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J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV

When J.P. Morgan Junior took delivery of the Corsair IV   in 1930, she was the largest and most luxurious private yacht ever built in the USA. Morgan used her for a decade, mainly on the East Coast and in the Caribbean, before gifting her to the British Admiralty to help with the war effort.

After WWII she re-entered service as a cruise ship, plying routes in Alaska and from Long Beach California down to Mexico. The photo below shows her in Vancouver, 1948. Less than a year later she struck a rock and sank in shallow waters off Acapulco.

JP Morgan's Corsair IV

The story began in 1882 when J.P. Morgan Senior, one of the world's richest men and an avid yachtsman, bought the 185-foot steamship Corsair . He then commissioned the bigger, faster and more luxurious Corsair II   (which the US Navy conscripted into service as a gunboat during the Spanish-American War) and the 304-foot Corsair III ,  a superyacht that featured a full-beam library, cases of wine and brandy, and humidors stocked with Cuban cigars.

Each of these three yachts generated great publicity, but media attention was particularly intense when the Corsair III was launched in 1898. It was at this time that Morgan made one of the most famous comments ever recorded. When a journalist asked him how much it would cost to operate a yacht of this size, Morgan replied:

Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can't afford it.

J.P. Morgan Senior

The Corsair IV

The Corsair IV was commissioned by J.P. Morgan Junior and built at Bath Iron Works, Maine. When she was launched in April 1930 she measured 343 feet in length and was the largest private yacht ever constructed in the USA. Nicknamed the "Princess of the Sea", she was an object of beauty with her black hull, clipper bow and elegant teak interiors. Morgan adored her, and reveled in the privacy she afforded him. One of his annual guests while cruising in Europe was the UK's Archbishop of Canterbury, and on one memorable occasion the two of them sailed across the Mediterranean to the Holy Land.

Following the outbreak of WWII and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, most privately-owned yachts in America were requisitioned by the US Maritime Commission and converted for use as gunships or patrol boats. For reasons which aren't entirely clear, Morgan gave the Corsair IV not to the US Navy but to the British Admiralty. Based in Bermuda, she served out the war as a patrol ship in the Western Atlantic.

Life as a Cruise Ship

After the war there was a dearth of cruise ships on America's West Coast. Many of the great Canadian Pacific and Japanese liners that serviced this coastline in the 1920s and 1930s had been lost in sea battles or fallen victim to mines. To plug this gap, the Pacific Cruise Lines company was formed in 1946 and promptly snapped up J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV . The yacht was re-named Corsair and taken to Canada to be converted to a luxury cruise liner.

With accommodation for 82 passengers and a crew of 76, the new Corsair exuded luxury. Staterooms were not only bigger and better equipped than rival ships, they were fitted with carpets and air-conditioning (almost unheard of at the time), and included furnishings made from the finest materials. The Corsair debuted in September 1947, offering two-week cruises from California to Acapulco. Ticket prices were high, but in booming post-war America, so was the demand.

SS Corsair Cruise Ship

The Corsair was a great success. Her cruises sold out well in advance and her popularity exceeded anything her new owners had imagined. Before long she switched from Mexico to Alaska and became the first ship to offer luxury cruises to the Inside Passage. Soon after she reverted to Mexico, the Panama Canal and across the Caribbean to Havana. And then tragedy struck: in November 1949 the Corsair hit a rock off the coast of Acapulco and sank. Fortunately none of her 55 passengers or crew were harmed.

Made in China: the Nero

In the early years of this century, British entrepreneur Neil Taylor began hunting for a classic yacht to restore and re-model along the lines of the Corsair IV . When he couldn't find what he wanted, Taylor set up his own company, Corsair Yachts, and commissioned a near replica of J.P. Morgan's yacht from Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China. Launched in 2008, the sleek, black-hulled superyacht was christened Nero . The following year she triumphed in the "Best Motor Yacht Over 75 Metres" category at the ShowBoats Design Awards.

Nero Yacht

In 2014 the Nero was bought by Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien. Two years later he had her refurbished in Spain, requesting that she be brought up to European standards and given a classic, contemporary elegance. The Nero is now available for summer charters in the Mediterranean and winter service in the Caribbean & Bahamas. Since her introduction to the charter circuit she has won praise for her fusion of old-world charm and tasteful styling, with many clients commenting positively on her spacious interiors, Ralph Lauren decor and relaxed living environments.

Nero Yacht Interior

Pinnacle Marine New Zealand

We have years of practical experience dealing with luxury yachts and are supported by a network of contacts throughout the industry. If you would like more information about luxury yachts, or anything else connected to the world of yachting, please feel free to contact us.

Grace, Michael (2008), The Tragic Life of the Corsair IV , New York Social Diary

Merl, Risa (2017), Nero: Inside the 90m Modern Classic Superyacht's MB92 Refit , Boat International

Viju, Mathew (2016), Eight Ways J.P. Morgan Defined the Good Life , Robb Report

Wisner, Bill (1975), The Golden Age of Yachts , Motor Boating and Sailing

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SS Corsair IV

We see the ship here as the 1947 Pacific Cruise Lines SS Corsair having been sold

and completely renovated into a passenger ship from a private luxury yacht – Corsair IV

For many years the author had a folder somewhere in the system containing the ships details as well as a series of photographs of this remarkable small classic vessel. She certainly was not one of the great liners of the world, for she was built and designed to be a luxury yacht that would later become a deluxe cruise ship. Many of my regular readers may say that this ship does not fit the profile of ssmaritime.com, however, I believe that this delightful ship has a special place in maritime history, for sadly so little has been written about her! It was only due to an email received from a reader with an enquiry regarding this ship, which prompted me to write and compile this story, and I trust that it will be greatly enjoyed by those who read it, although the Corsair did have a tragic end!

