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Royal Yacht Britannia Keeps Its Kool Comforts
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The Royal Yacht Britannia, the boat that helped to make The Queen the most travelled monarch the world has ever known, is now benefiting from environmental systems manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric’s range of air conditioning solutions – providing modern comfort in a traditional setting.
The yacht, launched in 1953, is now permanently berthed at Leith Harbour, Edinburgh, Scotland, and is open as a visitor centre, with additional conference hire and banqueting facilities.
In its day, the yacht could travel at speeds of 22.5 knots, using its extensive 125.65m length and 16.76m breadth to journey to locations worldwide. This was the ship that, even with its full complement of around 300 Royal Yachtsmen and Royal Household staff, The Queen named as the one place where she could truly relax.
In keeping with the traditional elegance of the yacht, Eric McPhail of refrigeration and air conditioning specialist Kooltech, selected and supplied a range of systems to provide comfortable conditions to blend into the background of the design.
The new installation includes two PUHY-P250YHM-A condensing units located in the ship’s funnel and ten PEFY-P63-VMS1-E fan coil units. Prior to installation, Kooltech treated the condensing units with Blygold at its Glasgow site – a treatment which applies a coating to provide long lasting corrosion protection to heat exchangers without affecting the heat transfer or pressure drop.
“One of the key issues when working on the Britannia was to maintain its glamour and traditional design, while providing the optimum comfort for visitors,” explains Bob Farrington, Kooltech’s Brand Manager.
“The purpose of the air-conditioned area on the yacht was to re-create the Royal Deck, which in the past was used for Royal cocktail parties, with a permanent awning and glazing.”
Britannia has a dedicated maintenance team, many of whom have a Royal Navy or shipyard background, all working 363 days a year to look after and preserve the yacht in keeping with her former glory.
