The Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and her City of London Fringe Necklace) and Duke of Edinburgh had Dinner with 40 Admirals and 75 Naval Captains aboard the HMS Vanguard on this day in 1953, 70 years ago, following the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead, as pat of her Coronation Celebrations.
The Coronation Fleet Review, was the first post-war review, with all the ongoing technical innovations the war had produced on display, with 197 Royal Navy warships, together with 13 from the Commonwealth and 16 from foreign navies, as well as representative vessels from the British Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets.
The Queen sat down with 40 of her Admirals and 75 naval captains at a Royal dinner party aboard the battleship Vanguard last night after the big naval review at Spithead.
The Queen and the Duke of charge of Edinburgh were the guests of the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet (Admiral Sir George Creasy).
The great naval day culminated in a fireworks display in which 1.000,000 multi-coloured lights cascaded from the war-ships.
At midnight the Queen’s fleet rode anchor off Portsmouth sparkling in lights and providing the greatest spectacle of the Coronation year.
A farewell salute of 21 Guns was fired as the Royal yacht Surprise returned to Portsmouth Harbour this morning.
Just before she stepped ashore the Queen signalled the fleet: “Splice the mainbrace.
In a message to Admiral Sir George Creasy, she sent her warmest congratulations to all ranks and said that the Royal Navy Navy’s old tradition of efficiency and smartness had been worthily upheld in the air as on the sea.