Background to her building:

The story starts with the famed Business tycoon J. Pierpont Morgan and his son, Jack Morgan who had built three fine yachts in their days. All of them had been named Corsair & Corsair II & III . Like any great man of wealth and power each yacht be bigger, faster and even more luxurious than the previous one. Because of this, the family created massive media attention each time a new yacht was launched and when the last ship was launched a rather famous quote became a byword for many in the world of the rich. For when asked “Sir how much will it cost to operate a boat of this size” Mr. Morgan’s response was, “Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can’t afford it.”

J. P. Morgan Snr

Mr Morgan senior boarding the first SS Corsair

In 1927 the Morgan’s were already thinking of a new addition, the Corsair IV, which would be constructed at the Maine Shipyards. She cost US$2.5 million, being the equivalent of around 60 million plus in today’s terms. This new ship would be the Morgan’s largest yacht ever, but also the largest yacht to have been built in the U.S.A. She had an overall length of 104.55m / 343ft, although her official registered length was 91.4 m / 300ft. She was listed as: 2,142 GRT (Gross Registered Tons).

The Morgan’s had a love for the traditional yachts and even a touch of the pirate look in the designs. This was obvious in the Corsair IV, as she was a long, sleek looking, dark and heavy below, with a stylised superstructure that was lighter and to be envied!

Her Launching:

When she was ready for launching in 1930, Jack Morgan Junior hired three private railway cars which were filled with family and friends, and transported them all the Bath Iron Works Maine shipyards for the grand occasion. The launching was a great event and was covered by all the media of the day, considering the Great Depression had already begun.

The sleek looking motor yacht Corsair IV slips into the water  with a multitude of onlookers

 The SS Corsair is seen being fitted out beside her builders at Bath Maine

Photograph is owned and was provided by Mr. Mark Pennington

Mr. Mark Pennington wrote the author and stated: “My grandfather Ferdinand G. Dumais (Bud) worked at the Bath Iron Works during the construction of the SS Corsair and I have included two images he has left to me for your viewing and use. I only recently became aware of the identity of the ship and its owner through conversation with Mr. Nathan R. Lipfert, who is the Senior Curator of the “ Maine Maritime Museum ” in Bath Maine .”

A water colour image of the SS Corsair just after her completion

Image is owned and was provided by Mr. Mark Pennington

The author is most grateful to Mr. Pennington for providing these rare images and advising us about his Grandfather’s involvement in her building.

**********************************

The Corsair Story:

SS Corsair IV served the Morgan family faithfully for the ten years, sailing along the East Coast of the USA as well in the Caribbean and she took part for trans-Atlantic record-breaking crossings. However in 1940 the Corsair IV was handed over to British Admiralty to be used for the war effort. After the war was over she was laid up as the Morgan’s had no further plans for her.

  Here we see the SS Corsair IV completed and at sea looking simply splendid!

After World War II suddenly cruising had seemed to have become extremely popular amongst Americans who seemed to have money to spend on cruises, especially in the luxury end of the market. However at the time there were not any all first class ships that specialised in cruising, as most were liners that had two or three classed and operated on seasonal cruising. In addition, around half of the passenger ships had been sunk and those that had survived the war required extensive refurbishing and were needed on line voyages, and then even they would take several years before they would be back in service or new ships built. Well known North American Companies, such as American President Lines, Matson and Canadian Pacific Lines all took their time to get back to service. It took American President Lines three years to re-establish liner service to the Orient and it wasn’t until 1948 when Matson Line’s famous Lurline recommenced her Hawaii service.  Canadian Pacific also took their time, but they all sailed again in due time! But, none of these would be ready to operate cruises.

There were some business men in the shipping industry who had a good head on them and they had a good idea about the luxury cruise market, and thus the Skinner and Eddy Corporation who owned the Alaska Steamship Company in 1946 decided to form a new branch the Pacific Cruise Lines. They went looking for a ship and soon found the perfect ship for their needs, the Corsair IV. The former super luxury Morgan yacht was purchased reregistered Panamanian flag.

She was officially renamed Corsair , with the IV being dropped, was taken to the Todd Shipyards in New York where she received some minor repairs required at the time as well as an overhaul in the engine room.

SS Corsair’s engine room  – like the rest of the ship, it was spotless!

When these were completed she sailed to the Victoria Machinery Depot in Victoria , Canada , where a comprehensive conversion took place making her into a genuine luxury passenger cruise ship. Some of the most famous designers took part in her interiors, such as William F. Schorn & Associates of New York , who also worked on the famous liners SS Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay of McCormick Line. Every part of the ship, for now she was much more than just a yacht, but a glamorous ship, was redone in detail, but retaining the elegance befitting the luxury of the Corsair, but modernised with sublimely elegant surroundings for the ships passengers! When Skinner and Eddy Corporation of Pacific Cruise Lines planned a new ship, their plan was to offer to their cruise passenger one of the most luxurious cruise ship’s on the seas, and apparently they succeeded as the future booking would soon prove.

SS Corsair’s facilities:

Facilities on the new and glamorous SS Corsair were second to none . She had just 42 staterooms accommodating 82 passengers. Each of her staterooms was much larger and more luxurious than on almost any other ship afloat. Obviously there was no expense spared in furnishing and decorating them, with the finest materials, and all done with the best workmanship that was available in the USA . Each of the Corsair staterooms and suites featured luxury beds, as there were no passenger berths on her. In addition every stateroom and suite had a private bathroom.

The bedroom of a double bedded suite

The bedroom of a twin bedded stateroom

  Then lounge area of a twin bedded stateroom

SS Corsair had just over 40 stewards on board; however she did have a total of 76 crew members that is almost one per passenger, which is unheard of these days! Each passenger received individual attention and nothing was ever too much. Catering on board was the ultimate as some of the very top European chefs were hired to dish up their finest cuisine, and her food was lauded by everyone long after they had left the ship!

