USS Potomac – The Presidential Yacht Potomac — The history of this gorgeous old yacht is the history of failure. The failure of private enterprise and rich individuals to do anything to either save this yacht or own it outright as a trophy. It took the Port of Oakland to do it and the folks there should be commended.
The USS Potomac’s Origins
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, 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. He hated to fly and preferred to travel by train or ship throughout his presidency.
After FDR’s death in April 1945, the 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 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.
The USS Potomac Resurfaces – Back to Her Old Glory
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.
Astounding timeline linked here. Including the Elvis ownership and one of my favs, where some boneheads tore out the teak floor and replaced it with concrete so they could turn the yacht into a floating disco that never opened.
Allen’s Back-up Yacht, the Tatoosh
Top 100 Megayachts in 2005 — A study in excess.
2004 List of biggest yachts
Shots of Ellison’s the Rising Sun
Allen’s Back-up Yacht, the Tatoosh
Story about the Tatoosh
Tom Perkins boat and book story
Maltese Falcon design company
High tech yacht indeed
In David McCullough biography, “Truman”, he refers to the yacht as being used by HST and his buddies to have bourbon and poker weekends out of public sight. They would sail her down the Potomac and anchor in a wooded area of the river.
This reminds me of another great US ship that has subsisted for many years: The SS United States.
Is this another project that the Port of Oakland screwed up on?