history of presidential yacht

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The Floating White House: A Brief History of the Presidential Yacht

By: Evan Andrews

Updated: October 31, 2023 | Original: August 18, 2017

Before there was Air Force One, there was the presidential yacht. Dating back to the 19th century, America’s chief executives utilized navy ships and other vessels for recreation and entertaining foreign dignitaries. Nearly a dozen different ships acted as the “Floating White House” between 1880 and 1977, when the last vessel was sold at auction. During that time, they were the scene of international diplomatic summits, congressional schmoozing and the occasional Potomac River pleasure cruise.

The executive yacht “served an important purpose in enabling Presidents to escape the claustrophobic tension of the White House,” former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has written. It “provided a quiet sanctuary; it was handier than Camp David, easier for casual, informal discussions.”

Abraham Lincoln made use of a steamboat called the River Queen during the Civil War , but the first official presidential yachts date to the Gilded Age. Starting in 1880, America’s commanders in chief sailed aboard a series of Navy vessels including  USS Despatch , USS Dolphin and USS Sylph . In 1886, Despatc h famously ferried Grover Cleveland across New York Harbor for the dedication of the Statue of Liberty .

Presidential boating entered a new era in the early 1900s, when  USS Mayflower took over as the chief executive’s official yacht. Unlike earlier vessels, which were relatively austere in their design, Mayflower was a luxury craft previously owned by real estate millionaire Ogden Goelet. Measuring some 275 feet from stem to stern, it boasted a crew of over 150 and had a sumptuous interior that included a 30-person dining table and bathtubs made from Italian marble.

USS Mayflower is most famously associated with Theodore Roosevelt , who often used it and  USS Sylph for family vacation cruises along Long Island. A more official use came in August 1905, when Roosevelt hosted Japanese and Russian envoys aboard  Mayflower as part of his attempts to mediate peace talks in the Russo-Japanese War . He would later win the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the conflict.

Mayflower served as a presidential plaything for over two decades. Woodrow Wilson is said to have wooed his second wife Edith Bolling Galt during romantic jaunts aboard the ship, and Calvin Coolidge reportedly loved the yacht so much he stationed a Navy chaplain aboard so that he could take Sunday morning cruises without being accused of skipping church. Nevertheless, the ship’s opulence proved to be a sticking point with critics of presidential excess. In 1929, with economic concerns on the rise, Herbert Hoover  finally had  Mayflower decommissioned.

Mayflower was the largest and stateliest of the presidential yachts, but it wasn’t the last. Hoover—a devoted fisherman—soon began making day trips on a wooden-hulled vessel called USS Sequoia , and he eventually grew so attached to it that he had it featured on his 1932 Christmas card. Franklin D. Roosevelt began his tenure with Sequoia , but later switched to USS Potomac, a 165-foot former Coast Guard cutter that included a special elevator to help the wheelchair-bound president move between decks.

FDR occasionally utilized the ship for official business—it carried him to a 1941 meeting with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill —but it was more frequently used for presidential leisure. In his book Sailor in the White House: The Seafaring Life of FDR , author Robert Cross writes that Potomac provided Roosevelt with “an instant means of extricating himself from the confines of Washington. Roosevelt could escape to the open water, where he could do some politicking and thinking, or relax and entertain on deck with friends and advisors, or simply throw a fishing line overboard and patiently wait for a bite.”

Recreation was also the main role of the presidential yachts during the administration of Harry Truman , who hosted floating poker games aboard Sequoia and the 243-foot USS Williamsburg. Dwight D. Eisenhower was more of a landlubber than his predecessors, but sea excursions became popular again in the 1960s, when Sequoia resumed its former role as the main presidential yacht. John F. Kennedy —who also utilized a yacht called Honey Fitz and a sailboat called Manitou —celebrated his final birthday with a party aboard Sequoia. Lyndon B. Johnson installed a liquor bar and enjoyed having movies projected on the main deck.

As the longest serving of the executive yachts, Sequoia played host to several chapters in presidential history. The 104-foot vessel was a more humble affair than many of the other yachts, but the seclusion of its elegant, mahogany-paneled saloon made it an ideal location for sensitive political discussions. Harry Truman talked nuclear arms policy aboard the ship with the prime ministers of Britain and Canada. In the mid-1960s, Lyndon Johnson used yacht trips to hash out Vietnam strategy and lobby legislators to support his Great Society domestic reforms. “The Sequoia was a rostrum from which he was trying to persuade congressmen and senators,” former Johnson aide Jack Valenti said.

Richard Nixon was undoubtedly the most the enthusiastic user of  Sequoia. The 37th president reportedly made as many as 100 trips aboard the yacht, including one in which he met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to negotiate the S ALT I nuclear arms agreement . Near the end of his second term, Nixon also used  Sequoia as a hideout from the controversies of the Watergate scandal . During one final cruise in August 1974, the embattled president reportedly informed his family of his decision to resign before retiring to the ship’s saloon, quaffing a glass of scotch and playing God Bless America on the piano.

The age of the presidential yacht came to a close in 1977. That year, newly inaugurated Jimmy Carter ordered that  Sequoia be offloaded in a public sale. Carter later noted that he was disturbed by the yacht’s $250,000 annual upkeep, but he was also following through on a campaign promise to dispense with the extravagance of the presidency. “Despite its distinguished career, I feel that the Presidential yacht Sequoia is no longer needed,” he wrote in a memo to his Secretary of Defense.

Today, Sequoia and  Potomac are the only two former presidential yachts still in existence. Potomac went through several different owners after its presidential service—including Elvis Presley —and is now moored in Oakland, California. Sequoia, though currently inactive and in a state of disrepair, was once used as a floating museum and private charter boat, and still retains much of its presidential memorabilia. Both vessels are now registered as National Historic Landmarks.

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What Ever Happened to the Presidential Yacht?

The "floating White House" once provided a venue for American officials, prom parties, and leisurely afternoons offshore. Now it's rotting away in a boatyard and has become home to raccoons.

• The USS Sequoia was built in 1925 and served eight presidents before Jimmy Carter put it up for auction in 1977
• John F. Kennedy added a king-size bed to the yacht and celebrated his 46th birthday on the boat. Marilyn Monroe may have also joined him for a cruise or two.
• It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and commanded rental fees of $10,000 a day at one point.
• It's now reportedly deteriorating in a Virginia boatyard. Following a prolonged legal battle, a judge last year awarded a Washington, D.C.-based company the right to acquire it for $0.

Presidents travel in style. Perks of the office include a custom Boeing 747 for long range journeys, a Sikorsky Sea King helicopter for shorter jaunts, and an apocalypse-proof armored Cadillac limousine, nicknamed "the Beast," for ground transit. As luxurious as this sounds, one form of transportation has been conspicuously absent from the chief executive's lineup for 40 years: the presidential yacht.