Stewards line up out on deck for inspection

One of the ships chefs ensuring the detail is perfect!

A gleaming galley

Her public rooms such as the Main Lounge, forward Observation Lounge, Cocktail Lounge, Restaurant and other on board venues were all luxuriously carpeted and fully air-conditioned as were all of her accommodations, bedrooms, sitting rooms and suites. The Morgan’s would have been very proud of her!

The Main Lounge

Forward Observation Lounge

Cocktail Lounge and Bar

The Thunderbird Restaurant

SS Corsair is ready to set sail:

Pacific Cruise Lines placed full-page advertisements for cruising on this super luxurious all first class SS Corsair in a popular Holiday magazine and the response was simply amazing. Suddenly bookings rolled in and before Pacific Cruise Lines knew it, they had a big waitlist on their hands. All was going well for their new ship! 

SS Corsair looking like a luxury cruise ship in her new all white livery

Note her hull enclosures and aft deck extensions

SS Corsair made her maiden voyage on September 29, 1947 as she departed on a two-week cruise from Long Beach , to Acapulco , via a variety of ports. The fare started from $600 per person, which was expensive for those days and it equalled, it is said “more than a quarter of the 1947 typical American family income” at that time. But this was a luxury cruise line and was aimed at the rich and her cruises were selling out well in advance. Her popularity as a luxury cruise ship was even bigger than her owners could have imagined, as countless letters proved from her passengers during the first twelve months of operation. The super luxury cruise ship, SS Corsair was a massive success, and she was to have a profitable long future ahead of her!

Above and below : The 1948/49 Acapulco  cruise brochure

Her Long Beach to Mexico cruises continued, however in the summer of 1948 Pacific Cruise Lines switched the Corsair to Alaska service, sailing out of Vancouver, British Columbia where she was the very first ship ever to provide a deluxe two-week cruise to the Inside Passage. In addition, there was another first for the Corsair Alaska cruises for they also had am especially chartered train transporting passengers from Whittier to famed McKinley National Park , which is now the norm with most cruise lines, but the Corsair was the forerunner of this operation!  

Above and below : The 1949 Alaska brochure

This season was followed by a series of cruises to Mexico and Havana , where she cruised the Gulf of California and the Panama Canalthis schedule was completed in the spring of 1949. She then returned to Alaska for a series of summer cruises, which was again repeated by a season of cruises to Mexico from Long Beach beginning in October 1949.

SS Corsair seen at Long Beach California

Passengers enjoying the cruising life on SS Corsair:

Passengers enjoying a drink aft of the ship on the “big bed”

An intimate moment on the aft “big bed” – still has that feel of a yacht!

Having fun up on deck

Tragedy struck the SS Corsair on November 12, 1949:

Then suddenly on November 12, 1949 whilst on a Mexican Riviera cruise, SS Corsair struck a rock and being in danger of sinking, she was beached at Acapulco . Her crew and all 55 passengers took to her lifeboats and went safely ashore.

Tragedy has struck as we see the Corsair on the rocks

This photograph is the property of “Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society”

Thus, thankfully there was no loss of life. The Corsair soon listed onto her starboard side, and her promenade deck was soon under water. She was examined by her marine experts and owners, however it was determined that the luxury cruise ship was a total loss, and thus she was abandoned to “Davy Jones’ locker.” Today divers go down and look at this once great lady of the sea and they can only imagine her grandeur that once was.

As we think of the countless ships that I have written on over the years, we must admit that this small luxury yacht come cruise ship is very special indeed. There have been very few ships that compare to this magnificent super luxury cruising yacht in these modern days, for they build massive ships well over 223,000 GRT that simply look more like hideous Condos, and square boxes with a hull under it. But 1. you will cruise with a crowd, and 2. None will any of those ship come even close   to equal the sublime elegance of the former J.P. Morgan yacht SS Corsair IV!

  Sadly the storm clouds says it all, her days are over!

The end to P. J. Morgan’s dream

Remembering the SS Corsair IV

****************************

“Blue Water Liners sailing to the distant shores. I watched them come, I watched them go and I watched them die.”

************************

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Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930

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Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930

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Description

The steel-hulled, turbo-electric-powered CORSAIR was the fourth yacht by that name owned by J. P. Morgan and his family. CORSAIR (IV) was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath and was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. She measured 2,142 gross tons, register length 300 feet, length over all 343 feet. Morgan used her for 10 years, mostly on the East Coast and in the West Indies. She was given to the British Royal Navy during World War II, and then was a luxury cruise ship on the West Coast until being wrecked near Acapulco in 1949.

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About This Item

  • Title: Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930
  • Creator: Perry Thompson
  • Creation Date: 1930-04-10
  • Subject Date: 1930-04-10
  • Location: Kennebec River, Bath, Sagadahoc County, ME
  • Media: Photographic print
  • Dimensions: 19 cm x 24 cm
  • Local Code: Neg. No. 03548
  • Collection: Photographic Reference Collection, PC-3
  • Object Type: Image

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  • Bath Iron Works
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  • Morgan, J P

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Back When Cruising Was Real Luxury

Morgan family yacht brought well heeled visitors to alaska in late 40s.

By DAVE KIFFER

May 03, 2018 Thursday PM

(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Each year more than one million cruise ship passengers visit Alaska. All arrive in a manner vastly different from the thousands of people who once sailed the Inside Passage to Alaska.

Once upon a time, most visitors came in cramped steamships that were more a relic of the 19th Century than the modern cruise ships of the 21th Century. Passage was much more utilitarian back then. Unless you were on the Corsair IV, a world famous luxury yacht that briefly presaged the modern era of more luxurious cruising back in the late 1940s.

