Preserved Royal and State Barges

c1590

Kadirga, Deniz Müzesi, Istambul. 24 oars.

17th century

Royal barge used by Carlos II. Palacio Real, Aranjuez, Spain. Rowed by six or eight men.

c1660-1685

The State Barge of Charles II. Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth. Equipped with eight oars with one man per oar. Used to carry Nelson's coffin from the Greenwich Hospital to the Whitehall Stairs on January 8, 1806.

1689

Queen Mary's Shallop, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The oldest barge in the collection. Of simpler design than other State barges, used as a harbour launch to carry the royal family to the royal yacht. Was last used by King George V and Queen Mary in the Victory Pageant in 1919.

c1690

"Peter I's boat", a Russian shallop, Sjöhistoriska Museet, Stockhom. A clinker built boat with four oars. Captured by the Swedish army at the Battle of Narva, 1703.

1691

William III's barge. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

1710

Queen Anne's barge. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

1711

The Galeota Grande, Museu de Marinha, Lisbon, was built for the king Joao V. It has 40 oars which were pulled by two men each.

1732

Prince Frederick's barge, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Designed by William Kent for Prince Frederick. Last used by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, in 1849.

1753.

The Galeota Pequena (the Small Barge), Museu de Marinha, Lisbon. This barge which has 26 oars was in use until 1923.

1774.

Wasaorden, Stockholm. Originally built to a design by F.H. af Chapman, at Djurgårdsvarvet, Stockholm, for Gustaf III. Partly destroyed by fire in August 1921. Rebuilt in 1923 from the original plans using the parts that escaped the fire. Measures 17,5×3,0×1,2 meters, equipped with 9 pair of oars. Still in use.

1778.

Bergantim Real, a barge built by order of Queen Maria I for Prince Joao, later King Joao VI, Museu de Marinha, Lisbon. Equipped with 40 oars to be pulled by 80 men. It was last used in 1957.

1780.

Royal barge, Orlogsmuseet, Copenhagen. This royal barge is called the Hvide Chalup ("The White Barge") and was built around 1780. The last time it was used was in 1923. It is equipped with twelve oars.

c1782.

Suphanna Hongse, the "Golden Swan", was built during the reign of the first King of the Chakri. Bangkok. It is paddled by 50 men. Still in use.

1787.

Galten, Statens Sjöhistoriska Museum, Stockholm. Decorations by Desprez and designed and built by F.H. af Chapman. Dimensions 23'x14' and equipped with 8 pairs of oars.

1787.

Delfinen, Statens Sjöhistoriska Museum, Stockholm. Decorations by Desprez and designed and built by F.H. af Chapman. Dimensions 23'x14' and equipped with 8 pairs of oars.

1790.

Saveira Dourada (the Golden Barge), Museu de Marinha, Lisbon. Built by order of Queen Maria I for the use of Princess Charlota Joaquina. It has 14 oars.

End of 18th century.

Barge of Carlos IV. Palacio Real, Aranjuez, Spain.

End of 18th century.

Galeota da alfandega, Museu de Marinha, Lisbon. Also known as the Custom's Barge. It has 12 oars.

1811.

Le canot de l'Empereur, Musée de la Marine, Paris. Made for Napoleon I, to a design by Guillemare and built by Le Thiau, Granville. Dimensions 17,21x3,35x0,97 m. 24 pairs of oars. Last used by the French President in Brest in 1903.

1815.

Royal barge used by Queen Maria Cristina de Borbón. Palacio Real, Aranjuez, Spain. Equipped with 12 oars.

1816-1818.

De Koningsloep, Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam. Built at the Rijkswerf, Rotterdam, to the design of C.J. Glavimans, for Wilhelm I. Dimensions 17,05x2,66 m. The decorations were made under the supervision by Soetermeer by the woodcarvers Peters, Racable d'Anvers and Anotoine d'Anvers. Last used at the silver wedding anniversary of Queen Juliana and Prins Bernard in 1962.

c1822.

Royal barge, Museu Naval E Oceanográfico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Belonged to the first Emperor of Brasil. 15 pairs of oars. Still in use in 1922. There is a picture of the barge in The Mariner's Mirror Vol. 8 (1922), plate facing p 149.

1831.

A 16 oar barge built for Prince Miguel, Museu de Marinha, Lisbon. Was later transferred to the Ministry of Marine.

