It was November 8, 1997 and the Royal Yacht Britannia was paying her last ever visit to the River Tyne.
The floating residence of Queen Elizabeth II, the ship had been launched at John Brown & Co shipyard on the River Clyde in April 1953, a couple of months before the young Queen's coronation. Now, after 44 years in service, the famous vessel was being decommissioned, and was in the midst of a farewell tour of the UK.
The Chronicle reported 25 years ago: "In semi darkness and heavy rain the Royal Yacht Britannia sailed up the Tyne today to pay an emotional farewell to her public. On her final visit to the region she was met by the river pilot's launch with a crew of journalists aboard.
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"We were welcomed aboard the 5,000-tonne, 420ft vessel by her skipper Commodore Anthony Morrow before she turned about and headed up river. Britannia has been the nation's favourite ship for 44 years and her farewell tour of the major ports in Britain has been an emotional journey.
"Coming up the Tyne backwards she passed the river's famous landmarks from Tynemouth Priory, past the shipyards at Wallsend, and on to Newcastle's world famous bridges escorted by the Type-42 destroyer HMS Manchester, her majestic arrival was only marred by the weather.
"Thousands braved a dawn downpour and lined the Quayside to see the Britannia arrive, just as they did on her last visit to the Tyne in 1989. Naval spokesman Lieutenant Commander Paul Gorsuch said people were welcome to come and say goodbye to the Britannia. He added: 'As Britannia is private royal territory and effectively a floating palace, for security reasons, the public won't be able to board her. But HMS Manchester will follow us up the river and people will be welcome to visit her. We recruit a lot of sailors from the North East, and we're hoping our visit might encourage still more to consider a life at sea'."
By the time the Royal Yacht arrived on Tyneside, she had sailed more than one million miles around the globe on nearly 1,000 state visits, calling at more than 600 ports in 135 countries, welcoming aboard numerous heads of state, including various American presidents.
A favourite place for the Queen to relax, around 45 members of the royal household would accompany her on foreign visits, while the ship could accommodate 250 guests. During her triumphant 1977 UK Silver Jubilee tour, the Queen and Prince Philip had disembarked from the Royal Yacht at Newcastle Quayside for their rapturous Tyneside leg of the tour.
The Royal Yacht was also designed with a secondary role as a hospital ship in times of war or emergency. In 1986 she rescued 1,500 civilians when fighting erupted in Yemen on the Arabian peninsular. And when the Royals began to use air travel more and more for engagements overseas, she became a flagship for British industry. The contracts signed and deals negotiated on board were estimated to have made up to £10 billion a year for business.
Now a permanent fixture at Leith docks near Edinburgh, the Royal Yacht Britannia is a major tourist attraction, welcoming thousands of visitors aboard every year.
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