HMY Alberta

HMY Alberta was a royal yacht of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. She was built by Pembroke Dock and launched in 1863.

Built as a tender to the larger royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert, Alberta made a number of voyages carrying Queen Victoria and other members of her royal family. She was particularly used after the acquisition of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight as a summer home, and Alberta was often employed making voyages across the Solent. On one occasion, while carrying the Queen, Alberta ran down and sank a schooner, causing a number of fatalities. Alberta was used to take the Queen to engagements along the south coast of England, and in 1896 she brought the body of Prince Henry of Battenberg to the Isle of Wight for burial.

Alberta's most prominent role was in the funeral of Queen Victoria. The Queen died on the Isle of Wight after a short illness in January 1901. The Alberta carried numerous members of her family across to be present at her death bed, and it was decided that Alberta should carry the Queen's body back to the mainland. The coffin was placed aboard the yacht on 1 February 1901, and Alberta led a procession across the Solent into Gosport, receiving the salutes of the warships anchored along the voyage. After spending the night on the Alberta, the coffin was removed the next day, and taken to London for the funeral service. Alberta continued in service after this, and was eventually sold for breaking up in 1913.