By Suzette Lopez
On July 7, 1959, Her Majesty’s Yacht BRITANNIA sailed past Milwaukee escorted by six destroyers as Milwaukee’s fire tug DELUGE saluted her. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, were on board traveling from Chicago to Sault Ste. Marie. The Queen was on a 45-day tour of Canada and cruising the Great Lakes. Though she did not dock in Milwaukee, it was an exciting event. Local sailors went out to observe and the DELUGE launched 52 tons of water per minute through her 18 water cannons.
The BRITANNIA was launched in 1953 and measured 412 feet in length and 55 feet in beam. The BRITANNIA was retired in 1997.
Queen Elizabeth II never retired. She died September 8, 2022, at her Balmoral estate in Scotland at the age of 96. Her 70 year long reign covered so many historical events and changes in our world. There is much news coverage of this now historical event but I think Paddington’s tribute to his marmalade loving friend was able to summarize something so deep, so simply – “Thank you Ma’am, for everything.”
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Suzette Lopez is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
Photo at the top of page: The DELUGE escorting the BRITANNIA past Milwaukee on July 7, 1959.
Other photos:
Photo credit: Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.