To refer to the Corsair IV, which operated in Alaska for Pacific Cruise Lines in 1948 and 1949, as a luxury yacht is entirely appropriate, because that's what she was.

The Corsair IV started out her seagoing life as the luxury yacht of the J.P. Morgan family, one of the richest families in the world. To accurately place the Corsair IV in its proper standing, you only have to look it up on the internet to come across a 2008 story about the ship in the online version of the "New York Social Register."

The Morgan family owned four different "Corsair" yachts over the years. The building and commissioning of each one was front page news. One of the earlier Corsair's was so luxurious that it was responsible for the most famous statement ever made about money in American history. A reporter had asked the family patriarch, J.P. Morgan, how much his new yacht cost to operate.

"Sir, if you have to ask, you can't afford it," Morgan legendarily replied.

The elder J.P. Morgan  - considered preeminent American banker/industrialist at the turn of the 20th Century - was long gone by the time the Corsair IV was commissioned in 1930 by his son J.P. Morgan Jr.

The Corsair IV, a turbo-electric driven ship, was built at the famous Bath shipyard in Maine in 1930, during the first years of The Depression. The $2.5 million cost then translates to $60 million today, but one suspects it would cost 10 times that much to replicate a ship that would held be in similar esteem today. At 343 feet in length and more than 2,000 tons, it was, at the time, the largest yacht that had ever been built in the United States.

According to Michael Grace's 2008 story on the "New York Social Diary " website,  J.P. Morgan Jr. brought three railcars of friends and family to Maine just to watch the ship launching in 1930. The launch itself was covered in the pages of numerous newspapers including the New York Times.

The yacht served the family for a decade where it was primarily used in the Caribbean. The ship also set a handful of cross Atlantic speed records before being turned over to the British Government in 1940 to take part in the War effort.

During the war the ship was used in the British Isles for important meetings and other ceremonial tasks. Winston Churchill reportedly took a liking to the Corsair IV and used it on several occasions, but generally it spent most of the war at the dock.

Following World War II, the steamship industry was slow to recover from having nearly all of its major assets - it's ships - involved in the war effort. For example, liner service between countries in the Pacific was very slow to reestablish itself. Commercial avation began to take off and that was a factor as well. By the early 1950s, steamship travel to Alaska was still just a shadow of what it was prior to the war.

But the steam lines also recognized that while other industries such as barge or airline companies were taking over the day to day needs of transportation, there was a largely untapped market, tourism, that had growth potential. The Alaska Steamship Company - which had always had an active tourism component - created Pacific Cruise Lines in 1946.  Looking to stake its claim to the luxury cruise ship market, it purchased the Corsair IV for an undisclosed amount.

The name was changed from the Corsair IV to the Corsair and it was overhauled at Todd Shipyards in New York and the Victoria Machinery Depot in Victoria B.C.

Grace wrote that no expense was spared in the ship's conversion from luxury yacht to luxury cruise ship.

"In charge of her interior was the firm of William F. Schorn Associates of New York. Schorn was also responsible for giving the pre-war Moore-McCormick Liners cruising from New York to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay a much more contemporary look....This was not just a paint job but a total conversion...to create elegant surroundings for the line's future passengers."

And, compared to modern ships, there would not be many passengers, only 82, but they had significantly larger staterooms than in the normal classes today. The ship was the first of the "cruise ships" to feature beds and not berths and each stateroom had its own bath.

"The steward's department alone numbered more than 40," Grace wrote in 2008. "Each was responsible for the sole purpose of catering to the slightest desire of the carriage trade passengers. All public rooms were completely carpeted and air conditioned (as were) all bedrooms, sitting rooms and suites. Top European chefts were hired to create haute cuisine."

All told, there 76 crew members, nearly a 1-1 ratio with the passengers.

In September of 1947, the Corsair began offering  two week cruises between Long Beach, California and Acapulco, Mexico. The standard rate was $600 or more than $6,700 in 2018 dollars.

Despite the cost, Grace noted that the company placed ads in national publications and demand was high enough to create a wait list. "Cruising" had become a thing, for those that could afford it.

In the summer of 1948, the Corsair began operating two-week cruises up the Inside Passage from Vancouver, British Columbia to Whittier, Alaska. From Whittier, passengers could ride a special train to Anchorage and on to what was then called Mt. McKinley National Park.  Rates on the Alaska cruises ranged from $500 to $800 and once again they were popular enough to generate a waiting list for the better dates.

The next spring, the Mexico cruises were expanded to include visits to Havana, Cuba. In the summer of 1949, the ship returned again to the Inside Passage.

In October of 1949, it was back on its California to Mexico runs and that's where the story of the Morgan Yacht that became a cruise ship sadly ends.

On November 12, 1949 it struck a rock near Acapulco and was seriously damaged. All the crew and passengers were safely evacuated but the ship was deemed a total loss.

Even today, as cruise ships tout their high end accommodations and even the "cheap" berths on the ships maintain a level of sophistication that would be completely foreign to the old steam ships, there is no question that true "luxury" on the Inside Passage run began and ended with the Morgan's Corsair.

Columns by Dave Kiffer Historical Feature Stories by Dave Kiffer

Dave Kiffer ©2018

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yacht corsair iv

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The Last Great Race of Princes.

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International yacht racing is not exactly a spectator sport. The ''playing field,'' after all, can be thousands of square miles in size. Today, with television unable to deal effectively with ocean racing, it gets little attention. But in an earlier time, when sports were conveyed to the public by the written word, ordinary people followed yacht racing in the newspapers. They reveled not only in the thrill of the contest but also in the lives of the participants, for there has always been one inescapable prerequisite to being a major-league yachtsman: you had to be very, very rich.

