'' Britannia '' (BN72) is the last working Class One East Coast Smack. She was built in

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

in 1914 and launched in 1915, and is currently (2021) undergoing restoration in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, and due to be relaunched in 2022. She measures long with a beam of .

History

''Britannia'' was built as the result of consultations between her owner Alfred Rake and the builders the Worfolk Brothers of

. She was built of single grown oak frames sourced from Sandringham Forest. She was the last and largest Class One Smack to be built by the Workfolk brothers. The

National Historic Ships National Historic Ships UK is a government-funded independent organisation that advises UK governments and others on matters relating to historic ships.

Register speculates that she was named after the King's yacht, the HMY ''Britannia'', Rake having crewed on that yacht. Built in 1914, she was launched in 1915. In the 1920s and 30s she was adapted for use as a power whelk trawler, and her interior later changed for use as a charter vessel. She capsized and sank in 1968, after which she was sold, and then restored in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. From 1974 to 1997 she operated as a charter yacht on the west coast of Scotland, after which she was taken to the Hamble, where she continued to offer sailing holidays. In 1995 she was renamed ''Spirit of Britannia'' due to registry issues while chartering in the canaries. She was acquired by the Trinity Sailing Trust of

Brixham Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish in the borough of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. As of the 2021 census, Brixham had a population of 16,825. It is one of the main three centres of the borough, along with ...

in 2007, refitted in 2008, and in 2011 laid up due to the scarcity of charter work, during which time she was allowed to fall into substantial disrepair. Since 2013 she has been undergoing restoration by the Britannia Sailing Trust in Winkleigh, mid-Devon. She was scheduled to be relaunched in 2022, but the work was delayed. She was returned to the water on the 24th of September, 2023, with restoration work continuing. When restoration is complete she is to be based in Cornwall, offering sailing experiences to the disadvantaged and campaigning for cleaner seas.

Legacy

In 1979 she featured in the HTV series ''Smuggler''. A model of ''Britannia'' is held in King's Lynn Museum (with the ship number LN76 on her).

References

{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919) 1915 ships Museum ships in the United Kingdom Fishing vessels of the United Kingdom Norfolk Broads History of Norfolk Boat types