CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Once a floating stage for diplomacy and history-making decisions, the USS Sequoia welcomed back some of its former crew members from President Richard Nixon’s administration, on Wednesday.
The vessel, a 1925 presidential yacht, served as a retreat for heads of state and U.S. presidents alike. Among those who stepped aboard over the decades were Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.
This time, it was the crew’s turn.
“I arrived in the summer of '69,” said Peter Kennett, an engineer who worked on the Sequoia from 1969 to 1972.
“We had the Sequoia, and we renamed two of the other yachts to the Patricia and Julie after his daughters. We had people that rotated between the different yachts. So all the engineers, for instance, could be acquainted with all the different engine plants,” Kennett said.
Presidential cruises on the Potomac River typically lasted two to three hours, offering a rare mix of relaxation and high-stakes governance. Decisions made on board included President Harry Truman’s choice to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.
In 1969, steward Don Roberts served dignitaries in the Sequoia’s intimate dining quarters.
“I served the president and Mrs. Pompidou of France at Camp David. Prince Charles and Princess Anne sailed on board. Haldeman. Ehrlichman. Kissinger. President Nixon and his family, and I served all of his family at different times,” said Roberts, who also served from 1969 to 1972.
The yacht often hosted 20 to 30 guests at a time, offering an elegant but strategic space for diplomacy.
Since 2023, the Sequoia has been docked in Cambridge on the property of the Richardson Maritime Museum. The reunion was part of a special event hosted by the museum to honor the service of its former crew.
“The purpose today is really to honor the sailors that worked with the presidents and gave their service to the United States through their work with the presidents,” said Debbie Usab, chair of the board of directors at the Richardson Maritime Museum. “And also, then they are giving back to us by telling their stories tonight and allowing us to sell tickets to a dinner and create a fundraiser for the Richardson Maritime Museum.”
For Kennett, returning to the Sequoia stirred deep memories.
“We're talking 54, 55 years ago, but it's as fresh as it was yesterday in some ways,” he said. “I remember the last night I was here, I took a couple of the lines off and let Sequoia drift a little bit, sat here and played Harry Truman's piano for a while before I left.”
As it sits in dry dock, the Richardson Maritime Museum says the owner has been working on a restoration plan for the historic yacht that's 100 years old.