By Hanne Baltzer

On 1 September, the Royal Yacht Dannebrog arrived in Fredericia in brilliant sunshine and with enthusiastic Danes to welcome Her Majesty Queen Margrethe. Also on board was Jakob Jørgensen, First Lieutenant and Operations Officer on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog. Together with 8 other officers, 7 sergeants, 2 constables and 39 conscripts, he makes up the crew, whose primary task is to ensure that every detail, every millimetre of the Royal Yacht has a perfect appearance, an optimal function and that the work is done with precision and passion. The tradition of summer cruises dates back to King Christian the 10th, and even today the Queen uses Dannebrog to establish contact with all parts of the Danish Realm.

Role model

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog is the Navy's No. 1 ship, commanded by the Queen's Hunting Captain. He sets the tone for a value-based management style on board, emphasising professionalism, cooperation and readiness for change. Dannebrog serves as the official and private residence for the royal family on summer cruises in Denmark or when they are on official overseas visits. In short, it's about exposing the Royal Yacht when the regent is on board. Therefore, the ship appears polished and shiny. The ship always arrives at the harbour at the agreed time, the crew arrives on time and makes a virtue of ensuring that everything works.

"As an officer, I am a role model for the conscripts. It's about having a behaviour that you want them to adopt. Not just saying it, but also doing it in practice. It's important to show leadership and direction to maintain well-being on board. When the conscripts come here, they know the basic behaviour at sea, but they learn different routines, procedures and traditions on board along the way," explains Jakob Jørgensen. He has been employed on the Royal Yacht since June 2022. On board, he is responsible for the ship's engines and safety in connection with liquids such as water and fuel. He is a qualified engineer from Aarhus and has also taken modules in military management.

Professionally interesting

Han leder syv medarbejdere – en konstabel og seks værnepligtige. De har en faglig uddannelse og mindst fire års erfaring som smed, elektriker eller mekaniker for at kunne arbejde i Kongeskibets maskinrum, der ofte er et varmt sted med mindst 30 grader.  Skibet er fra 1932, så der er nok at vedligeholde. Fagligt set er det en interessant opgave: ”Det er spændende med de atypiske opgaver, der kan opstå i maskinen. Ting forgår med tiden, men de erfarne øjne skal gerne kunne se, hvad der kan være på vej af fejl og dermed ofte afbøde dem, inden de opstår. Det meste udstyr er fra 1980’erne, hvor man udskiftede maskinrummet, mens skibet er fra 1932,” siger Jakob Jørgensen. Han er dagligt i maskinrummet, hvor hans mandskab kan deres metier.

Danish crew

The difference between the Royal Yacht and other ships is that the task is so much different: "We sail with the regent of the country, so we have to be presentable. For example, we don't just paint the ship to maintain it. We know that appearance is important.

Ombord er vi kun danske statsborgere, og det gør noget ved kulturen, sammenholdet og det sociale miljø.  Vi er inddelt i tre grupper: officerer, sergenter og menige. Hver gruppe spiser for sig, men vi spiser den samme mad, så det er der ingen forskel på. Typisk socialiserer man inden for den gruppe, man er en del af.  Officerer og sergenter har hver sin messe, mens de værnepligtige har et cafeteria, som er deres frirum.

The ship is divided into three divisions; technical, supply and operational with close contact between the divisions.
The sailing period typically lasts from April to October, with virtually no days off, and no more than a week's holiday if the Majesty is away. You can have time off with on-call duty. There are always two on duty - an officer on watch and a sergeant on watch, as well as shifts of enlisted men. The ship is never completely alone.

Hibernation and excitement

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog is in hibernation in Frederikshavn. When the command is cancelled after a voyage, it's time for maintenance and emptying some of the ship's interior. Jakob Jørgensen is responsible for this. The ship needs to be docked, painted in the right colours and perhaps redecorated inside, the engine needs to be inspected, etc. "It's my job to coordinate the big task with the many details. I identify the faults, while others then use their experience to rectify them."

Jakob Jørgensen er tydeligt stolt af sit job: ”Jeg kan lide Kongehuset og den interessante opgave regent og Kongehus løser ved at være gode repræsentanter for Danmark. Jeg er sikker på, at det tilfører landet værdi.  Det er derfor en unik mulighed at kunne arbejde her, for der er kun ét kongeskib! Jeg kan også lide dyderne ombord – det pæne udtryk, ceremonierne, repræsentationerne, traditionerne og den fælles indsats for, at alt fungerer tilfredsstillende.”
When asked about security risks, he says: "Everyone on board is cleared to different security levels. I never fear for security, because we have security teams that take care of it and I have full confidence in that. In addition, the confidentiality level is maintained without any problems. If something is confidential, it's respected."

Values for co-operation on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog

PROFESSIONALISM

• We are good role models
• We know our craft
• We are responsible and make decisions based on careful consideration and common sense.

PARITY OF CHANGE (Mod)

• Vi er positive overfor nye udfordringer
• We come up with initiatives ourselves
• We accept mistakes and learn from them

SAMARBEJDE (Fællesskab)

• We treat everyone with respect and dignity
• We are constructive, open and honest
• We show trust in each other
• We voice our opinions
• We are holistic
• We care about a good working environment
• We look after each other's well-being (Helpfulness)

Dannebrog was built in 1931-1932 at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Copenhagen, replacing the paddle steamer Dannebrog from 1879. It was designed to sail around the entire Danish Realm.

The ship's hull is built of steel in riveted construction on a transverse frame system, the ship has a clipper stern and elliptical stern. Since 1932, the Royal Yacht Dannebrog has travelled more than 800,000 nautical miles.

The Royal Yacht Dannebrog

Overall length (from the tip of the bowsprit to the stern of the hedge: 78.4 metres

• Width: 10.4 metres 
• Draft: 3.9 metres 
• Mast height: 23 metres 
• Machinery: Two B&W Alpha Diesel 870 hp each, driving two variable pitch propellers