Nahlin - a luxury yacht with Royal connections, built at John Brown & Co.


The luxury yacht Nahlin was built at John Brown & Co. in Clydebank, the shipbuilders famed for building the Queen Mary and the QE2 and the Lusitania. She was built in 1930 for Lady Yule, the heiress of wealthy businessman Sir David Yule, who had business interests in India. The Nahlin is one of the largest private yachts ever built in the UK and weighs 1,574 tons and is 91metres (300 feet) long

Titan Crane at site of Former John Brown Engineering yard Clydebank - 
Visit the Crane and go up to the top for a great view! Photo by J.Wilson

Amongst her long history, she was chartered by King Edward VIII and used by him and Mrs Wallis Simpson to cruise the Adriatic Sea. 

The yacht was bought in 1937 by King Carol II of Romania and renamed Luceafarul and later Libertatea. The monarch abdicated in 1940 and the yacht then had a varied history in Romania up until 2002 when she ended up being taken to Liverpool for Restoration. 

She was then purchased by Sir James and Deidre Dyson who returned the name to Nahlin and registered her at Glasgow. Her original mahogany hulled ship to shore tender was also relocated. 

The restored tender by Willie McCullough of Buchanan Smiddy in Drymen:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12237799.reunited-after-a-parting-of-the-waves/

So an interesting history for a beautiful ship!

More can be read here: Nahlin (yacht) - Wikipedia

Another image:

SY Nahlin, Clarence Graving Dock,... © Chris Allen :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

More of interest regarding Romanian Royal Family - Queen Marie of Edinburgh - Marie of Edinburgh - Queen of Romania - History of Royal Women



Map Reference: West of Scotland Area

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