The USS Sequoia was a huge part of our nation’s presidential history, having been used by presidents as far back as Herbert Hoover. Jimmy Carter de-commissioned the yacht, and Gary J. Silversmith purchased it for $2 million before it could be sold to a buyer who may not have preserved it so well for American progeny. The yacht is currently available for rent for a little over $2,000 an hour. He paid for an extensive renovation to the boat, and it is in much better condition now than before he bought it. Gary J. Silversmith has owned the boat since 2000, even though Congress allocated $2 million to buy it back and put it into the hands of the government. It is still in private hands though.
Why Did Gary J. Silversmith Buy the Boat?
This yacht was a significant part of American history, and Mr. Silversmith is not just a lawyer and debt collector, he is a serious aficionado of American history too. The opportunity to buy back the yacht and preserve it for posterity was something that piqued the interest of Gary J. Silversmith. Mr. Silversmith is a patriot, lawyer, and American historian who was an excellent choice to buy the boat. Before Mr. Silversmith purchased back the boat, a Japanese shipyard restored the boat for about $3 million. It was a great deal all-around. It was really a great thing for America that an American and an American history hobbyist bought back the boat.
A History of the USS Sequoia
A lot of significant events revolved around the USS Sequoia, and it was a good choice to buy back the boat and keep it for American history – here in America.
Herbert Hoover once sailed the boat to Florida. He was a president during the Great Depression. His presidency actually predated the Great Depression. This was a boat that needed restoring because it was so ancient. It also needed to be kept in America because so many important events in American history were connected to the boat.
Dwight Eisenhower, a president during World War II, lent the boat out to other foreign leaders.
John F. Kennedy frequently partied on the boat. He also held high-level cabinet meetings on the boat.
Following the use of the boat by John F. Kennedy for high-level meetings, Gerald Ford also held cabinet meetings on the yacht.
It was such a great move, and a targeted move, to purchase such a significant piece of American history, restore it, and keep it open for rent by the hour. The boat has also been lent out for charitable purposes. A lot of American citizens don’t know that there are actually presidential yachts, and the purchase and preservation of this boat, and the publicity surrounding it and its restoration, helped make more Americans aware of the significance of presidential yachts. American citizens are generally more familiar with Air Force One and the presidential motorcade. Presidents travel and experience things leisurely by boat too.
