(Egypt)

Notes: el-Horriya (sometimes transliterated as el-Horria, el-Horya, Horriya, or el-Houriya) was built by the Samuda Brothers Yachtworks in London as a pleasure craft for the Ottoman governor of Egypt. In 1872, she was rebuilt in Scotland with the side paddle-wheels being deleted and the hull being lengthened. After WWI she became a private non-naval yacht of King Farouq. Following the Nasser revolution, she was renamed and commissioned into the Egyptian navy, with some staterooms being converted into classrooms. After the murder of Anwar Sadat, el-Horriya was almost never used as a state yacht due to security concerns. She is still listed on the active Egyptian roster as a “training ship” but it’s unclear what training value she offers as el-Horriya is devoid of any weapons, sensors, electronics, or rigging and has completely obsolete (and barely functional) engines.

In 1976, el-Horriya was the Egyptian representative at the NYC Fleet Review for the USA’s Bicentennial gala. Afterwards she slipped into gross disrepair. In 1992 a major effort was put into making the vessel seaworthy enough to travel to Italy for the Christopher Columbus Fleet Review. This was ultimately unsuccessful but it did at least restore the ship to operational status. The ship is now homeported at Alexandria.

Displacement: 3762t Thames Yacht Scale, 4561t full Dimensions: 478’x42’6”x17’4” (originally 421’4”x50’x17’) Machinery: Steam-reduction: 1 Inglis boiler, 3 Parsons geared steam turbines, 3 shafts w/non-CP 3-bladed props (originally Steam-reciprocating with 1 boiler, 2 paddlewheels) Max speed: 16kts (originally 9kts) Complement: 160 (no longer fully manned)