At the turn of the 20th century, when the American economy was in one of its epic periods of wealth creation, Europe still had an aristocracy worthy of the name, and flaunting wealth was much in fashion, yacht racing was in its golden age. In 1904, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, himself an ardent if not overscrupulous yachtsman, offered a solid gold cup for a trans-Atlantic race from Sandy Hook, N.J., to the Lizard, near the tip of Cornwall in England. The race began on May 18, 1905, so that the kaiser could present the cup to the winner at the Kiel Week regatta in mid-June. That suited his propaganda purposes as well; he was hoping to present the cup to himself, having entered his schooner Hamburg. But it meant racing across the always dangerous Atlantic in often tricky late-spring conditions.

The challenge quickly attracted 11 boats, ranging in size from the full-rigged ship Valhalla, at 245 feet over all and 648 tons, to the tiny (relatively speaking) Fleur de Lys, at a mere 108 feet and 86 tons. The owners of this fleet were as varied as the boats themselves, except, of course, for the fact that they were all rich. Besides the kaiser, the owners included two British peers: Lord Brassey, the son of a man who had made a vast fortune building railroads; and the 26th Earl of Crawford, the holder of one of the most ancient titles in Europe. Among the American owners were the meatpacking heir Allison Armour, the banker Edmond Randolph, the steel heir Edward Coleman and Wilson Marshall, the heir to a New York streetcar fortune.

The owners, needless to say, did not skipper these boats in a race so fraught with peril. They hired the finest racing captains they could find and paid them vast sums by the standards of the day. Like all who make their living being the first over a finish line, these men tended to be quirky and driven. They were entertaining copy then and they are just as entertaining today. Although in ''Atlantic'' Scott Cookman, the author of ''Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition,'' makes several incorrect statements regarding nautical matters, when dealing with the race itself the narrative has the ring of authenticity as the crews fight wind and water to make it to the Lizard first. The story of this epic race will be of interest to any sailor, real or armchair.

Unfortunately, the race itself takes up comparatively little of the book. With a text of 273 pages, the starting gun does not boom out until Page 212, although, to be fair, there are several short flash-forward chapters earlier. Much of the rest of the book is devoted to the social and economic scene in which the race is set and the characters who inhabited that scene. And here the author is, well, frequently at sea.

He gets numerous facts wrong. He lumps the very old-money Roosevelts in with the ''new money'' Astors and Vanderbilts. He places the New York baseball teams of the day in the wrong leagues. He dismisses The New York Herald as an ''upstart'' and jingoistic when it had become the greatest newspaper in the world.

He refers to J. P. Morgan's steam yacht Corsair III as ''the third of four ever larger yachts of the same name he built to outdo'' other New York Yacht Club members. In fact, he built only the second and third Corsairs. He bought the first ready-made, and it was his son who built Corsair IV, long after his father's death. And Morgan, perhaps the most powerful banker ever, rarely felt the need to impress anyone.

Here we get to the heart of what is wrong with this book. The author's animus toward the sort of men epitomized by Morgan -- in other words, those capable of owning oceangoing yachts -- fairly drips off every page. He dismisses them as either rapacious and untutored exploiters or as moneyed dilettantes engaged in the endless pursuit of pleasure. Some of them were exactly that. Others most certainly were not. Lord Brassey, long a member of Parliament and deeply interested in naval affairs, was instrumental in helping reform the set-in-its-ways Royal Navy. Lord Crawford, a noted collector and bibliophile, had been a practicing astronomer and president of the Royal Astronomical Society. Lewis A. Stimson, who owned the Fleur de Lys, was a very distinguished surgeon.

THE problem lies partly in the author's choice of sources. He quotes Matthew Josephson's ''Robber Barons'' to the effect that Morgan laid out $100,000 for a ''small, but exquisite,'' Vermeer, but had to be told who Vermeer was. Morgan, very well educated in Europe (he spoke both French and German fluently), widely traveled, the greatest art collector of his time and the president of the Metropolitan Museum, knew perfectly well who Vermeer was. The painting in question, now at the Met, is not even small. With such excellent works as Ron Chernow's ''Titan'' and Jean Strouse's ''Morgan'' available, to turn to Josephson's tendentious and intellectually dishonest work, published in 1934, is inexcusable.

''Atlantic'' is also marred by the fact that it does not appear to have been edited. The author uses ''penultimate'' when he apparently means ''ultimate'' and ''incredulous'' when he means ''incredible.'' He spells ''ornithology'' as ''orinthology'' more than once. He writes of Charlie Barr, who skippered the winning boat, that because he was born in a Scottish fishing village, ''he had only two options for a livelihood: go to sea or stay ashore.'' That's a choice that pretty much describes the possibility for us all.

After the United States entered World War I, Wilson Marshall, whose yacht, Atlantic, had won the great race, smashed the gold cup he had won at a war rally. The kaiser's cup was revealed to be merely pewter, thinly plated with gold. ''Atlantic,'' alas, is much the same. It is a shame that such a good story has been so inadequately researched and badly published.

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A few years ago, Harvard acquired the archive of Candida Royalle, a porn star turned pioneering director. Now, the collection has inspired a new book  challenging the conventional history of the sexual revolution.

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Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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Item 8855 - Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930

Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930

The steel-hulled, turbo-electric-powered CORSAIR was the fourth yacht by that name owned by J. P. Morgan and his family. CORSAIR (IV) was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath and was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. She measured 2,142 gross tons, register length 300 feet, length over all 343 feet. Morgan used her for 10 years, mostly on the East Coast and in the West Indies. She was given to the British Royal Navy during World War II, and then was a luxury cruise ship on the West Coast until being wrecked near Acapulco in 1949.

