Name Green Parrot

GREEN PARROT is a former naval pinnace which was built by Jack Powles in Wroxham in 1953. She is one of a number of boats that were designed to replace the 45ft hard chine motor boats from 1945 onwards. The hard chine boats had a sharp angle between the bilge and topside of the hull, and their sea-keeping qualities were much criticised. GREEN PARROT was one of three boats ordered from the Jack Powles yard. She was modified and finished as a barge for the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) Home Fleet in September 1956 on board HMS MAIDSTONE. Her recorded acceptance date is 1 October 1956, and she was issued to C-in-C Home Fleet later that month. She was later used in this capacity on board HMS TYNE in February 1959. In 1960, approval was given to transfer her to C-in-C Portsmouth (Naval Home Command), and she was subsequently taken on to account as the C-in-C’s barge. It was in this guise that she was named GREEN PARROT. Whilst at Portsmouth she was modified for use by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as her Royal Barge during state visits to Portsmouth. GREEN PARROT was later taken out of service, and had been due to be scrapped when, in 1996, she was gifted to the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust by the Admiral Superintendent to be the flagship of the Trust's historic boat collection. Since then she has undergone a programme of maintenance and conservation.