History

The Sequoia was the scene of some of America's most historic events: It was used during the Harding administration to enforce Prohibition; Herbert Hoover promoted his use of the Sequoia during the Depression in a misguided effort to elevate the spirit of a starving public; FDR and Eisenhower planned D-day; Truman decided to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and later conducted the world's first nuclear arms control summit; Eisenhower entertained Korean War veterans; Kennedy celebrated his last (46th) birthday party; LBJ lobbied for civil rights legislation, and planned Vietnam War strategy; Nixon negotiated the first arms control treaty with the Soviet Union, and later decided to resign; Gerald Ford conducted cabinet meetings on board; President Ronald W. Reagan met all of the nation's 50 Governors at the Sequoia's gangplank in Richmond, Virginia. Emperor Haile Selassie and other world leaders have also sailed on Sequoia.

Distinguished Foreign Visitors:
 

Many distinguished foreign visitors have been entertained by Presidents, or conducted serious business with Presidents, on the Sequoia. During World War II, presidents Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower planned European war strategy with Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery, respectively. Churchill also enjoyed relaxing on deck while FDR fished in the Potomac River. A year after Truman decided, on the Sequoia, to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Truman hosted the first the nuclear arms control treaty conference with Clement Attlee, the British Prime Minister, and Mackenzie King, the Canadian Prime Minister, who served throughout World War II. Eisenhower allowed Britain's Queen Elizabeth to use the Sequoia during her visit.

LBJ entertained all of the African ambassadors and other leaders. Nixon and Henry Kissinger negotiated with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhev, the architect of detente, and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin for the first American-Soviet arms control treaty. Gerald Ford negotiated trade issues with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Ironically, on approximately the 30th anniversary of Truman deciding (on the Sequoia) to drop a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japanese Emperor Hirhito and his wife came to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Gerald R. Ford and to cruise the Potomac River on the Sequoia. In 1979 George Bush used the Sequoia to negotiate with a Chinese leader.

Lyndon B. Johnson watched movies on the top deck by using the smokestack as a screen. The crew was amused to watch LBJ's hair blowing in the wind when watching the movies. LBJ complained both that the doorknob was too small in the Presidential Stateroom and the shower was too small for his 6'3" body. So the small doorknob was replaced with a large, Texas-style knob and the shower floor was lowered three inches.

When LBJ used the Sequoia, he was inconvenienced by the lack of a bar at which to mix his favorite drink, a Scotch on the rocks. LBJ instructed that FDR's elevator in the main salon be replaced with a bar, which is still in use today.

The Irony of America's First Handicapped-Accessible Boat:

The Sequoia may have been America's first handicapped-accessible boat. During the early 1930's, FDR was frustrated that he needed the crews' assistance to move him from the Main Salon to the upper deck of the Sequoia. The public was unaware of his frustration since numerous photos were released to the public showing FDR standing on the Sequoia (with hands on the railing). FDR instructed that an elevator be installed between the upper and lower decks. This allowed FDR to travel between the Presidential Stateroom and the Main Salon without assistance.

When Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Congress was advised that the Act would require significant structural changes to the Sequoia, including the Presidential bedroom. Congress did not want to require such changes to America's Presidential Yacht, so a law was later passed that exempted the Sequoia from ADA compliance.

The Crew's Favorite President:

Perhaps the crew's favorite President was John F. Kennedy. He was a young Navy veteran who loved the sea, and he was not too much older than some Navy crew members. Kennedy enjoyed every moment on the Sequoia, including his last birthday party where family and close friends such as actor David Niven. Although a different crew served each President, many Navy personnel served more than one President. The cooks at Camp David also worked on the Sequoia, so they would often see the President. Since the Sequoia was used by all Presidents for relaxation, and especially by pre-war Presidents to escape the heat of Washington, D.C. (before air conditioning was common), the navy crews usually found the Presidents to be in a good mood when on the Sequoia. This was not always the case, however. Herbert Hoover was quite glum during the Depression. Hoover even put the Sequoia on the cover of his 1932 White House Christmas card. A starving American public did not care that Hoover was using a 104-foot yacht instead of a 318-foot yacht. The public saw Hoover's use of the Sequoia as an example of a President who was out of touch with the needs of a poor populace.
 

Importance to America

The Sequoia Presidential Yacht is a fully restored, 104-foot, 1925 Trumpy-designed yacht that has served more than nine Presidents. It is thus not a surprise that Congress designated the Sequoia a National Historic Landmark. This is perhaps the most important piece of Americana in private hands, and it may be the most famous vessel in America.
 

Interesting Facts

During the Depression President Herbert Hoover sailed the Sequoia to Florida to visit his mother. He preferred to remain dressed in a three-piece suit during the voyage.

Winston Churchill spent time with Franklin D. Roosevelt on the Sequoia, and he later complained to FDR that the only thing he didn't like about the Sequoia was the uncomfortable wooden deck chairs (that are still used today). The chairs in the aft salon were made in 1910, and were used by all the Presidents.

President George H. W. Bush negotiated with a Chinese leader on board Sequoia.





President William Jefferson Clinton met with high tech executives on the Sequoia.

 

It is reported President Harry S. Truman became enraged during a poker game in the main salon and damaged the table with a cigar cutter. Truman later installed a piano in the main salon that both he and Richard Nixon enjoyed playing.

Presidential Oddities

During the Watergate era, President Richard M. Nixon used the Sequoia frequently. On at least 88 occasions, Nixon went out on the yacht, often sailing down the Potomac River to Mt. Vernon, where he required Navy personnel to play taps and salute George Washington's tomb. Toward the end of his presidency, Nixon was often brooding during Watergate, especially when he started to believe that his enemies were bugging the Sequoia. He then demanded that an electronic shield be built around the entire yacht. This required that small pinholes be drilled six inches apart throughout the entire railing. When the railing is sanded today, these pinholes are revealed.

 

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