Cruising The Past Cruise News

California’s old movie palaces new video, j. pierpont morgan’s yacht corsair iv became a cruise ship to mexico..

Posted by: Michael Grace May 22, 2009

J. Pierpont Morgan Jr. could never have imagined his yacht Corsair IV being converted into a deluxe cruise ship whose short career would end in tragedy but it happened on a sailing from California to Acapulco in 1949.

J.P. Morgan Jr. and his legendary business tycoon father, J. Pierpont Morgan, made cruise history, owning four magnificent yachts christened Corsair, and built three of them.

Each yacht was bigger, faster, and more comfortable than the preceding one.

The Morgan Corsair created major media attention for the times resulting in a legendary quote by the senior Morgan when he was asked how much it cost to operate a boat that size. His quick response: “Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can’t afford it.”

Corsair IV was constructed in Maine at the beginning of the Great Depression for $2.5 million (or about $60 million in today’s currency). Measuring 2,142 gross tons, with a registered length of 300 feet and overall length of 343 feet, the Corsair IV was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. Designed in the traditional piratical look of Morgan yachts, Corsair IV was long, dark, heavy underneath – paler and suaver in the superstructure.

The Corsair launching in 1930.

When it was ready for launching in 1930, Morgan brought three private railway cars of family and friends up to the Maine shipyards for the occasion.

Morgan used her for ten years, mostly on the East Coast, in the West Indies and for trans-Atlantic record-breaking crossings. After an eventful career with Morgan, the Corsair IV was turned over to British Admiralty in 1940.

Following World War II, rich Americans had money to spend on cruises but choices were limited. Half the commercial passenger vessels had been sunk and the surviving liners demanded extensive refurbishing. It would be several years before many refurbished ships would be back in service or any new ships built.

This was especially true in California and on the West Coast. American Presidents Lines took three years to re-establish liner service to the Orient and it wasn’t until 1948 when Matson Line’s famous Lurline sailed again to Hawaii.

The magnificent pre-war Canadian Pacific and Japanese liners that once plied the Pacific had been brutally sunk in seagoing battles.

Life Magazine featured the new Corsair.  It was probably the most deluxe cruise ship operating after World War II.

Realizing there was an untapped post-War luxury cruise market, the Skinner and Eddy Corporation, owners of the Alaska Steamship Company, created Pacific Cruise Lines in 1946.

The newly formed subsidiary immediately went looking for a ship and was lucky enough to quickly spot its prize, Corsair IV.

The former Morgan yacht was bought from undisclosed buyers and placed under Panamanian registry.

The Corsair (the IV was dropped) was taken to Todd Shipyards in New York for repair and overhaul, and then sailed to the Victoria Machinery Depot in Victoria, Canada, for conversion to a luxury cruise vessel.

The ultra-deluxe public rooms and staterooms aboard the Corsair.

In charge of her interior was the firm of William F. Schorn Associates of New York. Schorn was also responsible for giving the pre-war Moore-McCormick Liners cruising to South America from New York – Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay –a much more contemporary look. He provided the same meticulous detail to designing the modern accommodations for the new elegant Corsair. This was not just a paint job but also a total conversion for the former Morgan yacht to create elegant surroundings for the line’s future passengers.

The goal of Pacific Cruise Lines was to offer to the traveling public the world’s most luxurious cruise ship. The many letters received from the cruise passengers during the first year of service attested to that accomplishment.

The Pacific Cruise Line’s S.S. Corsair, ready to sail from Long Beach, California in 1948.

Accommodating only 82 passengers, all rooms were much larger and more commodious than as expected on shipboard at that time. No expense was spared in furnishing decorating each room with the very finest of materials and workmanship available. There were no berths on the Corsair and all staterooms featured beds. Each room had its own private bath.

There were a total of 42 rooms on the ship and the steward’s department personnel alone numbered more than forty. Each was responsible for the sole purpose of catering to the slightest desire of the carriage trade passengers. All public rooms, including the main lounge, forward observation lounge, cocktail lounge, etc., were completely carpeted and air-conditioned. This was also true of all bedrooms, sitting rooms and suites. Top European chiefs were hired to create haute cuisine. A total of 76 crewmembers and officers were aboard the new cruise ship, making the passenger to crew ratio almost one to one, equaling or surpassing the most high end cruise ships operating today.

The new Corsair made her debut on September 29, 1947 offering two-week cruises from Long Beach, California, to Acapulco, Mexico. The standard price per person rate averaged $600. Hardly a bargain since the ship’s cruise fare equaled more than a quarter of the 1947 typical U.S. family income.

The new cruise line placed attractive full-page ads for cruising on the new stylish first class Corsair in Holiday magazine. Demand for passage was heavy and the wait lists lengthy. During the summers of 1948, the Corsair was switched to Alaska. Sailing out of Vancouver, British Columbia, she provided the first deluxe two-week cruises ever offered to the Inside Passage. Another first for the Corsair Alaska cruises was a special chartered train transporting passengers from Whittier to famed McKinley National Park.

A series of cruises to Mexico, Havana via the Panama Canal and the Gulf of California were scheduled and completed in the spring of 1949. The cruise ship returned to Alaska for summer sailings and was to be followed by a season of cruises to Mexico from Long Beach beginning in October. Then tragedy struck on November 12, 1949.

The Corsair, during one of her autumn Mexican Riviera cruises, struck a rock and beached at Acapulco. Her crew and 55 passengers were put ashore in lifeboats.

There was no loss of life. Examined by her owners, the former Morgan yacht was determined to be a total constructive loss, and abandoned to Davy Jones’ locker.

Even during this age of mega-liners, no other ships will ever equal the elegance, exclusivity and style of the former Morgan yacht.

