''Black Douglas'' (later ', ''Aquarius'', ''Aquarius W''; now ''El Boughaz I'') is a three-masted

staysail A staysail ("stays'l") is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose Sail components#Edges, luff can be affixed to a stays (nautical), stay running forward (and most often but not always downwards) from a mast (sailing), mast to the deck (ship), deck, the b ...

auxiliary

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

built for Robert C. Roebling (great-grandson of

John A. Roebling John Augustus Roebling (born Johann August Röbling; June 12, 1806 – July 22, 1869) was a German-born American civil engineer. He designed and built wire rope suspension bridges, in particular the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been designated as ...

and grand-nephew of Washington Roebling) at the Bath Iron Works of

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its ...

, and launched on 9 June 1930. Designed by renowned

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

naval architects A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

H.J. Gielow & Co., she is one of the largest

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

- hulled schooners ever built. The

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

undertook a variety of functions during her first three and a half decades: private

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

for the Roebling family, patrol vessel in

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(as a "patrol yacht – coastal"; PYc-45), and

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

for the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

plying the Pacific from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

. She was bought at auction by Louis Black of Santa Monica,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, to be used as a treasure hunter in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. Black sailed the ship through the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

and then spent eight years treasure hunting in the Turks and Caicos. He eventually sold the ship to Capt. George Stoll, who turned her into a second Flint School

school ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...

. The school closed in 1981 and she was sold, and in 1982–1983 was reconditioned at the Abeking & Rasmussen

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

Lemwerder Lemwerder is a municipality in the district of Wesermarsch, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is on the left bank of the Weser, approximately east of Oldenburg, and northwest of the centre of Bremen. Since April 2001, Lemwerder is governed by May ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, serving as a template for the first generation of

super yacht A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from to ...

s. She is currently owned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco. She was launched with a 325- hp

Cooper-Bessemer Cooper-Bessemer refers to the Cooper-Bessemer Corporation and the Cooper-Bessemer brand of industrial engines and compressors, manufactured in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The Cooper-Bessemer Corporation was formed when C. & G. Cooper (founded in 1833) and ...

marine

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

, later replaced by a 600-hp (@600 RPM) model from

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

's Enterprise Engine & Foundry Company. She now is equipped with twin 290-hp Volvo Pentas. She has flown the flags of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

(current).

In print

* "As smooth...under power as sail"; Cooper-Bessemer advertisement w/ photo (''Yachting'', May 1930). * "'Black Douglas' Runs into Trouble" (''Savannah Morning News'',

942 Year 942 ( CMXLII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – The Hungarians invade Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and besiege the fortress ...

. * ''Cradle of Ships'' (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1958). * ""Quite normal pupils"...nur ganz billig ist für sie die schwimmende Schule nicht" (''Kieler Chronik'', 4 October 1974). * "Jovens americanos gostaram de ver brasileiro sempre sorrindo" (''A Província do Pará'', 15 April 1975). * "Bermuda Gets an Early Taste of Tall Ship Fever" (''Royal Gazette'', 27 May 1976). * Cover photo (''The Bermudian'', August 1976). * "Eine komplette höhere Schule kam unter Schonersegeln nach Lübeck" (''Lübecker Nachrichten'', 28 October 1977). * ''Probing the Oceans 1936–1976'' (San Diego: Tofua Press, 1978). * ''Les Antilles aujourd'hui'' (Paris: Éditions JA, 1979). * ''Adventures of a Zoologist'' (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980). * ''Beken of Cowes: A Century of Tall Ships'' (London: Harrap, 1985). * ''Bath Iron Works: The First Hundred Years'' (Portland: Anthoensen Press, 1987). * "Alternate Destination: Cádiz" (''SAIL'', October 1987). * ''The First 25 Years'' (Washington: U.S. Department of Commerce outhwest Fisheries Center, La. Jolla, Calif. 1989). * "Aquarius, a Yacht to Treasure" (''Financial Times'', 30 & 31 December 1989). * Painting (for October 2000) in the ''Professional Yachtsman’s Calendar'' (Bungay, Suffolk: Colin Squire Publishing, 1999). * S/Y ''Aquarius'' sales brochure (Ft. Lauderdale: Fraser Yachts Worldwide, 2002). * ''Chapman's Great Sailing Ships of the World'' (New York: Hearst, 2005). * "Ban bèk – Barku di bella" (''Èxtra Boneiru'' onaire, Neth. Antilles 8 August 2006). * "Top 200 – Die größten Segelyachten" (''Boote'' supplement, Sept./Oct. 2007).

References

External links

Flint School alumnus Palmer Stevens' running historyDepartment of the Interior press release, 1947Department of the Interior press release, 1949
from navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Douglas 1930 ships Individual sailing vessels Patrol vessels of the United States Navy Schooners Ships built in Bath, Maine Three-masted ships Royal and presidential yachts Ships of Morocco Treasure hunting

In print

See also

References

External links