The Marine Society & Sea Cadets training ship Royalist is pictured arriving in Portsmouth for the final time last month — to take part in a decommissioning ceremony to mark the end of 43 years of service.
More than 30,000 cadets have sailed onboard the Cowes-built vessel since it began operating in 1971 and it has covered some 212,850nm on offshore voyages around the UK and Europe. TS Royalist is due to be replaced in March by a new 32m ship — bearing the same name — which is being built in Spain at a cost of £4.8m.
MSSC chairman Captain Nigel Palmer said: ‘The spirit of adventure that our current flagship represents is hard to match, but after 43 years it’s time to move on. ‘The new ship is an exciting development both technically and in the journey Sea Cadets, as a charity, is making.’
More than 30,000 cadets have sailed onboard the Cowes-built vessel since it began operating in 1971 and it has covered some 212,850nm on offshore voyages around the UK and Europe. TS Royalist is due to be replaced in March by a new 32m ship — bearing the same name — which is being built in Spain at a cost of £4.8m.
MSSC chairman Captain Nigel Palmer said: ‘The spirit of adventure that our current flagship represents is hard to match, but after 43 years it’s time to move on. ‘The new ship is an exciting development both technically and in the journey Sea Cadets, as a charity, is making.’