Numerous ships have been commissioned to carry the president since 1880. The longest serving and most famous among them is the USS Sequoia , which carried eight presidents as a "floating White House" from 1933 until 1977. Docked at Pier One in the Washington Navy Yard, the presidential yacht provided an easily accessible and secure location for conducting meetings, entertaining dignitaries, and avoiding media scrutiny.

Designed by renowned Norwegian naval architect Johan Trumpy in 1925, the 104-foot, mahogany-hulled motor yacht could sleep six and accommodate 40 revelers for cocktails on the spacious aft-deck or 22 guests for a formal dinner in the salon. Trumpy yachts represented the pinnacle of seafaring luxury in their day and were sought out by titans of industry like DuPont, Chrysler, Firestone, and Dodge for their speed, range, and comfort.

Purchased from a Texas oil tycoon by the U.S. Government in 1931, the Sequoia was briefly deployed by the Department of Commerce as a decoy ship on the Mississippi in an effort to capture rum-runners during Prohibition. It was officially commissioned by the Navy in 1933 and President Hoover promptly sailed the newly christened USS Sequoia to Florida for a sport-fishing expedition. President Hoover had decommissioned the 318-foot USS Mayflower as an austerity measure early in his term but was so fond of the Sequoia that he featured it on the White House Christmas card in 1932. A move that many construed as callous as he sought to steer the country out of the depths of the Great Depression.

Franklin Roosevelt also fished from Sequoia , often pulling perch from the Potomac River, but primarily used the boat for more serious matters. During World War II he and Winston Churchill discussed military strategies on board, meetings that required FDR to officially decommission the ship to accommodate the prime minister who would not drink on a Navy vessel. The change in official status allowed for the guilt-free consumption of "Churchill Martinis" while the two discussed D-Day cruising the Chesapeake.

Each president updated Sequoia to serve his personal needs and tastes. FDR installed an elevator to more easily access each deck by wheelchair, and Harry Truman added a spinet piano to the main salon. LBJ lowered the floor of the shower to accommodate his six-foot-four frame and replaced FDR's elevator with a wet bar.

John F. Kennedy, whose modifications included the addition of a king-size bed, used Sequoia sparingly. He did celebrate his 46th, and final, birthday on board, however, and it is rumored that Marilyn Monroe joined him for a cruise or two. It is hard to know for sure, though, as a crewmember destroyed all of the relevant ship's logs after Kennedy's death.

Richard Nixon was the most avid sailor of the Sequoia , logging 88 trips while in office. Some voyages were better than others. He negotiated the SALT I nuclear arms treaty with General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev on board and anguished over the decision to resign with a bottle of scotch at Truman's piano. He went on to announce to his family the plan to resign the presidency, rather than face impeachment, while cruising the Potomac.

The first family was often aboard but no presidential offspring made better use of Sequoia than Gerald Ford's daughter, Susan. She and friends from Holton Arms School enjoyed the sunset and a dinner of beef stroganoff in the main salon before celebrating their senior prom at the White House in 1975. She also celebrated her 19th birthday on board and joined her father for many of his cabinet meeting-cum-dinner parties, which the gregarious president visibly enjoyed.

In an interview about the Sequoia with Newsweek in 2012, Henry Kissinger explained the unique day-to-day role of the yacht: "It's important for the president to be by himself, to remove himself from the machinery of the White House. Of course, he can get on a plane and go to Florida or anywhere else, but that requires throwing the machinery into motion. But here, he just can say at five o'clock, 'I'm going to the boat, I'm taking four or five people. And you don't have to call it a meeting and you don't have to prepare the papers.'"

Its reputation as a diplomatic instrument and suitable refuge for wary presidents could not protect the Sequoia from the prevailing political tides of 1977. The tab for keeping the Sequoia shipshape and staffed was running $800,000 a year when Jimmy Carter took office, and he viewed the expense as "unjustified and unnecessary." In keeping with his campaign promise to trim the trappings of the "Imperial Presidency," President Carter ceremoniously auctioned it off for $236,000, bringing to an end the era of the presidential yacht.

For many years following President Carter’s sale, the Sequoia enjoyed celebrity status in the private sector. Famed not only for her long service to presidents, but also as one of the best-preserved Trumpys still floating, the yacht commanded rental fees of $10,000 per day. The Sequoia was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and renters were able to experience a yacht preserved to presidential standards.

As with all wooden hulled vessels, the Sequoia required near constant maintenance, often having to be hauled out of the water for repairs. During one such refit Washington attorney Gary Silversmith, whose Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group LLC operated the vessel, became entangled in a lawsuit with a lender . The boat remained "on the hard" (on land) as the case wound its way through the courts, allowing it to fall further into disrepair.

Vice Chancellor Sam Glassock, the presiding judge in the case, noted the depressing state of the once-glamorous ship in his 2016 ruling : "The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in a moribund boatyard on the western shore of the Chesapeake, deteriorating and, lately, home to raccoons."

Glassrock ruled that FE Partners LLC , a joint venture between the D.C.-based Equator Capital Group and members of an Indian family with connections to the mining and shipping industry, could acquire the yacht for $0. FE Partners, which also owns Joseph P. Kennedy’s 31-foot yawl Tenovus, has said it plans to return the Sequoia to her home waters once the raccoons are evicted and the restoration is completed.

This will be no small feat but Michael Cantor, managing partner at Equator Capital Group, is determined to see Sequoia sail again. He speculates that journey will require a specialized crane to remove the yacht from the marine railway to a boatyard staffed with at least 20 historically trained shipwrights who will need to source three specific types of wood for the keel, frame, and hull. The price tag for the restoration could ultimately reach into the millions of dollars, but to Cantor the cost and effort are worthwhile to preserve what he views as the most significant piece of American history in private hands. He adds that should any president want to use the yacht once it is completed, it will certainly be available to them.

Throughout its storied career, the Sequoia bore witness to all the hallmarks of the modern presidency: historic feats of diplomacy, alleged extramarital affairs, and Russian intrigue. The office still claims many of those traits, but it no longer has the yacht. That ship has sailed.

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All the President's Yachts: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of FDR's Floating White House

By Ben Marks — February 15th, 2017

It has come to our attention that our president lacks a yacht. That’s right: Donald J. Trump, who is so rich that our eyeballs would burn right out of their sockets if we so much as glimpsed his tax returns, is without a suitably luxurious means of floating on our nation’s great inland waterways or along its rocky shores. Our commander-in-chief reportedly owns a Boeing 757, a Cessna Citation X, a trio of helicopters, a pair of Rolls Royces, a Lamborghini Diablo, and a custom-made, gold-trimmed motorcycle from Orange County Choppers. But when it comes to watercraft, President Trump is up that proverbial creek without so much as a paddle.

“Roosevelt was a martini guy. A good cocktail was very important to him.”

Once upon a time, we the people supplied our presidents with a floating getaway. Leaders as politically dissimilar as Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter cruised aboard the 104-foot USS Sequoia , as did presidents Kennedy through Ford, while Truman and Eisenhower enjoyed the Williamsburg .

