USS Sequoia - Special Tribute Edition

Builder and Owner History

Mathis Yacht Building Co. ~ 1925 ~ Camden, New Jersey

Specifications: Designer: John Trumpy - Launched: 1925 - LOA: 104’ - LWL: 98' 11" - Beam: 19' - Draft: 4' 3" - Model: Houseboat - Power: Twin, 4 cylinder 7.5 X 8.5 Winton Gas Engines - Fuel: 1500 gallons/gasoline - Speed: 14.6 MPH @ 850 RPMS - Hull: Long Leaf yellow pine over oak - Displacement: 89.64 long tons.

Builder History: The Mathis Yacht Building Company was incorporated in Camden, NJ in 1910. The idea of V.P. John Trumpy, this division was formed specifially to build luxury yachts and operated independently from The John H. Mathis Shipbuilding Co. For the next 29 years, this unit prospered by delivering magnificent yachts and military craft during WWI and WWII. In 1939, John Trumpy became president of the firm, and in 1943 the company's name changed to John Trumpy & Sons Inc. and shortly thereafter moved operations Gloucester City, NJ. In 1947, Trumpy purchased Annapolis Yacht Yard, Inc. subsequently relocating to Eastport, MD. thus gaining direct access to Chesapeake Bay. For the next 27 years this legendary company continued building and launching grand yachts for the "Who's Who" of America. These prominent clients included the duPonts, Cadwaladers, Baruchs, Guggenhiems and the Cudahys, to mention a few. In 1974, the company closed its doors due to a lack of qualified wood workers and a variety of unfortunate circumstances.

Vessel History: Sequoia was launched in 1925 for Richard Cadwaladar and sold to William Dunning in 1928. Beginning her government service with U.S. Commerce Dept.in 1931, the boat was transferred to the U.S. Navy and became Franklin Roosevelt’s Presidential Yacht in 1933. Shortly thereafter she was decommissioned but remained assigned to the Secretary of the Navy still serving presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. As ordered by President Carter, Sequoia was sold at auction for $286,000 in 1977. Changing hands numerous times, one of the most notable was the Presidential Yacht Trust in 1980. Over the course of a number of years adequate funding was never achieved. Consequently, in 1986 the vessel was seized and held hostage for 10 years by a shipyard for unpaid work totaling $3.5 Million. In 2000, the Sequoia Presidential Yacht Group purchased the boat for $1.9 million. The former presidential yacht operated as a charter vessel available to presidents, official delegations and the general public through 2011. In 2012 the yacht became entangled in complex legal issues lasting until October, 2019. As of 2020, Equator Capital Group, Sequoia's new owners, shipped the boat to Belfast, Maine to undergo an estimated three-year restoration.