''Sea Cloud'' is a sailing cruise ship owned by Sea Cloud Cruises of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Launched as a private

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made 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 ''Hussar V'' for

Marjorie Merriweather Post Marjorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. She was the daughter of C. W. Post and the owner of General Foods, General Foods Corporation. For much of Post's l ...

in 1931, she later served as a

weather ship A weather ship, or ocean station vessel, was a ship stationed in the ocean for surface and upper air meteorological observations for use in weather forecasting. They were primarily located in the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans, report ...

for the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when she became the U.S. military's first racially integrated

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

since the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. After the war, ''Sea Cloud'' was returned to private ownership, serving as a yacht for numerous people, including as presidential yacht of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. Since 1979, ''Sea Cloud'' has been used as a cruise ship.

Private yacht ''Hussar V''

''Sea Cloud'' was built in Kiel, Germany, as a

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

for

and her second husband Edward F. Hutton of Wall Street's E. F. Hutton & Co. The yacht interiors and features were personally designed by Post, who took a course in marine engineering, and had full size interior mocks-ups done in a New York warehouse. She was launched in 1931 as ''Hussar V'' as a replacement for the '' Hussar IV.'' At the time of her construction, she was the largest private yacht in the world. The maiden voyage was in November 1931, from the shipyard in Germany to

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, where the ship was received by Hutton and Post on November 30, 1931.

''Sea Cloud'' and "Floating Embassy"

In 1935, the United States Ambassador to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, Joseph E. Davies, married Marjorie Merriweather Post. Mr. and Mrs. Davies renamed the ship ''Sea Cloud''. Although Mrs. Davies owned the ship, she allowed Mr. Davies to claim ownership of the vessel. Those whom Davies entertained on the ship included Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Soviet and United States officials stayed and met on the vessel.

Coast Guard service

When Mrs. Davies first offered the ship to the U.S. Department of the Navy in 1941, the Navy turned her down. President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

objected to the ship entering service, remarking that the ship was too beautiful to be sacrificed. On January 7, 1942, the Navy reassessed its position and chartered the ship for $1 per year. The Navy sent ''Sea Cloud'' from

Georgetown, South Carolina Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...

, to the

United States Coast Guard Yard The United States Coast Guard Yard or just Coast Guard Yard is a United States Coast Guard operated shipyard located on Curtis Bay in northern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, just south of the Baltimore city limits. It is the Department of Homela ...

in Curtis Bay, Maryland, to be refitted as a "weather observation station vessel", and had the four masts removed and hull painted

battleship gray Variations of gray or grey include achromatic grayscale shades, which lie exactly between white and black, and nearby colors with low colorfulness. A selection of a number of these various colors is shown below. Chart of computer web color g ...

. ''Sea Cloud'' was commissioned as a

United States Coast Guard Cutter United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the ship prefix USCGC. Histo ...

on April 4, 1942, and assigned to the Eastern Sea Frontier, with a permanent

home port A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull. In the cruise industry the term "home port" is also oft ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. During 1942, ''Sea Cloud'' mostly served as a

at Weather Patrol Station Number Two (position ). On June 6, 1942, the ship rescued eight survivors from the

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

''Maria da Gloria''. On August 3, 1942 and August 4, 1942, ''Sea Cloud'' served at Weather Patrol Station Number One while was converted to a weather ship.

Naval service

In 1943, the Navy asked for control of ''Sea Cloud'' and ''Nourmahal'', another former yacht converted into a weather ship. On April 9, 1943, the

commissioned ''Sea Cloud'' as USS ''Sea Cloud'' (IX-99), though she maintained a Coast Guard crew. She was assigned to Task Force 24. Relieving in February 1944, ''Sea Cloud'' patrolled a area near the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

coast, generating weather reports for the First Naval District. On February 27, 1944, ''Sea Cloud'' traveled to be refurbished at Atlantic Yard in

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which was annexed by the city of Boston in 1836. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Massachusetts, Winthrop, Revere, Mas ...

, afterwards taking over a new one-hundred square mile area at Weather Station Number One. On April 5, 1944, ''Sea Cloud'' received radar indication of a small target at position , bearing 350° at .

General quarters General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a navy, naval warship to signal that all hands (everyone available) aboard a ship must go to battle stations (the positions they are to assume when the ves ...

were sounded and battle stations manned, but contact was lost ten minutes later. The target was identified as a

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

, but after ''Sea Cloud'' carried out standard anti-submarine drills with no evidence of damage being inflicted, she returned to port. After minor repairs, ''Sea Cloud'' was rebased to

Argentia, Newfoundland Argentia ( ) is a Canadian commercial seaport and industrial park located in the Town of Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula and defined by a triangular shaped headland which re ...

, where she was assigned to Weather Station Number Three. While patrolling the area on June 11, 1944, the crew spotted a Navy

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

, exchanging

recognition signal A recognition signal is a signal whereby a person, a ship, an airplane or something else is recognized. They can be used during war or can be used to help the police recognize each other during undercover operations. War These signals are ofte ...

s. ''Sea Cloud'' received orders to report to the

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slower type of aircraf ...

and join the five other escort ships under her command. The envoy searched for a raft reported in the area, but returned with no sightings. After this event, ''Sea Cloud'' was once again reassigned to Weather Station Number Four. After a search for a downed aircraft, she returned to port in Boston. ''Sea Cloud'' was decommissioned on November 4, 1944, at the

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

Atlantic Yard and returned to Davies, along with $175,000 for conversion to pre-war appearance. For her wartime service, ''Sea Cloud'' was awarded the

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had per ...

and the World War Two Victory Medal.

