King Harald marked on Monday that this year’s sailing season with the royal ship Norway is over. This happened with the traditional debarkation in Frognerkilen in Oslo.
The Royal Ship (Kongeskipet) has had a varied season this year. It was used both during the royal couple’s county trip to Hordaland in June and when the Crown Prince visited Vega in Nordland in June.
Queen Sonja also traveled with the ship when she visited the Oscarsborg Fortress in August where the Oscarsborg opera staged the performance “Aida.”
During the debarkation, King Harald inspected the ship and thanked the crew, who had lined up on the aft deck, for a great season.
The Royal Norwegian Ship has a crew of 54 persons, including 18 commanders and 36 conscripts. It is kept in operation by the Navy. In winter, staffing is reduced to a minimum of around 25 people.
The Royal Ship was built in 1937 and given as a public gift to King Haakon on his 75th birthday on August 3, 1947. The ship was then rebuilt and commissioned from June 9, 1948.
The Royal Norwegian Ship and the Danish Dannebrog are today the world’s only remaining royal ships.
The ship is normally in service between the end of May – when the King makes the embarkation – and the end of September.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