But the most famous and storied presidential yacht is the USS Potomac , which was a favorite escape for President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1936 until his death in 1945. Since 1981, the Potomac has been berthed in Oakland, California. In 1995, it opened to the public for tours and excursions on San Francisco Bay.

Top: In 1939, President Roosevelt (at center, holding the arm of a naval officer for support) entertained King George VI of England (to FDR’s right) aboard the Potomac . Also present were Queen Elizabeth and Eleanor Roosevelt (both to the King’s right). (Image by Harris & Ewing, via Wikimedia Commons ) Above: The Potomac at its berth in Oakland, California. (Image by Christopher J. Wood via Wikimedia Commons )

Few know as much about the Potomac ’s history as Les Dropkin, a retired actuary who has been an active volunteer with the nonprofit Potomac Association for more than 20 years. “The ship and I are contemporaries,” Dropkin says. “Growing up, FDR was the only president I knew.”

For people of Dropkin’s generation, the Potomac is a tangible link to Roosevelt, widely considered the greatest U.S. president of the modern era. For many more, the Potomac is a symbol of a time when America was united at home and abroad, weathering the Great Depression and winning World War II , albeit at the expense of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during the conflict.

Recently, Dropkin explained the history of the Potomac during a guided tour of the vessel, which goes into dry dock later this year for $350,000-worth of Coast Guard-mandated inspections and repairs . “The Potomac started its life as the Electra ,” Dropkin begins, “one of 18 cutters built for the Coast Guard between 1931 and 1934.” When the first of these cutters were launched, Dropkin says, Prohibition was still the law of the land, so the 165-foot-long vessels were used as patrol boats designed to intercept bootleggers, primarily close to shore and on rivers such as the Hudson and Potomac. “By 1934, when the Electra was built,” he continues, “Prohibition had ended, but there was still a lot of smuggling by those who wanted to avoid the taxes on liquor.”

President Franklin Roosevelt aboard the USS Potomac , 1936. (Image via Yachts International )

Ships like the Electra earned their keep by foiling such tax cheats, but the Electra did this virtuous work for only a few months before it was selected, in 1935, to be President Roosevelt’s official yacht. “During the first years of his administration,” Dropkin says, “Roosevelt used a Department of Commerce vessel called the Sequoia as his presidential yacht.” President Hoover had sailed on the Sequoia , too, but only after Roosevelt’s election, during the final months of 1932. Upon taking office, Roosevelt, who enjoyed being on the water more than his predecessor, took to the Sequoia whenever his busy schedule would allow.

Hoover and Roosevelt were not the first presidents to enjoy such treatment. According to Dropkin, the idea of a presidential yacht took shape in the latter part of the 19th century. “As commander-in-chief,” Dropkin says, “a president can board any naval vessel he chooses. But in the 19th century, the idea evolved of perhaps having a naval vessel available for use by high government officials. Gradually, that narrowed to a vessel specifically for the president.”

The Sequoia , though, was not a perfect yacht for a head of state. “The Sequoia was only 104 feet long,” Dropkin explains. That meant the president’s Secret Service detail had to follow behind in a separate ship. At 165 feet in length, the Electra , when converted, would have room for two cabins for the Secret Service.

Roosevelt’s chief of staff, Missy LeHand, conferring with the president aboard the Potomac in 1939. (Image via the National Register of Historic Places )

Fire was another concern. “The Sequoia was a wood-hulled vessel—those in charge of Roosevelt’s safety wanted a ship made out of steel. So the president tasked his naval aide with the mission of finding a replacement vessel. Working with the Navy Department, the aide and his staff found four ships in the government’s fleet that might serve Roosevelt’s purposes. A list was presented to FDR and he selected the Electra , renaming it the Potomac .”

Using an existing Coast Guard cutter made economic sense—the Depression was no time for extravagance, even for a new president. But there was another reason why Roosevelt got the Potomac with its steel hull and room for onboard Secret Service officers. A polio victim since 1921, the 53-year-old president required a wheelchair to get around, so if a fire broke out on the short-staffed Sequoia, Roosevelt’s life would almost certainly be in danger.

Once the ship was selected, work began almost immediately to make the Potomac fit for a president. Some of these changes would have served any commander-in-chief, disabled or not. “From about the midships passageway forward,” Dropkin tells me as we stand on the dock in Oakland’s Jack London Square, “she looks very much as she did when she was a Coast Guard cutter. But from the midships passageway on back, that’s where the real changes occurred, the things that made her into the presidential yacht.”

The Potomac ‘s rear smokestack was converted into an elevator so the wheelchair-bound president could move freely between the ship’s two main decks.

The biggest change was to install a spacious, shaded aft deck, where Roosevelt could work or entertain while enjoying river or ocean breezes. “When the ship was a Coast Guard cutter, this deck did not exist,” Dropkin says, as we walk across its teak surface, “but it was a favorite area of the president.” That’s probably because the seating on the deck was designed with the wheelchair-bound Roosevelt in mind. Dropkin points to an upholstered settee that follows the curve of the ship’s stern. “It’s about 4 feet deep in the middle,” he says, “to support the president’s legs, something for him to stretch out on. You can almost imagine him sitting there, drink in hand.

“Roosevelt was a martini guy,” Dropkin continues. “A good cocktail was very important to him. He had started having cocktail hour when he was governor of New York, and brought the practice with him to the White House. His wife, Eleanor, wasn’t crazy about that, but they were different people.”

Other changes to the Electra that were more particular to Roosevelt included the removal of the floor coamings designed to contain water that might be sloshing on deck. For example, the low barrier was removed between the main dining room and the presidential bedroom, so that Roosevelt could get himself between the two spaces in his wheelchair. Even more dramatic was the conversion of one of the ship’s two smokestacks into an elevator, allowing the president to move freely between to ship’s two main decks. “An elevator was built into what had been the rear smokestack,” Dropkin says. “It’s an electric elevator now, but when the president used it, it was literally just a platform roped to a pulley. He would pull himself up, or let himself down, arm over arm. Roosevelt was very strong, and always wanted to do things for himself.”

In 1964, Elvis Presley, seen here with entertainer Danny Thomas, purchased the Potomac and donated it to Saint Jude’s Hospital, which promptly sold it. (Image via the Potomac Association )

Often the Potomac was treated as a sort of floating White House. In August 1941, it even ferried the president part of the way to a secret meeting with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II. However, Dropkin says the most typical use of the ship by FDR was for weekend fishing cruises. “They’d board at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard on, say, Saturday morning and sail down the Potomac River into Chesapeake Bay. Then, they’d find a nice cove, anchor, and spend the weekend fishing.”

Along for the ride was what Dropkin characterizes as “a very, very large crew. There were 42 enlisted men, 12 stewards, and three officers,” he says. “If you count up the number of available bunks and divide, you’ll see it doesn’t add up. So they had what are called hot bunks, to put it in naval terms. When one sailor was on duty, another would sleep. Basically, they’d take turns.”

