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”.
Sequoia was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1988 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".
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.
Design and construction
Designed by John Trumpy and built by the famed John H. Mathis & Company Shipbuilders in Camden, New Jersey, Sequoia was completed at a cost of approximately $200,000 and launched October 27, 1925. Originally named the Sequoia II, she was the second of four successively larger yachts built between 1924 and 1931 for Mr. and Mrs. Richard McCall Cadwalader of Philadelphia. The Cadwalader's third and fourth yachts were named Savarona and Savarona II, respectively.
At 104 feet in length, Sequoia IIs hull was originally constructed of long-leaf yellow pine on white oak frames and her deckhouse of mahogany and teak. She is capable of comfortably sleeping eight guests in her three double and two single staterooms, has ample crew quarters and can seat 22 for formal dinners.
Richard M. Cadwalader and Emily Roebling Cadwalader
Richard Cadwalader was a prominent Philadelphia banker and his wife, Emily Roebling Cadwalader, was an heiress to the Roebling fortune. Emily was the granddaughter of John Augustus Roebling, chief engineer and original designer of the Brooklyn Bridge, and was named after her paternal aunt, Emily Warren Roebling.
Emily Roebling Cadwalader became the driving force behind the four exceptional yachts constructed for the Cadwaladers, culminating in 1931 with the 446-foot Savarona II.
Sequoia IIs christening and early use
Local newspapers recount that on October 26, 1925 after arriving with her party in two Rolls-Royce automobiles, Mrs. Cadwalader broke a bottle of champagne against the bow of the Sequoia II commemorating its service to her family. Oddly, these accounts of Sequoia IIs christening make no mention of prohibition when discussing the champagne. The Cadwaladers sailed Sequoia II on various high-profile trips to the coasts of Florida during 1925 and 1926, including to West Palm Beach and Miami.
Three years after being built for the Cadwaladers, Sequoia II was sold to William Dunning, a Houston-based oil executive who used the vessel for various gambling trips to Cuba and business-related travel along the Mexican coastline. Dunning was forced to sell Sequoia II during the Great Depression.
U.S. Government service
On March 24, 1931, the U.S. Bureau of Navigation within the Department of Commerce purchased Sequoia II from Dunning for approximately $40,000. Sequoia II initially was used to patrol the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays as a decoy vessel to attract would-be bootleggers. In hope of selling illegal liquor, bootleggers would come alongside what was seen as a wealthy family's yacht only to be arrested.
Presidential service
Hoover Administration
Herbert Hoover was known to have an affection for Mathis-Trumpy houseboats, such as Sequoia, and had spent time both between his election victory and inauguration and during the early part of his administration cruising and fishing in Florida aboard the yacht Saunterer, a 98-foot Mathis-Trumpy house boat owned by his friend, Jeremiah Milbank.