercial entities. Public-private partnerships are vital in reducing undersea vulnerabilities. The Cell is an important framework to bridge cooperation between governments and industry by combining information-sharing with technological, political and business expertise to support improved situational awareness against hybrid threats. The Cell assists NATO’s wider strategic response, for example, by supporting the Digital Ocean initiative under NATO’s Defence Investment Division, which prioritises technological innovation and interoperability. Technological innovation is vital when seeking to overcome many complex maritime security problems. Stronger dialogue with leading industries helps NATO to broaden its vision on the latest innovation trends and supports collaboration to advance maritime security technologies relating to sensors, surveillance, submersibles and undersea unmanned vehicles.

Countering hybrid interference

Across 32 Allied countries, NATO faces a multifaceted maritime security environment. While geopolitical tensions rose, the Nord Stream sabotage prompted concerns that similar incidents were set to spiral. Ongoing development of Joint Force Command (JFC) Norfolk improves operational coordination for northern NATO members across land, sea, air and cyber domains. NATO must balance this with support for southern members at risk from destabilisation in neighbouring regions connected by maritime zones that facilitate flows in narcotics, illicit weapons and organised crime.

Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 pipeline as seen from a Danish F-16 interceptor near Bornholm, Denmark on 27 September 2022. © Danish Defence Command

Governments in Northern Europe play prominent roles in the EU’s and NATO’s responses to Russia’s conventional military aggression in Ukraine. Russia retaliates against the EU and NATO in different hybrid ways. Efforts to create insecurity have included frequent escalations in airspace violations by Russian military aircraft “flying dark” - without a transponder code visible to civilian air traffic control. More disruption around civilian aviation is now experienced in Northern Europe with GPS jamming from Russia’s western regions. Mirroring patterns in the Baltic Sea region, the UK and Ireland have encountered multiple hybrid incidents proximate to maritime EEZs. Since 2015, the Royal Air Force (RAF) has regularly scrambled to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching the UK’s controlled airspace. Reports have identified Russian Tu-95 and Tu-142 aircraft, bombers doubling as maritime patrol aircraft, indicating the wider manoeuvres that might also be taking place, with submarines conducting drills in the sea below.

Russia’s plans for major naval drills on the southerly edge of Ireland’s EEZ in February 2022 received global attention shortly before Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hybrid operations blur civilian and military domains. In April 2023, Ireland observed suspicious Russian-registered cargo and repair vessels with equipment capable of undersea damage in the Irish EEZ, where important transatlantic cables pass. This was followed by Russian warships manoeuvring in the same waters in May 2023. Commentators indicate that these exercises were to gauge Irish and UK reaction capabilities. Elsewhere in the North Atlantic, more suspicious Russian-registered commercial vessels have appeared guarded by armed “ little blue men ”. Russian oil tankers have shunted through European seas on long and environmentally precarious journeys transporting supplies to China and India. Working around Western sanctions, it is claimed that these vessels carry unusual communications equipment, heightening suspicions that the vessels are “listening posts” informing Russian hybrid activity.

Sabotage risks

Serious maritime incidents continue to affect the wider Nordic-Baltic region. According to police reports , an undersea data cable linking mainland Norway with its Arctic archipelago of Svalbard suffered human-made damage in January 2022. Commissioned in December 2019, the Balticconnector pipeline enhances gas supply security for Finland and Estonia. Damage to this pipeline was detected in October 2023. More damage to nearby undersea data cables connecting Finland and Estonia, the EE-S1 cable linking Estonia and Sweden, and a Russian-maintained cable, was soon discovered. Finnish investigators have so far communicated that this destructive spree was likely caused by a Hong Kong-registered vessel dragging its anchor along the seabed during a journey where it docked multiple times at Russia’s Baltic Sea ports. Parallel investigations in Estonia have corroborated early Finnish findings.

Police images show that the Svalbard fibre probably sustained crushing damage. A gap in the steel armouring exposed the cable itself. Reported by NRK after the damage of 7 January 2022. Photo © Politiet, Norway

Whether the damage was caused on purpose or occurred by accident remains unclear. Either way, the Balticconnector incident underscores that critical undersea infrastructure can be disrupted by rudimentary means. NATO responded with “additional surveillance and reconnaissance flights” for its Baltic Sea Allies, by sending four mine hunters and by deploying Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACs) and Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems. Following repairs costing approximately EUR 40 million, the Balticconnector returned to service in April 2024. The episode lingers as a reminder to NATO members that stronger maritime security cooperation is vital against future hybrid interference.

