London - The British royal yacht Britannia will not be replaced or rebuilt, the Defence Secretary, Mr George Robertson, announced yesterday. But it could still be saved from the scrapyard, to become a floating hotel or maritime museum.
The cruise liner Canberra will not be salvaged, however. P&O Cruises announced that the Belfast-built ship is to be sent to a scrapyard in Pakistan, after sailing three million miles and carrying one million passengers. The Canberra was dubbed "the Great White Whale" when turned into a troopship for the Falklands War in 1982. It is to be replaced by the 63,500-tonne Arcadia.
After months of political controversy over Britannia, Mr Roberston announced the end of a 300-year-old maritime tradition yesterday.