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USS SEQUOIA, presidential yacht


The USS Sequoia is a 104-foot wooden motor yacht that was built in 1925 and served as an official mode of transportation for eight US presidents between 1933 and 1977. Designed by renowned Norwegian naval architect Johan Trumpy, the mahogany-hulled motor yacht could sleep up to eight across five staterooms 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.

Sequoia was officially commissioned by the Navy in 1933 and President Hoover promptly sailed the newly christened boat 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.

Franklin Roosevelt also fished from Sequoia, but primarily used the boat for more serious matters. During World War II he and Winston Churchill discussed military strategies on board. Those meetings required Roosevelt to officially decommission the ship to accommodate the prime minister who would not drink on a Navy vessel.

President Truman came to the final decision to drop the atomic bomb to end World War II while onboard Sequoia. 

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 added a king-size bed. He celebrated his final birthday on board. 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. Sequoia was one of three presidential yachts in JFK’s stable; the other two were Honey Fitz and Manitou. Kennedy used Honey Fitz for personal cruising, while Sequoia was the official presidential yacht.

Richard Nixon was the most avid sailor of the Sequoia, logging 88 trips. He negotiated the SALT I nuclear arms treaty with General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev on board and anguished over the decision to resign and played "God Bless America" on the presidential piano following the decision.

Other heads of state who have enjoyed Sequoia cruises include Queen Elizabeth II, The Emperor and Empress of Japan, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the Premier of China. Sold by the U.S. Government in 1977, the Sequoia continues to be available for charter for official use.  Recent guests onboard included President Clinton and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The tab for keeping the Sequoia shipshape and staffed was running $800,000 a year when Jimmy Carter took office. In keeping with his campaign promise to trim the trappings of the "Imperial Presidency," President Carter ceremoniously auctioned it off, 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 Sequoia was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and renters were able to experience a yacht preserved to presidential standards.



This primarily wood Sequoia model is 36" long x 15" tall x 7" wide
$4,725  Shipping and insurance in the contiguous USA included. Other places: $350 flat rate. This model is in stock and can be shipped within 5 business days.

 

"Frank. The boat arrived and is beautiful. Thank you! Bill  ...@stifel.com"  

Learn more about the Presidential yacht USS Sequoia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sequoia_(presidential_yacht)