The Corsair’s legacy lives on only for divers willing to explore the remains of the vessel deep in the warm seas off Acapulco.

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nero profile

Nero: The 90m new build with an old-world soul and neo-classic styling

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the classically styled 90.1-metre Nero has been sailing the seas for centuries. Dig a little deeper and you'll find she is an architectural confection of old and new, as Holly Margerrison discovers.

Nero is a yacht of many secrets. For years, she was home to a plump, ginger stowaway from the Chinese shipyard she was built in. Named Nelson, the cat stayed with the owner on board, only going ashore if guests were not fond of the feline, and he even had his own chair in the wheelhouse that he scratched to pieces. Everyone gave up trying to replace the armchair and eventually threw a blanket over it.

Frederica Findlater of Burgess recounts a beautiful photo of the yacht taken from the stern. You’d be mistaken for thinking Nero was the subject of the image. Instead, sat on the capping rail, tail straight down, is Nelson, lapping up dusk’s soft light. Oh, to be the stowaway on Nero and to know the stories she holds.

Several years and two substantial refits later, these nostalgic traces can still be found throughout – if you know where to look. On a bright day off the coast of Monaco, I tour the modern-classic build, witnessing the wealth of details that make her such a revered yacht.

For example: Tucked behind the door in the owner’s suite is the epitome of British naval power. Poised high on the top shelf is a bust of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson (from which the cat borrowed its name) – a charismatic legend who led the British fleet to victory against the much larger French and Spanish fleets in the Battle of Trafalgar.

Follow the compass-embossed marquetry a little further along the deck and you uncover the next jewel in Nero 's trove. Here lies another bust, this time of Lord Byron, a figure heavily connected to the Greek War of Independence and the author behind the 1814 poem The Corsair . The poem tells the story of a wild and ruthless pirate, and served as inspiration for the name of one of the largest privately owned vessels in the 1930s, a 103-metre classic named Corsair IV that was itself the inspiration for Nero .

These treasures, along with model yachts that evoke the spirit of sea battles in their golden age, imbue Nero with a maritime history that goes much deeper than her clipper bow, black hull and iconic yellow funnel. It was British entrepreneur Neil Taylor who commissioned and designed Nero, initially setting out to restore a true classic. But when a suitable donor yacht wasn't available, he built a replica design of Corsair IV, owned by finance and industry icon JP Morgan in the 1930s.

Taylor inserted himself in the traditions of early 20th-century yachting and created something which both looked and felt like a time-honoured yacht. He pays his respects to JP Morgan across Nero with ubiquitous intertextual links. For a start, Corsair Yachts , the yard that Taylor created specifically for his build, is a nod to Morgan’s Corsair series of yachts. The bust of Nelson also honours the financier's fascination with the naval figure, who spent his life collecting ephemera and memorabilia. 

John Leonida, consulting superyacht industry advisor from LP Squared Ltd, shared much of his extensive research into Nero . He said: “The level of detail is extraordinary. It’s the bringing together of so many nautical themes that makes this such a spectacular boat.” Speaking of the figurehead of Byron, he added: “It’s an easter egg. If you don’t know it’s there, you don’t know that’s Byron. It adds another dimension.”

Her exterior is equally as captivating. As Captain Paul Bell explains, her sheer line “[rises] up as if it were an old-fashioned yacht. It’s taken from the time, so it’s architecturally correct. It’s the only boat I’ve worked on that has one of those, apart from an old-fashioned sailing yacht. She feels like a mix of a motor yacht and a sailing yacht because of her full-length keel. When she’s sitting at anchor like this, she feels like a sailing yacht.” He adds: “It’s quite relaxed, it’s not like a modern-day superyacht.”

It wasn’t always so relaxed inside and, for this, interior designer Laura Pomponi is to thank. As she puts it, she “transformed the yacht from a gentleman’s club to a lady of the seas”. Pomponi was tasked with the 2016 refit in MB92 in Barcelona, under a new owner whose brief was “contemporary, classic elegance”. Pomponi explains the biggest challenge of this refit was balancing a fresh aesthetic while “keeping the soul of the vessel”. To accomplish this, she introduced considerable light, cream interiors that are anything but clinical, and an amalgamation of cosy textures throughout.

Light in colour yet springy underfoot, the handmade bouclé carpet on the main deck invites guests to take their time as they walk across it. When it came to sourcing the fabric (of which there was 3.2km in the first refit), she explains “we pick up a little bit here, a little bit there. We don’t like well-known brands, we look for something special”.

Prior to the refit, purple, black and gold tones were a common theme on board, and they have since been replaced with nautical-hued furnishings, while dark high-gloss woods have been substituted for lime-washed oak and brass fittings have been stripped and dipped in chrome to resemble silver.

The mix of old and new artwork, chosen in collaboration with the owner and sourced predominantly from Italy and America, heightens the maritime theme with a contrast between tall ships and steamships.

The result of the first refit? A tactile, retro yacht where guests are encouraged to enjoy the space. Not cavernous yet also not claustrophobic, Nero encapsulates all that is to evoke “quiet luxury” – not defined by the amount it cost to build her, nor her refit costs.

Fast forward to 2021, when Pomponi’s expertise was called on once again. This time, the brief was more technical and focused on a wellness boat that would appeal to charter clients, aligning with an upgraded programme.

With this in mind, the snug was converted into a self-serving gym on the top deck and the previous gym was converted into a beauty saloon-come-massage room. They also changed the loose furniture and the owner opted for new colours, allowing Pomponi to weave in greens and yellows amongst the teal and blue. The sofas, designed and upholstered by the studio, demand to be sat on – the level of formality stripped in favour of ergonomic design. The floor surrounding the skylounge bar was also changed to wood to be more universally appealing.