Racial integration

In late 1944,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Carlton Skinner took command of the ship, after previously serving as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

in November 1944. At the time, black seamen were permitted to serve only as ship stewards. After witnessing a black man save the crew of yet still be denied promotion because of the rule, Skinner proposed an experiment. Skinner submitted his plan to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy and was allowed to sail his first weather patrol with a fully-integrated crew. Within a few months, 50 black sailors, including two officers, were stationed aboard ''Sea Cloud''. Skinner requested for the experiment not to be publicized and for the ship not to be treated differently from other ships in the task force. Skinner showed that his integrated crew could work just as efficiently as a segregated crew, if not more so, after his crew had passed two fleet inspections with no deficiencies. Under Skinner's command when the ship was integrated, American painter

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", an art form populariz ...

served on the ''Sea Cloud''. He was able to paint and sketch while in the Coast Guard, notably his ''War Series''.

Return to civilian service

Following her return, ''Sea Cloud'' received a reassembled

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support and control a sailing ship or sail boat's masts and sails. ''Standing rigging'' is the fixed rigging that supports masts including shrouds and stays. ''Running rigg ...

in 1947, and a new set of twenty-nine sails in 1949. The vessel was painted white, and a gold eagle painted on the bow. The ship's reconstruction took nearly four years. Post retained ownership of ''Sea Cloud'' in the aftermath of her divorce from Mr. Davies, since she had originally brought the ship into the marriage. After evaluating the cost of running a year-round crew of seventy-two, Post decided to sell the ship. In the beginning ''Sea Cloud'' featured royal-sails over single topgallant- and double top-sails on the fore and mizzen masts. The main mast was equipped with a royal-sail over double topgallant- and double top-sails. Today the first three masts are rigged with double top-sails, single topgallants, royals and a main skysail.

Presidential yacht ''Angelita''

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( ; ; 24 October 1891 – 30 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (; "the boss"), was a Dominican military officer and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until Rafael Trujillo#Assassination, ...

, ruler of the

, purchased ''Sea Cloud'' in 1955, trading a secondhand

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...

airliner in return. He renamed the ship ''Angelita'' after his daughter Angelita Trujillo. The yacht served as a houseboat and government office. Following Trujillo's assassination on May 30, 1961, his family attempted to smuggle themselves and Trujillo's body to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

aboard ''Angelita'', but were forced back by the Dominican Republic's new government.

School ship ''Patria''

Five years after Trujillo's death, the ship, now named ''Patria'', was sold to Operation Sea Cruises, Inc. in 1966. Company president John Blue registered her in Panama and sent her to

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, to recondition and outfit her for charters. Sold to Antarna Inc., Miami, in 1969 the ship was renamed ''Antarna''. Blue brought the vessel to the United States, but port authorities docked the boat after a dispute in

Colón, Panama Colón () is a city and Port#Seaport, seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's se ...

. Charles and Stephanie Gallagher paid the fees to get the ship free and set her to sea, even though Blue still held the ship's papers. The two dreamed of making the ship an "oceanic school" where students would supplement their traditional learning with at-sea education. Blue eventually retrieved his ship after a confrontation in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Cruise ship ''Sea Cloud''

After the ship stayed in port for eight years, Hartmut Paschburg and a group of

associates purchased her, once again naming her ''Sea Cloud''. Paschburg and thirty-eight other men sailed the ship to Europe, arriving in the

Port of Hamburg The Port of Hamburg (, ) is a seaport on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, from its mouth on the North Sea. Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" (), it is the country's largest seaport by volume. In terms of TEU throughput, Hambur ...

on November 15, 1978. ''Sea Cloud'' spent eight months undergoing repairs in the now-named

Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (often abbreviated HDW) is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. It is part of the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) group, owned by ThyssenKrupp. The Howaldtswerke shipyard was founded in Kiel i ...

shipyard, the very yard she was built in. She was redesigned with a sixty-four passenger capacity for a crew of sixty. The ship set sail on her first cruise in 1979, and has since been described by the ''Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships'' as "the most romantic sailing ship afloat". In 2011, the ''Sea Cloud'' underwent extensive renovations at the MWB-Werft,

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

. She is still operating as a cruise ship.

Gallery

File:Sea Cloud Cabin 1.jpg,

Cabin 1 File:Sea Cloud cabin.jpg, E.F. Hutton Cabin 2 File:Carlton Skinner on Sea Cloud.jpg, LT Carlton Skinner with several of his black crewmembers on ''Sea Cloud'' File:Sea Cloud.jpg, ''Sea Cloud'' with masts removed and camouflaged in grey for Coast Guard service File:Sea Cloud eagle.jpg, Eagle Figurehead File:Sea cloud bridge.jpg, Wheelhouse with U.S. Naval service commendation File:Sea Cloud (ship, 1931) IMO 8843446, in Split, on 2011-09-30, bow.jpgMoored in

Split, Croatia Split (, ), historically known as Spalato (; ; see #Name, other names), is the List of cities and towns in Croatia, second-largest city of Croatia after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast ...

, in 2011

References

External links

Official website of Sea Cloud Cruises, the current operator of the ship

''Sea Cloud'' at Ship Spotting World
including additional photography and videos
Numerous video clips of ''Sea Cloud''

"Full sail in the Med on a grand old tall ship"
- review in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...

'' of a cruise on the ''Sea Cloud''.
''"Sea Cloud"''
– review by Douglas Ward in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', London.
"Sea Cloud: The Ship is the Destination"
– review in ''TravelLady Magazine''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sea Cloud Ships built in Kiel 1931 ships Sailing yachts built in Germany Ships of the United States Coast Guard World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Patrol vessels of the United States Navy Barques Weather ships African-American history of the United States military Tall ships of the Dominican Republic Royal and presidential yachts New York Yacht Club Yachts of New York Yacht Club members