If the Potomac was initially known for its famous, presidential passenger, after FDR’s death, in 1945, it would eventually become infamous. From 1946 until 1960, the ship was used by the Maryland Tidewater Fisheries Commission, and occasionally by that state’s governor. After that, though, it would begin a slow decline. In 1960, the Potomac was sold and pressed into service as a ferry in the Caribbean, until a different entrepreneur got the bright idea of sailing the ship through the Panama Canal to show her off at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The aging vessel got as far as Southern California, where it languished until 1964, when it was purchased by Elvis Presley at an auction. Apparently, The King shelled out the $55,000 hammer price because he didn’t like the idea of seeing FDR’s yacht chopped into pieces for scrap, but never really want to own the Potomac , so he promptly donated the ship to the Saint Jude Hospital of Memphis, which just as promptly sold it to the first in a series of dreamers and schemers.

In 1981, the Potomac sank in 35 feet of water while docked at the Treasure Island Naval Base in San Francisco Bay. (Image by U.S. Customs, via the Potomac Association )

By August of 1980, the Potomac would be towed for repairs to Pier 26 in San Francisco, where, the following month, it was seized by U.S. Customs and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Although drugs were never found aboard the Potomac , a ship owned by the same owner and anchored alongside the Potomac was loaded with contraband. According to Dropkin’s history of this dark moment in the Potomac ’s past, a Southern California drug ring had been using the Potomac ’s good name, and a fake charity called “The Crippled Children’s Society,” as a front. That October, the Potomac was towed again, this time to the nearby Treasure Island Naval Base in San Francisco Bay where, the following March, its hull was punctured by broken pilings, causing it to sink in 35 feet of water.

The story might have ended there, but once the ship was raised and the hole in its hull was patched, the Potomac was purchased in April of 1981 at yet another auction. This time, the new owner was the Port of Oakland, whose winning bid of $15,000 was also the only bid. But the port’s then-executive director, Walter Abernathy, saw the Potomac as an opportunity for the community and historians alike. Shortly after taking possession of the ship, the port authorized “$400,000 in seed money to restore the ship to its appearance during the Roosevelt era and operate it as a historical and educational resource.” By 1983, the Potomac Association had incorporated to manage the ship’s upkeep and programs, and elected FDR’s oldest son, James, as its chairman. Finally, in 1985, a sitting president, Ronald Reagan, got involved, personally recommending a $2.5 million grant for the ship’s restoration. The grant was approved and matched, and in 1990, the Potomac was designated a National Historical Landmark .

For more than two decades, Les Dropkin has been a tireless volunteer for the Potomac Association .

As we walk through the Potomac , Dropkin explains the limits of a restoration project for a vessel that had seen decades of neglect before sinking. “There’s very little that’s original from the FDR era on the ship today,” he says. “Essentially, everything you see is a re-creation.”

In an effort to get the details right, the restorers carefully studied photographs of the ship during its FDR days, from the furniture to the draperies. And because there were records of the ship’s original construction and subsequent retrofit for the president, the Potomac Association was able to replicate its construction techniques. “When the Electra was built as a Coast Guard cutter, it was a riveted ship,” Dropkin says. “But when it was converted to become the presidential yacht, they had started to use welding. In the restoration, we maintained the ratios—what was welded was re-welded, where there had been rivets we used rivets. A very major concern in the restoration was to make it historically accurate to the fullest extent we could.”

Today, such attention to detail, as well as the $350,000 needed to pay for the Potomac ’s upcoming drydocking, might seem like a luxury the country can’t afford in the face of multi-trillion-dollar deficits. But is $350,000 really all that much to honor the memory of one of our nation’s greatest presidents? After all, we are spending about half that amount every single day to protect our current president’s latest wife, who has chosen not to live in the White House with her husband, at least until their 10-year-old son finishes the school year. Naturally, most parents will be sympathetic with that decision, if not the expense. By comparison, $350,000 to help us remember the man who told a fearful nation that the only thing it had to fear was fear itself, and then proceeded to lead the fight against Adolf Hitler, seems like a rather good deal.

( If you would like to help keep FDR’s yacht shipshape, visit the Potomac Association )

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3 comments so far

At the very end of an otherwise entertaining article, Ben just couldn’t resist taking a cheap shot at the very charming and elegant Mrs. Trump.

As Mr. Marks illustrates, Trump Derangement Syndrome is a horrible disease.

Mr. Marks’ comment about federal expenditures is very timely and appropriate. At a time when we are spending about a million dollars a day to cover the new president’s own travel and family security expenses (including three golfing vacations during his first month in office), 8 hours’ worth of that security and travel to help restore the Potomac, a National Historic Landmark, seems well justified. A very nice article.

Mr Dodsworth, the charming and elegant Mrs Trump is costing the city of New York somewhat around $1,ooo,ooo a DAY for police coverage for each day she chooses to reside not in the White House but at Trump Tower. That is over and above the expense for Secret Service coverage for EIGHTEEN Trump family members. Mr Mark’s innocuous comment was hardly a cheap shot, but perhaps you would enjoy some dip for the chip on your shoulder.

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USS Potomac: Franklin Roosevelt's Presidential Yacht

• Evan Phifer Research Historian

Many presidents have used ships for both relaxation and diplomacy. From fishing to meetings with foreign dignitaries, water travel provides variety and a momentary change of scenery from life and work in the White House.

From 1936 to 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoyed travel aboard the USS Potomac . The ship, originally named the Electra , was built in 1934 as a Coast Guard Cutter and was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1936 after refitting and trial runs at Norfolk Navy Yard and in the Chesapeake Bay. 1 Roosevelt desired a historically inspired name for the ship that would not cause confusion between ships already in service. After consulting with Captain Wilson Brown, his naval aide, the president decided on the name Potomac .

This new ship was preferred over the previous presidential yacht, the Sequoia , partly because of security concerns. While the Sequoia was made of wood, the Potomac was made of steel, which made the ship less fire-prone. The larger ship was also able to accommodate more members of the Secret Service protecting the president onboard. 2

The ship was not only used for recreation but also for informal political and diplomatic meetings. To accommodate the president’s need for wheelchair accessibility, a concealed elevator was installed in what had been the rear funnel to carry the president from the main deck to the boat deck.

