One of Britain's biggest cruise ships docked in Palma this morning with 3,500 passengers on board. Until recently, the Britannia, had been Britain's biggest ship although that honour has now gone to her sister-ship, Iona.
The Britannia weighs in at 145,000 tons and has a crew of almost 1,500. Britannia was officially named on 10 March 2015 by Queen Elizabeth II at the Ocean Terminal in Southampton. She was built in Italy but flies the British flag. The name Britannia was announced on 24 September 2013 and has historical importance for P&O, as there have been two previous ships named Britannia connected with the company. The first entered service in 1835 for the General Steam Navigation Company, which went on to become the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company. The second, which entered service in 1887, was one of four ships ordered by the company to mark the golden jubilee of both Queen Victoria and P&O itself.
Britannia features a 94-metre (308 ft) Union Flag on her bow, the largest of its kind in the world.