“What is that?” That was the question former leading mechanical engineer John Batten had in 1956 when asked to serve aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Built in Scotland, Britannia was launched in 1953 for £2.1 million, about $4m in NZ dollars at the time.

At 412 feet long, she served as the British royal family’s floating residence for more than 44 years before being decommissioned in 1997.

During her service, she visited more than 600 ports in 135 countries.

Batten, 89, said he believes luck landed him on board with Princess Margaret, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II.

“I’ve been lucky my whole life,” said the Oropi resident.

He grew up in the small coal-mining community of Glen Massey, near Ngāruawāhia, and followed in the footsteps of his father and sister by joining the Royal New Zealand Navy.

He served aboard the Dido-class cruiser HMNZS Bellona, later travelling to Britain to help bring back another cruiser, HMNZS Royalist. But his course would soon change – leading him into the company of royalty.

Assigned to the refrigeration room, Batten said he “saw a pair of legs coming down the ladder”.

“It was Chief Pio Smith, and he said: ‘Would you like to go back to England?

The royal yacht sailors “unusual uniform. Photo / Tom Eley

Within days, Batten said he was being measured for a new uniform.

The sailor’s new uniform was unusual: a serge top tucked into doeskin trousers, with a silk ribbon bow stitched on to the back waistband.

“Next minute, we were there – on the Britannia.”

He joined a crew of 200 Englishmen, four Australians and one other Kiwi, Able Seaman Bob Soper. After leaving the ship, Batten said they didn’t stay in contact.

The vessel travelled 39,550 miles, crossed the equator three times and remained at sea for 182 days.

Batten said the crew spotted 35 icebergs, drank 51,847 pints of beer and 4864 tots of rum, and smoked 1,234,385 cigarettes. “I was a goody-good and didn’t smoke or drink,” he said.

Though unsure why he was chosen for the assignment, Batten said he spent much of his time entertaining the royal family. “I used to do a lot of entertaining – mainly rock ‘n’ roll.”

He said he sang for Princess Margaret and shared soup with Prince Philip. “I got on quite well with Princess Margaret because she liked rock ‘n’ roll,” he said. “She was lovely.”

He described his duties onboard as easy but said standards were exceptionally high.

“You always walked around with a rag in your overalls pocket. If you saw a mark, you wiped it off.”

During the voyage, Batten travelled to South Africa, was at the opening of the Melbourne Olympics, and cruised to Antarctica.

The journey ended on February 24, 1957, in Portsmouth, and Batten was transferred to HMNZS Maori, marking the close of a remarkable chapter.

“We looked into the lives of many people all over the world, and in doing so, returned home richer for the experience.”