USS Sequoia (presidential yacht)

USS Sequoia in Gangplank Marina (now called Oaisis Marina) in 2008
Sequoia in Washington Marina in 2008
History
NameSequoia II
NamesakeSequoyah
Owner
BuilderMathis Yacht Building Co., Camden, New Jersey
Cost$200,000
Laid down1924
Launched1925
NameSequoia
OwnerUnited States Department of Commerce
AcquiredBy purchase, 24 March 1931
In service1931
Out of service1933
NameUSS Sequoia (AG-23)
OwnerUnited States Navy
Commissioned25 March 1933
Decommissioned1936
NameSequoia
OwnerSecretary of the Navy
In service1936
Out of service1977
Stricken1 October 1968
FateSold at auction 18 May 1977
General characteristics
TypeYacht
Displacement90 long tons (91 t)
Length104 ft (32 m)
Beam18 ft 2 in (5.54 m)
Draft4 ft 5 in (1.35 m)
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement10
ArmamentNone
USS Sequoia (yacht)
USS Sequoia
USS Sequoia (presidential yacht) is located in Maryland
USS Sequoia (presidential yacht)
LocationRichardson Maritime Museum, Cambridge, Maryland
Coordinates38°34′16″N 76°04′16″W / 38.571°N 76.071°W / 38.571; -76.071
Built1925
ArchitectTrumpy, John; Mathis Yacht Building Co.
NRHP reference No.87002594
Significant dates
Added to NRHP23 December 1987[1]
Designated NHL23 December 1987[2]

USS Sequoia is the former presidential yacht used during the administrations of Herbert Hoover through Jimmy Carter; setting a cost-cutting example, Carter ordered her sold in 1977.

Often called the “floating White House”, the Sequoia offered presidents, first families and high-ranking government officials a place to escape the complexities of official life while also serving as the backdrop for significant moments of 20th-century American history.

A congressional resolution passed in December 1985 stated, “Sequoia was the setting for Presidential meetings, negotiations and decisions of extraordinary significance for and effect on the history of the United States and the course of world events” and “recognized the unique significance of the former Presidential yacht Sequoia which has made her a symbol of American political heritage and the Office of the President”.[3]

Sequoia was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1988[4] and according to a statement made by the President of The Mystic Seaport Museum to The New York Times, "The Sequoia is probably the most significant artifact of presidential importance that is in private hands".[5]

Formally decommissioned on December 9, 1935, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Sequoia continues to carry its “USS” designation.

The Sequoia is believed to have been named by her original owner, Emily Roebling Cadwalader, after Sequoyah, a leader of the Cherokee Nation.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Sequoia (Yacht)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  3. ^ "Congressional Record".
  4. ^ "New Washington Herald 28 Jul 1988, page 10". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  5. ^ "New York Times".