Ships christened by Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II christened many ships throughout her reign, both naval, scientific, and passenger vessels. The following is a list of all the ships she named during her lifetime, from HMS Vanguard to the Britannia.

  • Princess Elizabeth launching the tanker ‘British Princess’ built by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford, 30 April 1946.
    Princess Elizabeth launching the tanker ‘British Princess’ built by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford, 30 April 1946.
  • Princess Elizabeth watching the tanker ‘British Princess’ sliding down the ways at the shipyard of Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford, Sunderland, 30 April 1946
    Princess Elizabeth watching the tanker ‘British Princess’ sliding down the ways at the shipyard of Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford, Sunderland, 30 April 1946
  • HM Queen Elizabeth II attending the naming ceremony for new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2014
    HM Queen Elizabeth II attending the naming ceremony for new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2014
  • Queen Elizabeth attending the naming ceremony for P&O Cruises Britannia in Southampton, England in 2015
    Queen Elizabeth attending the naming ceremony for P&O Cruises Britannia in Southampton, England in 2015

List of Ships

As Princess
Name Image Affiliation Date Christened Location Christened Status Notes
HMS Vanguard Royal Navy 30 November 1944 John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland Decommissioned, Scrapped, 1960

Last battleship built for Britain

British Princess British Tanker Co. Ltd. 30 April 1946[1] Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford[2] Scrapped in 1962
RMS Caronia Cunard White Star Line 30 October 1947[3] John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland Wrecked, Scrapped 1974
As Queen
Name Image Affiliation Date Christened Location Christened Status Notes
HMY Britannia Royal Yacht 16 April 1953 John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland Decommissioned in 1997, Museum ship in Leith-Edinburgh, Scotland
SS Southern Cross Shaw Savill Line 17 August 1954[4] Harland & Wolff, Belfast Scrapped 2003 *First merchant ship christened by Queen Elizabeth II
RMS Empress of Britain Canadian Pacific Line 22 June 1955[5] Fairfield Shipbuilding in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland Scrapped 2008
Queen Elizabeth 2 Cunard Line 20 September 1967[6] John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland Hotel Ship in Dubai
HMS Invincible Royal Navy 3 May 1977 Vickers Shipbuilding Limited, Barrow-in-Furness, England Scrapped in 2011
HMS Lancaster Royal Navy 24 May 1990[7] Yarrow Shipbuilders, Glasgow, Scotland In service
RRS James Clark Ross British Antarctic Survey 1st December 1990[8] Swan Hunter Shipbuilders in Wallsend, UK In service Sold in 2021 to National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine, renamed Noosfera[9]
Oriana P&O Cruises 6 April 1995[10] Mayflower Terminal, Southampton, England In service
HMS Ocean Royal Navy 11 October 1995 Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, Kværner (Govan) Decommissioned 2018, sold to Brazilian Navy
RMS Queen Mary 2 Cunard Line 8 January 2004[11][12] Queen Elizabeth II terminal, Southampton, England In service
Queen Elizabeth Cunard Line 10 October 2010[13] Southampton, England In service
HMS Queen Elizabeth Royal Navy 4 July 2014 Rosyth dockyard near Edinburgh, Scotland[14] In service
Britannia P&O Cruises 10 March 2015[15] Southampton, England[16] In service


Sources

  1. ^ "British Princess (launched 1946) | Co-Curate". co-curate.ncl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  2. ^ "Motor Vessel BRITISH PRINCESS built by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd. in 1946 for British Tanker Co. Ltd., London, Tanker". sunderlandships.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  3. ^ Pathé, British. "Princess Elizabeth Launches The 'caronia'". www.britishpathe.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  4. ^ "Southern cross". belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  5. ^ Pathé, British. "Queen Launches Empress Of Britain". www.britishpathe.com. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  6. ^ "Cunard celebrates Queen Elizabeth II and four ships she launched, in photos". Los Angeles Times. 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  7. ^ "The Queen and the Royal Navy: A golden thread running through our shared histories". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  8. ^ "RRS James Clark Ross". British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  9. ^ "RRS James Clark Ross sold". British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  10. ^ "Oriana cruise ship to leave service in Southampton". BBC News. 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  11. ^ "A song and a prayer as largest liner is named". the Guardian. 2004-01-09. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  12. ^ Passenger, Cruise (2022-09-15). "Thank you Ma'am - how the Queen was a maritime champion, christening a record 21 ships". Cruise Passenger. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  13. ^ Mathisen, Monty (2010-10-11). "Queen Elizabeth Christened by Her Majesty The Queen". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  14. ^ "THE QUEEN CHRISTENS ROYAL NAVY'S NEW AIRCRAFT CARRIER". Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  15. ^ "Queen officially names new cruise ship 'Britannia' - CBBC Newsround". Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  16. ^ "Photo tour: Ship christenings with Queen Elizabeth II". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-23.