USS Potomac , ca. 1938

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Roosevelt delivered one radio address from the Potomac . His remarks gave insight into his enjoyment and relaxation while aboard the ship. During a March 29, 1941 address to participants of annual Jackson Day fundraising dinners, he said, “I am sitting in the little cabin of the little ship Potomac, in the harbor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a day of sunshine out in the Gulf Stream . . . I try to get away a couple of times a year on these short trips on salt water. . . Even when I go to Hyde Park or to Warm Springs, the White House office, the callers, and the telephones all follow me. But at sea the radio messages and the occasional pouch of mail reduce official work to not more than two or three hours a day.” 3

During the 1936 presidential campaign, Roosevelt once told his opponent, Kansas Governor Alfred “Alf” Landon, “If you are elected President, I can give you one good piece of advice. Get yourself a boat to go down the Potomac.” 4

While relaxing on board, the president fished, read detective stories, and worked on his stamp collection. On Sundays, a sea plane would often land alongside the ship to deliver newspapers, mail and anything requiring the president's signature. 5 Newspapers occasionally reported on the fishing prowess of the president, with one paper commenting on a 1936 fishing trip that, “when the yacht reached Caicos Island in the Bahamas . . . the Roosevelt luck returned. . . the catch including large kingfish, mackerel, groupers and barracuda.” 6

One of the most well-known prewar uses of the boat occurred during the June 1939 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. The ship carried the royal couple and President and Mrs. Roosevelt down the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. to nearby Mount Vernon, the former home of George Washington. Newspapers described the ship with the royal standard of the King of England on the foremast and the U.S. presidential flag on the main mast. 7 A 21-gun salute greeted the royal couple as they entered the Navy Yard prior to boarding. Soon after arriving at the first president’s estate, the Potomac was moored to dock where one news reporter noted, “the stifling, windless day had left the river flat and seemingly motionless as the vessel was tied against the wharf.” After a tour of Mount Vernon and a visit to Washington’s tomb, the royal and presidential entourage returned to Washington, D.C. via automobile. 8

The USS Potomac with President Franklin Roosevelt and the King and Queen of Great Britain onboard as the ship travels from Washington to Mount Vernon and back on June 9, 1939.

The ship was also used in August 1941 as part of a stealth operation while President Roosevelt secretly met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to draft the Atlantic Charter. 9 Afterwards, President Roosevelt hosted a press conference onboard the Potomac in which he explained the secrecy of the meeting, given the potential threat of a German submarine attack: “Things of that kind cause trouble, if you make known the exact location on the high seas of the President and the Prime Minister.” 10

After the death of President Roosevelt, the Potomac was decommissioned. Under President Harry S. Truman, the Williamsburg , a former World War II gunboat, became the new presidential yacht. 11 Before the Williamsburg became the official presidential yacht in September 1945, Truman and his family enjoyed the Potomac briefly, including one early May 1945 Potomac River excursion. 12

For several decades, the Potomac served a variety of roles for a number of owners. Briefly returned to the Coast Guard, the Potomac resided in Maryland for about a decade. The ship then served as a ferry between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The ship was then taken to California with the intention of serving as an attraction at the 1962 Seattle World Fair. This plan failed and it seemed as if the historic ship was destined for the scrap heap.

Music legend Elvis Presley intervened and bought the ship in 1964 with the desire that it be given to the March of Dimes Foundation and preserved as a “national shrine.” Elvis’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker said of Presley’s intentions that “Elvis feels the yacht could be a strong source for donations in memory of the late Presidents Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.” 13 The foundation, concerned over maintenance cost and the overall mission of their organization declined the offer with regret.

President Franklin Roosevelt enjoys time aboard the Potomac while on the Hudson River in 1937.

After several more owners, the ship sank after being towed to Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay when several pilings pierced her hull. Raised two weeks later, the ship was sold by U.S. Customs to the Port of Oakland. Spearheaded by the Port, the Potomac was preserved and restored during a 14 year collaborate effort by President Roosevelt's son, James, multiple organizations, and many dedicated volunteers.

The Potomac , now a National Historic Landmark, is maintained by the Association for the Preservation of the Presidential Yacht Potomac. It resides today in Oakland, California and has been open to the public since 1995. 14

President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with the King and Queen of Great Britain aboard the Potomac in 1939.

This was originally published on September 25, 2017

Footnotes & Resources

• “World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area,” National Park Service , https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wwiibayarea/pot.HTM. “Presidential Yacht Given Test in Bay,” The Washington Post , March 11, 1936, 28.
• Frederic William Wile, “Washington Observations,” Evening Star , January 17, 1936, 10.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Radio Address from the U.S.S. Potomac for Jackson Day Dinners.," March 29, 1941. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project . http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu... Pearson and Robert S. Allen, “Daily Washington Merry-Go-Round,” Greensboro Daily News , September 16, 1936, 6.”
• “Washington Merry-Go-Round,” Seattle Daily Times , September 17, 1936, 6.
• “F.D.R. Denizens of the Deep?,” The Washington Post , March 29, 1936, B4.
• John G. Norris, “Navy Yard Puts on Best Show Yet for King,” The Washington Post , June 10, 1939, 3.
• Scott Hart, “Card on Tomb of Washington Bears Legend: ‘George R.I.,” The Washington Post , June 10, 1939, 1.
• Lawrence L. Knutson, Away from the White House: Presidential Escapes, Retreats, and Vacations (Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association, 2014), 237.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Press Conference on the U.S.S Potomac," August 16, 1941. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project . http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu... Will Be Truman’s New Yacht,” The Charleston Evening Post , September 13, 1945, 17.
• “Trumans Spend Day on Yacht on Potomac Cruise,” The Washington Post , May 7, 1945, 7. “Truman Gives Up Ship Potomac for Rebuilt Seagoing Yacht,” The Washington Post , September 14, 1945, 5.
• “Elvis Buys FDR Boat for Dimes Fund Use,” Boston Record American , January 31, 1964, 5.
• "World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area," National Park Service , https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/...

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The Presidential Yacht

Preserving the uss sequoia, a vessel of history.

Susan Stamberg

The USS Sequoia travels down the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. U.S. Navy hide caption

President John F. Kennedy opens gifts during a birthday party aboard the Sequoia, as Jackie Kennedy looks on. © CORBIS hide caption

A floating retreat, the USS Sequoia was one of the places presidents from Hoover to Carter found to escape the rigors of office. Richard Nixon came to the 104-foot-long vessel on perhaps the most difficult moment of his presidency, the day he announced his resignation. Now there's an effort to preserve the former presidential yacht. NPR's Susan Stamberg reports.

The Sequoia hosted White House parties, foreign chiefs of state -- and, lately, rich revelers willing to pay $10,000 per night to sail the Potomac River. Stamberg recently got a tour of the National Historic Landmark from Giles Kelly, a retired Navy officer who was the Sequoia's captain in the 1980s.

Kelly says Nixon brought his family aboard when he was about to resign in 1974, perhaps in an effort to spare them from being pestered by reporters. "They had this cruise down to Mount Vernon that evening," Kelly says. "But, of course, they were followed by a press boat. And it was very uncomfortable for the Nixon children. They said it was like bobbing along in a fishbowl. It really must have been a very sad occasion. But you know, they all sat down and sang, and the president played 'God Bless America.'"

The 78-year-old yacht was sold to the government in 1931 during the Depression. For a time, the Commerce Department used the boat to patrol the Chesapeake and to trap rum-runners during Prohibition. Herbert Hoover was the first president to use the Sequoia. Franklin D. Roosevelt fished from it. Lyndon Johnson took members of Congress aboard, and refused to let them return to shore until they agreed with him.

