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Tuesday 10 March 2015

Cruise Ship Britannia: Queen Names P&O Luxury Vessel

Britannia fireworks
The pomp and ceremony began with fireworks and a gala dinner on Monday evening
Duncan Kennedy takes a look around the cruise ship Britannia
Captain Paul Brown, who gave the Queen a tour of the ship, said: "It is my great honour after 33 years at sea to show the Queen around.
"I will be showing her the atrium and the bridge then heading down to the restaurant for lunch."
Britannia bears the same name as the Queen's former Royal Yacht Britannia, which was decommissioned in 1997 after more than 40 years of service.

BritanniaThe ship can hold up to 3,600 passengers and 1,500 crew
The Queen Britannia is the fifth ship the Queen has named
The 141,000-tonne ship features a 94m (308ft) union jack on its bow and will make its maiden voyage to Spain, Italy and France on 14 March.
At 330m (1,082ft), the ship is longer than the Shard is tall.
British Brut NV from the Wiston Estate Winery at Pulborough in West Sussex is being used for the naming ceremony in Britannia's home port of Southampton.
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Paul CliftonPaul Clifton took a tour of the ship before its official naming ceremony
In style this is all about looking and feeling British, even though the parent company is American and the ship itself has been built in Italy.
There are 15 passenger decks, 13 places to eat and 13 bars, four swimming pools and nine places to enjoy the entertainment.
The days of cruising as a holiday exclusively for the rich are long gone.
One in nine British people cruise - and that makes it more popular than skiing.
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The ship is being hailed as a boost to Southampton's cruise industry, which the city council said had doubled in the past 10 years.
In 2004 there were 203 cruise ship visits, bringing 532,501 passengers. In 2014 Southampton received more than 430 cruise ships, with passenger numbers exceeding 1.5 million.
Stewart Dunn, chief executive of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "It is great that Britannia will be based in Southampton.
"There was a survey a few years ago which showed that every turnaround of a cruise ship in the city is worth £2m to the local economy.
"It is also good for 'brand Southampton' indirectly as it is great publicity for the city with the Queen coming here and having the word Southampton on the side, it is promoting us wherever it goes."
Royal Yacht BritanniaBritannia's namesake, the royal yacht, was in service from 1954 to 1997 and is now a tourist attraction in Edinburgh
Prince Philip and the QueenPrince Philip also attended the event with the Queen in Southampton
The Queen has previously christened the Royal Yacht Britannia and four cruise ships Queen Elizabeth 2, Oriana, Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth.
The Britannia cruise ship will sail from Southampton during the summer and from the Caribbean in the winter.
David Dingle, CEO of Carnival UK, the company which owns P&O said at the ceremony: "The naming of a new ship is a proud moment for any shipping line but today holds a special significance for P&O and our shared past and future.
"We are honoured the Queen is naming Britannia."
BritanniaBands, dancers and singers performed at the naming ceremony of the Britannia
The Queen and Captain Paul BrownThe Queen was given a tour of the ship by Captain Paul Brown as part of the official naming ceremony

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