A National Historic Landmark: The U.S.S. Sequoia

This is no longer an active sale. We keep this information on the website purely for archival purposes.

The Sequoia may be both the most famous vessel in America and the most important piece of Americana not owned by the government.

Since the Sequoia was "meticulously restored" (Robb Report), she was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest magazine. Still docked in Washington, D.C., the Sequoia is now available for private sale, as represented exclusively by Guernsey's.

First employed in government service during the 1920s, this 104-foot NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK has been used by presidents since Herbert Hoover. Most recently, Vice President Cheney and other Bush administration officials enjoyed her historic elegance. Recent guests have ranged from Mikhail Gorbachev and many members of the Kennedy family to Brooks Robinson and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Sequoia is a finely-appointed, wooden, 1925 Trumpy yacht, with a large collection of presidential photographs and original memorabilia. The SPACIOUS TOP DECK with its original teak deckchairs (used by Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill) provides a relaxed gathering place.

The EXQUISITE MAIN SALON with its rich mahogany walls offers a formal seated dining space for 20 people or a buffet for up to 50 guests. Ten presidents have dined in the main salon.

The restored original furniture in the COMFORTABLE AFT SALON is used today for entertaining. In the aft salon, John F. Kennedy opened his last birthday gifts, and Roosevelt planned legislation to take the country out of the Depression.

Up to six guests can be accommodated in three UNIQUELY RENOVATED STATEROOMS. The inspiring presidential stateroom was frequently used by many presidents, including Franklin Roosevelt during trips to Connecticut, Herbert Hoover during the Florida vacations, Lyndon Johnson on overnights in front of Mt. Vernon, and John and Jacqueline Kennedy during weekend cruises on the Chesapeake Bay.

THE SEQUOIA'S HISTORIC ELEGANCE PROVIDES FOR AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE.

The Sequoia Presidential Yacht has been, and continues to be, the scene of some of America's MOST HISTORIC EVENTS.

• During the Harding administration, the Sequoia was used to enforce PROHIBITION.
• Herbert Hoover tried unsuccessfully to manage the DEPRESSION from her decks.
• Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower planned D-DAY on her.
• Truman made the decision to drop the NUCLEAR BOMB on Hiroshima, and later, used the Sequoia as the site for the world's first nuclear arms control summit.
• John F. Kennedy reportedly held discussions concerning strategy over the CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS.
• In meetings on board, Lyndon Johnson lobbied for passage of CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION and decided to escalate the VIETNAM WAR.
• From the yacht, Richard Nixon negotiated the FIRST ARMS CONTROL TREATY with the Soviet Union, planned America's withdrawal from Vietnam, and later decided to RESIGN THE PRESIDENCY.
• Gerald Ford conducted CABINET MEETINGS on the Sequoia with Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Alan Greenspan and others.

America's presidents have hosted many distinguished foreign visitors on the Sequoia. During World War II, Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery planned European war strategy with Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower, respectively. Shortly after the end of World War II, British Prime Minister Clement Atlee and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King joined Harry Truman to conduct the first nuclear arms control conference.

During the Eisenhower administration, British Lord Mountbatten held meetings with American officials. Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and other British royalty cruised on the Potomac River. John Kennedy took British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan to Mt. Vernon. Lyndon Johnson planned Vietnam War strategy with Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies and met with numerous diplomats from the Middle East and Africa.

Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger negotiated the first Soviet-American arms control treaty with Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin, and Nixon later hosted Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and other dignitaries. In an event highly publicized in Japan, Japanese Emperor Hirohito and his wife cruised during a visit with Gerald Ford. Ford also held dinners with Mexican President Luis Echeverria Alavarez, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and others. Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping was a guest of George Bush's.

A VISITOR TO THE SEQUOIA, WINSTON CHURCHILL, ONCE SAID, "MY TASTES ARE SIMPLE; I AM EASILY SATISFIED — WITH THE BEST"