In 1977, Jimmy Carter sold the Sequoia -- "the yacht was a bit too imperial for his down-home presidency," Stamberg reports. In 1999, a collector of presidential memorabilia bought the Sequoia for almost $2 million, restored it, and rents it out now -- for $10,000 a night.

Kelly is trying to help raise $10 million to preserve the Sequoia as a historic entity. "She's such a grand boat that I just can't imagine her deteriorating and being left to rot..." he says.

Related NPR Stories

Web resources.

Here's what happened to America's presidential yachts — and why there isn't one anymore

The president of the US gets to travel in style anywhere he goes.

In the air, a specially designed Boeing 747 becomes "Air Force One" as soon as the commander in chief is on board.

But the president rarely travels by boat anymore, if at all. And having a presidential yacht for leisure isn't the best PR move. ( Just ask Britain .)

Many ships have served as presidential yachts throughout the past hundred years — so Business Insider is taking a look back at the retro method of executive travel. 

The first naval ship to carry the presidential flag was the USS Dolphin. One of the first steel-bodied ships produced for the US Navy, it carried Presidents Grover Cleveland and William McKinley from 1893 to 1897.

After the Dolphin was decommissioned, the first ever wireless-radio broadcast originated from its decks while docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York.

USS Mayflower, a recommissioned a luxury steam yacht, was put into service on July 25, 1905, by President Theodore Roosevelt.

Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Howard Taft, and Herbert Hoover would also use the Mayflower before it was decommissioned in 1929. Here, President Taft boards the Mayflower.

In 1934, when the US had a better financial foothold in the world, Franklin Delano Roosevelt commissioned the USS Potomac to serve as an executive cruiser.

FDR had the presidential seal emblazoned on the bow of the ship, which is now docked at Jack London Square in Oakland, California. It offers regular cruises on San Francisco Bay.

The USS Williamsburg served as presidential yacht from 1945 to 1953.

The Williamsburg served Presidents Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, though Eisenhower only made one voyage before having it decommissioned in 1953.

The Williamsburg was given to the National Science Foundation and renamed Anton Bruun, after the famous Dutch marine biologist.

Today, the Williamsburg is rusting away at a dock in La Spezia, Italy, where it has sat since 1993. And it’s for sale, if you’re interested, by Monaco-based Camper & Nicholsons yacht brokers.

The most recent, largest, and longest-lived of presidential yachts is the USS Sequoia.

The 104-foot executive cruiser was used by commanders in chief from 1936, until Jimmy Carter sold the ship in 1977.

Here, Franklin Delano Roosevelt relaxes on the Sequoia's deck with his entourage.

In 2013, the Sequoia was sold for $7.8 million. The new owners have kept much of the presidential memorabilia around.

The vessel is available for hire, and anyone can feel like the president for a night.

Toiletries are included, too, but you might want to bring your own.

You can find the Sequoia docked in the nation's capital, reminiscing about its days of presidential service.

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Tour of the Presidential Yacht USS Sequoia , Part 1

Gary Silversmith gave a tour of the USS Sequoia , the yacht that served U.S. presidents from Herbert Hoover to Jimmy Carter. Mr. Silversmith,… read more

Gary Silversmith gave a tour of the USS Sequoia , the yacht that served U.S. presidents from Herbert Hoover to Jimmy Carter. Mr. Silversmith, who purchased the National Historic Landmark in 2000, has collected stories about the 104 foot wooden vessel from former captains, crew members, and Secret Service agents. In this part of the program he talked about how he acquired the yacht and gave a tour of the upper deck. Pictures and a clip were also shown. close

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The USS Potomac’s Origins

The uss potomac was built in 1934 as the coast guard cutter electra. the 165-foot vessel, displacing 416 gross tons with cruising speeds of 10 to 13 knots, was commissioned as a us navy vessel in 1936, renamed the uss potomac, and served as franklin delano roosevelt’s presidential yacht until his death in 1945..

As former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, FDR had a deep love for the sea and Navy tradition. He hated flying and preferred to travel by train or ship throughout his presidency.

During the sultry summer days in Washington, DC, he enjoyed cruising on the USS Potomac rather than staying in the White House. The USS Potomac gave the 32nd president much-needed respite from the cares of governing the United States throughout the Great Depression and World War II. He loved holding informal strategy sessions with close advisors and congressional leaders in the privacy and seclusion of the yacht. Recreation aboard the vessel included fishing, poker games, and family gatherings, and he spent endless hours onboard with his beloved stamp collection. In addition, at least one of FDR’s famed radio broadcasts originated from the USS Potomac on March 19, 1941.

A Special Vessel With Special Passengers

A paraplegic since he was stricken with polio at the age of 39 in 1921, FDR’s greatest fear was being caught in a fire and being unable to escape. He therefore preferred the USS Potomac, an all steel vessel, to the wooden Sequoia. A hand-operated elevator was installed inside a false stack on the ship and the President—who had developed an extremely strong upper body—was able to use ropes and pulleys to move the elevator up and down between the saloon and upper boat deck.

There are few records of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt coming aboard her husband’s Floating White House. In 1941, she celebrated her 57th birthday with family members aboard the USS Potomac. She also came aboard during the June 9, 1939, visit by the United Kingdom’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, when the two couples cruised to George Washington’s home in Mt. Vernon (click this link for a description of the Royal visit including a copy of the ship’s log) . Other royalty to board the Presidential Yacht included Crown Princess Martha of Norway, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden. 

World War II Changes Use of the USS Potomac

On Monday, August 4, 1941, four months before Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR boarded the USS Potomac ostensibly for a fishing trip and a visit to Martha’s Vineyard. The President, however, was secretly transferred to the heavy cruiser USS Augusta on the morning of August 5 to travel to Newfoundland where he would meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill—their first meeting as heads of state. During this top-secret rendezvous, the two world leaders forged the principles of the Atlantic Charter, forming the Allied partnership during World War II, and what Roosevelt called the "United Nations," to plan the post-war peace. With the United States’ direct involvement in the war at the end of 1941, the President’s recreational use of the USS Potomac came to an end.

History After FDR

From fdr to elvis “the king”.

After FDR’s death in April 1945, the USS Potomac began a long and ignominious decline from her former role in world affairs. After many adventures and many owners—including Elvis Presley at one point—she was seized in 1980 in San Francisco as a front for drug smugglers and impounded at Treasure Island, where she sank. The ship was raised and unceremoniously dumped on the East Bay Estuary, where she sat abandoned and rotting. A week away from being sold as scrap, the ship was rescued by the Port of Oakland, and the process of restoration was begun.

Restoration

The uss potomac resurfaces—back to her old glory.

Re-floated by the Navy two weeks after sinking at Treasure Island, she was sold to the Port of Oakland for just $15,000. The Port of Oakland spearheaded a cooperative effort with organized labor, maritime corporations, and dedicated volunteers to complete a $5 million restoration.

