A Slice of Maritime History

Miss Ann has a long and auspicious story spanning from the beginning of last century to the present day. Through the depression, World War II and beyond, this vessel has witnessed a great deal of our nation's history.

Construction   1924-1926

In August of 1924, Mr. John H. French worked with naval architect D.B. Dobson, to create a luxury diesel yacht.  Mr. French was a Detroit banker, industrialist, and yacht collector who charged Mr. Dobson of New Bedford, Massachusetts with designing the finest and most stable twin diesel yacht of the time.  Later that year Mr. French contracted with Pusey & Jones, a well-known ship yard of Wilmington, Delaware to build his fine diesel yacht.

Siele: Original Design Line Drawing

Pusey & Jones was renowned in the Twenties and Thirties as one of the finest builders of steel ships, building such yachts as Acania Colleen, a 94 foot diesel yacht for Henry J. Gielow, Inc.  Another fine yacht, the Johan launched there just two weeks prior to Mr. French's yacht.

French's yacht was built of quarter-inch Norwegian steel plate.  New technology was applied to make the hull smooth, allowing the vessel to travel faster.  The plating was "lapped" and then riveted with "speed" rivets.  These rivets were so called because they were counter sunk on the outside for a smooth hull surface.  The decks were of two-inch teak decking, packed with cotton and caulked with a black rubber compound.  Teak panels outside and walnut paneling inside graced the deck and wheel houses.  Below decks the yacht had three double staterooms, and three single staterooms accompanied by three bathrooms.  The raised paneling, below decks in the staterooms, were all painted ivory with walnut trim.  Doors were walnut, and walnut paneled the hallways and stairs.

The mechanicals of the yacht were also of the finest and most modern construction. Fifty inch bronze propellers were turned 60 feet away from the two 300 horsepower Winton six cylinder diesel engines via five-inch diameter cold rolled steel shafts. Electricity was produced by 7,500 watt generators driven by six cylinder gasoline engines. The anchor windlass, steering gear, and refrigeration were electrically operated. The heat system was a steam boiler with radiators in all rooms and compartments. Drop down plate glass windows in the salons and wheel house, along with electric fans below deck provided air ventilation.

John French's wife, Elsie, was afraid of drowning and detested water voyages.  Mr. French expended great effort encouraging her to like the vessel.  Her comfort was one of the driving forces behind the design and construction of the 124-foot, deep ballasted, twin diesel yacht.  His intention was that the yacht would be so large and stable that Elsie would feel that she was in her own home.

With his encouragement, Elsie French was active in the interior design of the yacht.   Elsie spent over $20,000 on custom furniture and other soft goods; ten percent of the cost of the entire yacht.  Having Mrs. French involved with the decor of the yacht, he was sure that her fears of drowning would be put to rest.

John French originally intended to name the yacht Vasanta, but deciding to honor his wife he used an anagram of her first name instead.

Launch Day   1926

On the launching day, April 10, 1926, Elsie christened the new yacht Siele.  That day an announcement in the Every Evening newspaper of Wilmington, Delaware read: "The Siele embodies the last word in yacht design and construction for a yacht of her size.

Undated photograph of the Siele.

Maiden Voyage   1926

In early August of 1926 the Frenches, their servants, and several friends boarded the Siele in New York harbor for her maiden voyage.  The trip was scheduled to take them into the St. Lawrence at Halifax, through canals into the Great Lakes, then home to Detroit.  Along the way, so the story goes, Mrs. French sat comfortably on a sofa on the starboard side of the main salon when an unexpected storm blew up in typical Great Lakes fashion.  Wind and waves caught the side of Siele as she was turning for port, causing her to suddenly broach.  The narrow beamed and deeply ballasted vessel quickly righted itself as had been designed, but unfortunately the quick motion of the righting tossed Elsie French from her sofa.

Mrs. French immediately went below decks and remained there until Siele was tied to the closest dock.  She emerged with bags packed and her private maid in tow.  They disembarked, transferring to the comfort of a rail car, never to set foot aboard Siele again.  Afterwards, Mr. French rarely used the yacht and in 1936 sold the yacht to a friend, Robert H. Wolfe of Columbus, Ohio.

Sea Wolf   1936 - 1941

Mr. Wolf renamed the yacht Sea Wolf and spent several years entertaining friends and family aboard.  Mr. Wolf kept his boat at the Catawba Yacht Club between Sanduski and Toledo, Ohio.  With the outbreak of war in Europe, Mr. Wolf supported the U.S. by turning Sea Wolf over to the U.S. Navy under a WW II military program that used seaworthy civilian vessels for military purposes.