After the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – restored independence in the early 1990s, these countries remained largely reliant on Russian-supplied energy. Over the past decade, undersea infrastructure has expanded between EU and NATO members in the Baltic Sea. This is gradually releasing Baltic and Nordic states from Russian energy dependence. With EU support , the Baltic states are synchronising their electricity grids with plans to disconnect from Russian and Belarusian supplies by 2025. An LNG terminal at Klaipėda has boosted Lithuania’s energy independence since 2014. Lithuania is also linked to Sweden via the undersea electricity connector, NordBalt, that opened in 2015, integrating Baltic and Nordic electricity markets.

When NordBalt was being installed on the seabed, Vilnius reported several instances of interference from Russian military vessels. Opened in October 2022, a partially undersea gas connector, Baltic Pipe, transports gas from the North Sea via Denmark to Poland. A further undersea electricity connector , LaSGo, is currently in development, promising to reinforce supplies between Sweden, its Baltic island of Gotland, and Latvia. This new infrastructure, much of it undersea, is generally positive for European security because it weakens Russia’s “energy weapon”. Nevertheless, having its influence stymied by the continued erosion of its energy monopoly, Moscow might now retaliate with sabotage. Infrastructural expansion increases risks of disruptive interference if vulnerabilities are not reduced, a challenge that renews responsibilities for EU and NATO members to reshape maritime cooperation.

Engaging partners

While expanded undersea infrastructure transforms the Baltic Sea region, similar projects are also ongoing in the Black Sea. Russia has long aimed to control Black Sea infrastructure with undersea pipeline projects and data cables supplying other states in the region. These attempts to dominate through dependency are now being challenged. An undersea Black Sea electric cable and adjoining data cable linking Romania with partners Georgia and Azerbaijan is being planned. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has affirmed that the project will provide “ clean, affordable and secure energy sources ” for Black Sea countries. Expanded Black Sea infrastructure connecting Ukraine with EU and NATO members is likely to feature in plans for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. Like scenarios in the Baltic Sea, expanding undersea infrastructure under EU auspices increases connectivity to strengthen liberal political and economic order. It nevertheless creates new questions on how vulnerabilities are to be secured. Maritime security challenges are more severe around the Black Sea as its regional politics is less stable than in the Baltic region or North Atlantic.

Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 Flagship, ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbon with oiler FGS Rhoen, transiting in the North Sea in vicinity of the Norwegian Oseberg oil and gas field. NATO has been working to enhance the security of critical infrastructure for years. Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) has always been a focus for maritime security and maritime situational awareness. 28 May 2024. © MARCOM / NATO

NATO members can galvanise public and private networks to secure undersea infrastructure via NATO’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network , which convened for the first time in May 2024. Broader global networks are possible through partnerships with Australia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan and New Zealand, among others. Each partner perceives common strategic interests with NATO on protecting undersea infrastructure. Jordan’s economy relies on the Mediterranean’s dense undersea infrastructure. Dialogue on undersea infrastructure is prioritised in Ireland’s recently updated partnership with NATO. Innovative security solutions are essential for expanded data cable connections planned between Japan and some of its Pacific neighbours. For Australia and New Zealand, securing the Southern Cross data cable connecting both with the US is a vital aim. As undersea infrastructure continues to evolve, NATO’s recent adaptations mark an important milestone in its response to hybrid threats.

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Putin rattled after Moscow ‘under attack from biggest ever drone strike’

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Moscow came under one of the largest attacks yet by Ukrainian drones since the start of fighting in 2022, further rattling Vladimir Putin as he attempts to fight Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.

The Ministry of Defence claimed that Russia downed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 11 destroyed over the Moscow region, 23 over the Bryansk region, six over Belgorod, three over Kaluga and two over Kursk.

Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel: ‘This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones.’ 

He said strong defences around the capital made it possible to shoot down all the drones before they could hit their intended targets.

Some Russian social media channels shared videos of drones apparently being destroyed by air defence systems, which then set off car alarms.

Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, reported a ‘mass’ attack on his region but that 23 drones were destroyed.

While Ukraine has been bogged down in a land conflict in eastern Europe in which the Russians have been driving forward slowly at a heavy cost to both sides, Kyiv has also been attacking Russia with drones.

Ukraine has targeted oil refineries and airfields in an attempt to weaken Russia’s fighting potential, and has also targeted the capital several times.

The drone attacks come as Ukrainian forces are continuing to push into Russia’s western Kursk region.

The daring incursion into Russia has raised morale in Ukraine with its surprising success and changed the dynamic of the fighting.

But it is uncertain how long Ukraine will be able to hold the territory it has seized in Kursk.

It has also opened up another front in a fight where Ukrainian forces were already badly stretched.

The gains in Kursk come as Ukraine continues to lose ground in its eastern industrial region of Donbas.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, said in its daily report late on Tuesday that the Ukrainians had made additional advances in their incursion, now in its third week.

The Russian state news agency Tass reported that 31 people had died since Ukraine’s attack on Russia began on August 6, citing an unnamed source in the medical service – figures which are impossible to verify.

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