Opened to the public in 1995, the Association for the Preservation of the Presidential Yacht USS Potomac now operates this National Historic Landmark as an active memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the momentous times through which he led our nation.

USS Potomac Mission Statement

To preserve and protect the Presidential Yacht USS Potomac for use as a classroom and museum dedicated to imparting to present and future generations the continuing impact of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt era.

Today’s USS Potomac

Today, the USS Potomac, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Floating White House, is a National Historic Landmark and a vibrant part of the East Bay Waterfront. Over a 12-year period, $5 million was spent to restore the 165-foot-long vessel as a memorial to the president who authored the New Deal and led the United States during the Great Depression and the World War II years. The USS Potomac, the centerpiece of the museum exhibit, opened to the public in 1995 and is open for dockside tours on specified dates from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Public 2 HR and 3 HR cruises on the San Francisco Bay take place from late April through early November on specified dates.

The Visitor Center business hours are 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Monday–Friday, where there is a wealth of information about the USS Potomac, including a fascinating video on her history, hard times, and resurrection. Storyboards that chronicle the yacht's history line the walls, and there is a library of books and videos available for viewing at the Visitor's Center.

The USS Potomac Association is involved in educational programs about the ship for area schools, history and educational cruises, special events cruises, and selected private charters.

The USS Potomac Association is an organization run by volunteers and a very small staff. Volunteers include the policy-making Board of Governors, history docents, office and administrative workers, the ship's maintenance crew, and program and membership volunteers. Although not a requirement, many of these individuals served in the armed forces, Merchant Marine, maritime unions, or have worked at ports throughout the country.

Experience, Support, and Preserve History

We are always looking for volunteers interested in preserving and perpetuating the history of the USS Potomac and the FDR era. Learn more about volunteer opportunities, ways to donate, or book a cruise or event aboard Franklin Roosevelt’s Floating White House.

Classic Yacht Register

• Bell Harbor 2023
• Yachts For Sale
• Presidential Yachts

1. River Queen

Served grant and lincoln, 1865-1866, 2. uss despatch , 1873, served cleveland, 1880-1891, 3. uss dolphin 1884.

Dolphin was the first Navy ship to fly the Flag of the President of the United States during President Chester A. Arthur's administration, and the second Navy ship to serve as a presidential yacht.

4. USS Sylph , 1890

USS Sylph (PY-5) was a steam yacht that served as a presidential yacht from the late 19th century through to the early 1920s. A converted yacht, she was purchased in June 1898 from her builder, the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding and Engine Works, of Chester, Pennsylvania, and commissioned on 18 August 1898 at the Norfolk Navy Yard.

5. USS Mayflower , 1896

Mayflower —a luxurious steam yacht built in 1896 by J. and G. Thompson, Clydebank, Scotland for millionaire Ogden Goelet who died on board the Mayflower in August 1897.  The following year she was purchased by the U.S. Navy to help fight the Spanish Navy off Cuba.  Around 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt had her re-purposed as a presidential yacht, which could be used to conduct diplomacy in addition to serving as a nautical means of transportation for the Commander-in-Chief. With her long bowsprit, tall masts, elegant lines, and white paint, she was sure to make a good impression on visiting foreign diplomats. In fact, that same year aboard the ship President Roosevelt hosted the formal negotiations between Russia and Japan to end the Russo-Japanese War. The  Mayflower  continued to serve as the presidential yacht under Presidents Taft, Wilson, Harding, and Coolidge. One of Herbert Hoover's early acts as president was to dispense with Mayflower as an economy measure, saving upkeep costs of $300,000 per year. (More about Mayflower at the Coolidge Foundation .)

6. USS Sequoia , 1925

The yacht is 104 feet (32 m) long, with a wooden hull, and was designed by John Trumpy Sr., a well-known shipbuilder. It includes a presidential stateroom, guest bedrooms, a galley and dining room, and was at one time retrofitted with an elevator for Franklin D. Roosevelt (Lyndon Johnson had it removed and replaced with a liquor bar).

The ship was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Following years of neglect and legal battles over ownership, Sequoia is last reported to be in extremely poor condition in Chesapeake Boat Works in Deltaville, Virginia (2017). Her owners estimate that removal of the yacht would require a specialized crane and complete reconstruction of the hull.

7. USS Potomac , 1934

USS Potomac (AG-25) , formerly USCGC Electra , was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht from 1936 until his death in 1945. A National Historic Landmark, Potomac is now berthed in Oakland, CA, and is available for public tours and cruises.  https://www.usspotomac.org

Potomac is also an Honorary Member of the CYA.

8. USS Williamsburg , 1930

The USS Williamsburg   relieved Potomac as presidential yacht on 10 November 1945. She served Presidents Truman and Eisenhower.

During Truman’s tenure, she embarked such American and foreign notables as Secretary of State George Marshall, President Miguel Alemán of Mexico; and two successive British Prime Ministers, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. During the ship's first tour as presidential yacht, she cruised the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay regions, while occasionally venturing into the open sea for cruises to Florida, Bermuda, Cuba, and the Virgin Islands.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, made only one cruise in Williamsburg before ordering her decommissioned.  Accordingly decommissioned at the Washington Navy Yard on 30 June 1953, she was turned over to the Potomac River Naval Command for maintenance and preservation. Subsequently shifted to Newport, Rhode Island, she remained in "special status" from about 2 April 1959. Williamsburg was struck from the Navy list on 1 April 1962.

9. Honey Fitz , 1931

The 93-foot wooden yacht was originally built in 1931 by Defoe Shipyard in Bay City, Michigan for Sewell Avery, a prominent businessman from Chicago, who mostly used it to cruise around Lake Michigan. On June 23, 1945, Lenore became a tender for the USS Potomac . Retaining the yacht’s original name, Truman renamed the tender the yacht Lenore II and mainly used her as a tender for the Williamsburg .

Eisenhower decided the Williamsburg was “too rich for my blood,” and retired her, choosing instead the Lenore II, which he renamed Barbara Anne after one of his granddaughters.

The wooden yacht acquired a more public profile in the 1960’s during John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s presidency. JFK renamed her Honey Fitz , the nickname used by his maternal grandfather.

Johnson continued to use the yacht during his administration, mainly for dinner and cocktail parties.

By the time Nixon came to office, the Honey Fitz was a well-known yacht. Although Nixon renamed the yacht Patricia after his wife, the press and indeed everyone, continued to think of the yacht as Honey Fitz. Nixon sold Honey Fitz in 1970.

Honey Fitz has been fully restored and is available for charters in Florida. Honey Fitz Facebook page

10. Manitou , 1937

Manitou is a 62-foot-long performance cruising yacht designed and built for racing. She served as J.F.K.'s yacht during his presidency. She was built in 1937 at the M. M. Davis & Son shipyard in Solomons Island, Maryland, Design No. 99 of naval architects Sparkman & Stephens, who built many America's Cup racing yachts.