1844.

The King's Shallop. Still in use. Marinmuseum, Karlskrona.

1861.

Isabel II, the barge of Queen Isabel II. Palacio Real, Aranjuez, Spain. Equipped with 14 oars.

1862.

King Luis cutter, 12 oars, Museu de Marinha, Lisbon.

1871.

"The Russian Shallop" (den russiske chalup). Orlogsmuseet, Copenhagen. Built in Russia and presented to Christian IX. Equipped with 24 oars with one man at each oar.

1877

The Queen Victoria's barge (1877), Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, Canada.
Picture of the prow.

c1890.

Royal barge. Palacio Real, Aranjuez, Spain. Rowed with 14 oars.

• Two 18th century barges The Commissioner of the Navy's wherry. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The smaller is 45 feet long.
• A couple of Royal barges, Museo de Naval, Barcelona.
• Svjatoj Nicolaj, Central Naval Museum, St Petersburg. Russian sources state that the Svjatoj Nicolaj originally was a gift from Maria Stuart to Ivan the Terrible in the late 1500s. It is said to have been discovered by Peter [the Great] at the age of sixteen and repaired by him and a Dutchman named Timmerman.
• 1689-92 Fortuna, Botik Museum, Pereslavl-Zameskij.
• 1704 Verejaka, Tsar Peter's House, St Petersburg.
• Some 20 highly decorated chaiques, Naval Museum, Istambul.
• Two Royal barges, Thailand. Still in use. The two Subanahingsa Royal Barges, Thailand, were given the World Trust award in 1992.

Bibliography:

• Bäckström, Arvid: Vildsvinet och Valfisken, in Fataburen, 1952.
• Basch, Lucien: A Galley in Istambul: The Kadirga. Mariner's Mirror Vol. 60, London, 1974. pp 133-134, ill., 1 pl.
• Basch, Lucien: The Kadirga revisited. A Preliminary Re-Appraisal. The Mariner's Mirror Vol. 65, London, 1979. pp 39-51, ill.
• Busch, Peter von: Gustav III:s Drottningholms slup, ett nyupptäckt verk av Fredrik Henrik af Chapman och Johan Törnström. Handels- og Söfartsmuseet på Kronborg. Årbog 1981, Helsingør, 1981. pp 22-27, ill. Summary: Gustav III's Drottningholm Barge: A Newly Discovered Work of Fredrik Henrik af Chapman and Johan Törnström.
• Crone, G.C.E.: De jachten der Oranjes. Amsterdam, 1937.
• Feuer, Imre: Vasaorden, in Marin-nytt, 1976. pp 2:16-25, ill.
• Halláng, Bror: Slupen Wasaorden, en historik i ord och bild. LiberFörlag, Stockholm, 1985. 8vo, 92 pp, ill.
• Halláng, Bror & Nyman, Bo: Vasaorden. En historik om den svenska kungliga slupen - en riksklenod. A Historical Account of the Royal Barge of Sweden - a National Heirloom. C.B. Marinlitteratur AB, Falkenberg, 1996. 8vo, 110 pp, ill.
• Lehmann, L.Th.: Turkish Imperial State Barges. The Mariner's Mirror Vol. 76, London, 1990. p 254.
• Lundström, Per: Konungens gondoler. Sjöhistorisk Årsbok 1965-1966, Stockholm, 1967. pp 28-31, ill.
• Matz, Erling & Matz, Susanne: Kungens Rodbåt. Att brukas vid statsbesök, bröllop m.m. in Vi båtägare, 1976. pp 3:32-33.
• van Overbeek, P.: De Koningsloep, in Roeien met de Riemen ..., pp 194-195, ill.
• Paris, Admiral: Souvenirs de marine conservés. plates 132-133.
• Sarnowski, Michael von: Ivan Trtanj und seine Schiffsmodelle. Das Logbuch 23 Jg, Heidesheim, 1987. pp 29-32, 24:59-67, ill.
• Smit, L.: Het oudste vaartuig der Marine Onze Vloot, 20e jrg, pp 50-53.
• Witsen, Nicholaes: XXX Platen van vreemde schepen. Amsterdam, 1687.

Updated 1998-06-15 by Lars Bruzelius

Copyright © 1996 Lars Bruzelius.