Naval Duty   1941 - 1946

The Sea Wolf was placed in service in January 1941, and commissioned Aquamarine (PYc-7) on April 19, 1941 with Lt. George A. Lange in command.  The following day the Aquamarine headed for Charleston for a major refit that included higher output diesel engines, gyrocompass, complete coverage in Navy battleship grey paint, two 3 inch/50 caliber guns, and two large hollow cylindrical tubes passing vertically through the hull that were used for research purposes.

Upon the completion of her refit, Aquamarine was assigned to the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC; arriving in August 1941.  For the most part the vessel operated in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River conducting underwater sound experiments and a limited amount of experimental work with radar, mines, and underwater communications.  In the fall of 1943, she operated off the Connecticut coast near New London, and in the winter and spring of 1944 she cruised the waters between Florida and the Bahamas.  On both occasions her assignment remained experimental work under the auspices of the Naval Research Laboratory.

Presidential Service   1945-1946

Aquamarine broke from the routine for more illustrious duty later in her Navy career.  During the summer and Fall of 1945, Aquamarine had the honor to serve as tender to the Presidential yacht Potomac (AG-25).  Aquamarine also served as tender to Williamsburg (AGC-369) when she replaced Potomac as the Presidential yacht in November 1945.

Peacetime   1947 - 1954

As the Navy reduced its fleet after the war, Aquamarine moved south to Norfolk to prepare for decommissioning.  She was transferred in January 1947 to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration for disposal.  Colonel Edward Grimm (ret.) purchased her with thoughts to restore and transport her to his home in the Philippines.  Unfortunately Colonel Grimm found it to be more of an undertaking than he expected, and the vessel was neglected over the next several years.  In 1954, hearing the yacht may be for sale and seeing her true potential, Ennolls A. Stephens contacted Colonel Grimm and made an offer.  While hesitant at first, Colonel Grimm decided that Mr. Stephen's offer was a good idea.  But before transferring the yacht to Stephens, the Navy engines and gyrocompass were removed and shipped to San Diego.  The hull was then purchased for about $15,000 and taken to Norfolk's Curtis Marine Company.

Miss Ann  1954-2008

The day E.A. Stephens bought the vessel, he took his 21 year old son Robert Lee Stephens to Norfolk with him to photograph it.  His son refused to take the picture, saying the hull was in such bad shape, and that everyone would think his father had lost his mind.  But E.A. Stephens was not discouraged.  He immediately went to New York to hire John H. Wells, a well-known yacht designer who brought extensive knowledge to this project.  Mr. Stephens was looking for a modern look, and Mr. Wells knew just what to do.

Miss Ann: Refit Line Drawing

She was outfitted with a set of factory rebuilt Cleveland diesel engines.  Bringing her up-to-date with the 1950s included adding a modern rake to the bow, a swept sheer line, and a fanned transom.  These improvements added several feet to her length.  Under all the battleship grey paint hid a buried treasure; all of the beautiful wood of the 1920s.  It took lots of elbow grease and good vision to see the renovation through. 

E.A. Stephens, an innkeeper of the Irvington, VA Tides Inn, charged his hotel guests with the naming of his new yacht.  The votes being tallied, it was clear that the yacht would be named after his wife, Ann.

Miss Ann arrived at her new home port at the Tides Inn in 1956.  William Thomas, a retired Navy Captain, was living on a peninsula which overlooked the dock and the new-to-the-area yacht.  He thought the vessel looked familiar, but was too modern for any of the warships he had been in contact with.  When the horn blew for the first cruise, he was sure that he recognized the sound.  He asked Mr. Stephens the history of the Miss Ann, and was amazed to find out that this was the Aquamarine.  He had been a commander of that same vessel 10 years earlier!

Mr. and Mrs. Stephens wintered in Florida with the Miss Ann from 1957 until 1960.  Each year before spring he would take the yacht north to the Rappahannock River where she was used to entertain guests of the Tides Inn through the summer.

The New Era   2008 and on

After graciously serving guests of the Tides Inn for 52 years, Miss Ann has moved to new waters.  Now in Washington DC, she gracefully entertains upon the Potomac River.  Guests tour the nation's capital, relaxing on her historic teak decks and reflecting on her special history while surrounded by the luxury and romance of her 1920s design .

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