After a successful racing career, Manitou was sold in 1955 and donated to the US Coast Guard to be used as a training vessel at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

President Kennedy used Manitou while he was in office. Manitou was returned to private ownership in 1968 when she became a training vessel for the Harry Lundenburg School of Seamanship in Maryland.

She had an extensive refit in 2011, and is now in the Medeterranean and available for charter on the French Riveira.

U.S. State Yachts

1. washington state: olympus , 1929.

Launched as "Junaluska" in 1929, the yacht came west in the thirties and was used by the military in WWII.  Following the war she was acquired by the State of Washington and renamed Olympus .  She was ostensibly intended as a fisheries patrol vessel, but was actually used as a yacht by the governor, Mon Walgren.  After failing to win re-election in 1948, the state sold the yacht. 

Current location: New York

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Uss potomac.

Photo by Chris Wood, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3997116

The USS Potomac was built in 1934 as the Coast Guard cutter Electra. The 165-foot vessel, weighing 376 gross tons and cruising at speeds of 10 to 13 knots, was commissioned as a U.S. Navy vessel in 1936. It was renamed the USS Potomac and served as Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht until his death in 1945. As former Assistant Secretary of the Navy, FDR had a deep love of the sea and the Navy tradition. During the sultry summer days in Washington, D.C., he preferred to cruise on the USS Potomac rather than stay in the White House. He loved holding informal strategy sessions with close advisors and congressional leaders in the privacy and seclusion of the yacht. On Monday, August 4, 1941, four months before Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR boarded the USS Potomac ostensibly for a fishing trip and a visit to Martha's Vineyard. The President, however, was secretly transferred to the heavy cruiser USS Augusta the next morning bound for Newfoundland where he would meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill--their first meeting as Heads of State. During this top-secret rendezvous, the two world leaders forged the principles of the Atlantic Charter, which formed the Allied partnership during World War II and what Roosevelt called the "United Nations," to plan the post-war peace. With the United States' direct involvement in the war at the end of 1941, the president's recreational use of the USS Potomac came to an end. During World War II the vessel was used primarily as a naval sonar research vessel. Special transducers and motor generator units for the sonar equipment were installed. After FDR's death in April 1945, the Potomac began a long and ignominious decline from its former role in world affairs. After many adventures and many owners--including Elvis Presley--she was seized in 1980 in San Francisco by U.S. Customs for her role as a front for drug smugglers. Towed to Treasure Island, the proud vessel's hull was pierced one night and she sank. Refloated by the Navy two weeks later, she was sold to the Port of Oakland for just $15,000. The Port of Oakland spearheaded a cooperative effort with organized labor, maritime corporations and dedicated volunteers to complete a $5 million restoration. Opened to the public in 1995, the Association for the Preservation of the Presidential Yacht Potomac now operates this National Historic Landmark as an active memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the momentous times through which he led our Nation. The USS Potomac a National Historic Landmark, is located at 540 Water St. near Jack London Square in Oakland. For further information visit the USS Potomac's  website . Discover more history and culture by visiting the World War II in San Francisco Bay Area travel itinerary.

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Last updated: September 7, 2020

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Jack Fhillips Leads Three-Year Restoration of JFK and Jackie O’s Presidential Yacht

Amidst the turmoil and uncertainty of 2020, designer  Jack Fhillips  received the project of the lifetime: a complete restoration of the presidential  Honey Fitz  yacht that is most often associated with JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

At the time, the nearly 100-year-old vessel needed an extensive architectural overhaul to save it from “certain demise,” according to Fhillips. Charles Modica, a longtime client and local developer in Palm Beach County, had purchased the run-down ship and was seeking a historical interiors transformation that would replicate the decor of the Kennedy era as closely as possible.

Preceding Air Force One, presidential yachts (affectionately known as “Floating White Houses”) were important destinations for escaping the “claustrophobic tension” of the Oval Office, Henry Kissinger wrote. They were used for everything from meetings with prominent world leaders to pleasure cruises down the Potomac after a tough day of running a country.

A revolutionary yacht in terms of speed upon its inaugural launch in 1931, the  Honey Fitz  served five consecutive U.S. presidents: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon, after being originally commissioned for Sewell Avery of Montgomery Ward, one of the most prominent retail behemoths of the day. Though Nixon renamed the boat  Patricia  in honor of his wife, and it has since been renamed and repurposed by various private owners, the ship is best known as  Honey Fitz  in popular culture once JFK took the helm, and Modica sought to restore the vessel to its highest prominence.

This 1963 photo showcases JFK relaxing on the  Honey Fitz  off of West Palm Beach, near where the vessel resides today.

“After 50 years of practicing, this project was a perfect and natural fit for my firm,” says Fhillips, who has a background in historical preservation as well as interiors, and, as a resident of Palm Beach County, has worked on many private yachts.

The  Honey Fitz  first went through a three-year restoration process that required a complete overhaul of beams, subfloor, decks, and the superstructure of the yacht in line with experts in traditional shipwright methods, wooden yacht craftsmen, historical records, and U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

Fhillips finally got to take the reins with the interiors in January 2023 after combing through archived photographs, footage, and articles written about the ship, alongside the  Honey Fitz ‘s captain and first mate. The team was able to piece together an immaculate interiors refitting and restoration that honors the ship’s most historic (and glamorous) era during the Kennedy administration. Below, you can see a side-by-side view of the ship setting sail in 1961 and today.

“We serendipitously located the original company,  Bielecky Brothers , in Queens, New York that Jackie Kennedy sourced for all the rattan furniture on the aft deck,” Fhillips says.

To honor the yacht’s storied past, Fhillips says, “We located copies of hand sketches of built-in sofas Jackie Kennedy drew on White House stationary that was recreated by a very talented man, Brad London, of  Total Refit, Inc. “

The aft deck not only features recreations of Jackie O.’s original furniture designs, but also period-appropriate elements, such as a black telephone like the one JFK would use for taking calls aboard.

Those sofas are the focal point of the main salon, and the team also recreated the rattan oxbow club chairs, then styled the space with Kennedy family photos that would have been on the ship during the 1960s, as well as other memorabilia. Plenty more Kennedy mementos can be found in the stateroom in a vintage blue leather suitcase.

Modica had an English Regency-era antique dining set that was appropriate of the time that makes a perfect pairing with the LismoreWaterford crystal stemware reminiscent to the pattern gifted to JFK by the People of Ireland. The built-in buffet was rebuilt to its original integrity as well.

All of the furniture is covered in  Perennials  fabrics.

“My favorite spot on the boat would have to be the aft deck,” Fhillips says. “It is so historically correct, from the iconic Kennedy captain’s chair to the black telephone JFK used to the left of the chair. The rattan furniture was recreated, and we even located vintage gout stools that were seen in old photographs.”

While the ship has completed its service to our country’s presidents, it’s certain to have a glamorous new era as it enters its next century. The  Honey Fitz  will now serve for use on limited charters and fundraising events, an ever-present reminder of the enduring legacy—and style—of both John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

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