The gym was Pomponi’s challenge for the 2021 refit, not least due to the technical constraints of the camber and the sheer of the floor. To make the ultra-modern kinesis fit, her team removed the floor and replaced it with technical cork panels, which are also easier to maintain. She then harmonised the contemporary and classic ambience with glass mirrors produced by an Italian company, Sicis, that specialises in glass mosaics. The mirrored cabinets are coated to give an antique effect.

In a testament to how the boat flows, this “quiet luxury” extends to the service provided by the unobtrusive yet attentive crew. They refute the formality of a silver service associated with a yacht of this size in favour of a more personable approach.

While little is known about the name behind Nero , there are certainly some characters who tell her multifaceted story. Nelson – both the feline and the naval figure – certainly have a part to play in this. For now, Nero will play host to charter guests – next stop Tarragona, before the Antigua Yacht Show.

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Nautical Antiques | Lannan Ship Model Gallery – Lannan Gallery

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Model of JP Morgan's "Corsair IV", 1930 - Lannan Gallery

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Model of JP Morgan's "Corsair IV", 1930

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Exceptional, museum quality model of Corsair IV , JP Morgan's private steam yacht. This model is outfitted with raised paneled mahogany cabins, planked deck, turned brass fittings, rigged masts and etc. Detailed longboats and launches hang from davits. The vessel flies the New York Yacht Club burgee and the Morgan house flag. Mounted into a mahogany display case with matching table.

Overall Dimensions: 56" L x 16" W x 57" H

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Introducing Limited Edition Residences on Greenwich Harbor

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the CORSAIR

A PLACE WITH AUTHENTICITY AND COMPELLING NATURAL BEAUTY.

A PLACE OF ENDURING VALUE.

A PLACE TO BE TREASURED BY FUTURE GENERATIONS AS IT IS PRIZED TODAY.

INSPIRED BY THE LUXURIOUS CORSAIR FLAGSHIP YACHT OF THE GOLDEN AGE

The Corsair is the realization of a grand vision achieved with some of the world’s best architects and designers to create a signature waterfront community on a rare stretch of Greenwich Harbor that was settled more than 300 years ago.

The Corsair showcases timeless stone and shingle architecture with classic materials to create a place that seems to have been here forever. Beneath its traditional design, The Corsair has integrated environmentally sustainable infrastructure and technology to offer state-of-the-art living spaces.

Most spectacularly, every home has breathtaking views that connect one directly to the water and break down the barriers between indoor and outdoor living.

jp morgan

THESE LIMITED EDITION RESIDENCES ARE NAMED FOR J. P. MORGAN'S 1930 CORSAIR IV, A 300-FT LUXURY YACHT.

jp morgan

ROBERT A. M. STERN IS A WORLD-RENOWNED, NEW YORK-BASED ARCHITECT, EDUCATOR, AND AUTHOR.

Residences masterfully designed, by visionary, robert a. m. stern.

The selection of Robert Stern as architect was based on the firm’s international acclaim for their visionary residential projects including 15 Central Park West and 30 Park Place in New York City as well as high-end buildings in London, Paris, Los Angeles and Charleston. Robert Stern specializes in designing luxury waterfront properties including many beautiful Hamptons beach homes. In addition, from 1998 to 2016, he was the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture

the BUILDING & COMMUNITY FEATURES

  • Outdoor swimming pool
  • Expansive landscaped lawns & gardens
  • Private storage units
  • Parking garage
  • Private dock
  • Panoramic views of Greenwich Harbor
  • Walking distance to Greenwich Train Station, 45-minute express to Grand Central
  • Walking distance to Greenwich Avenue, boutique shopping, cafes and restaurants
  • Adjacent to Indian Harbor Yacht Club

GREENWICH HARBOR

Timeless modern luxury.

The Corsair is located directly on Greenwich Harbor and within walking distance of Greenwich Avenue, the heart of the Town, which offers high-end retailers, luxury boutiques and chic eateries. The Corsair is further improved by a short walk to the Greenwich Train Station, where one can catch a 45-minute express directly into Grand Central. Located in one of the most affluent communities in the United States, Greenwich offers excellent schools, gorgeous beaches and parks, art and cultural institutions including the Bruce Museum and extensive recreational facilities including golf, sailing and rowing clubs.

jp morgan

THE BELL, CAST IN BRASS, WAS USED ON BOARD THE CORSAIR. IT NOW RESIDES IN THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM. IT IS RUNG DAILY TO SIGNAL THE MUSEUM’S CLOSING.

jp morgan watch

THE CORSAIR WATCH WAS PRESENTED BY J.P. MORGAN TO J. FREDERIC TAMS FOR BUILDING THE YACHT CORSAIR.

The residences, every home has breathtaking views that connect one directly to the water.

These seven remarkable condominium residences feature single-level living with seamless indoor-outdoor layouts and nautical-style wooden finish.

The residences connect contemporary lifestyles to traditional American aesthetics, evoking a sense of graceful timelessness.

the RESIDENCE FEATURES

  • All residences have private porches/balconies
  • Kolbe™ Mahogany windows & doors
  • Prefinished solid oak, wide plank flooring
  • Detailed base, crown molding & custom paneling
  • Gas fireplace
  • Smart Home thermostat system
  • Oversized solid-core doors with solid brass hardware
  • Pre-wired for blinds/shades
  • Front-loading HE™ Washer & Dryer
  • Designer Kitchen
  • Master Spa Bathroom

RESIDE IN LUXURY DEFINED BY

The details.

The close attention that has been paid to the custom design and luxurious finishes, both inside and out, prove that luxury is indeed in the details.

yacht corsair iv

waterfront VIEWS

From every residence.

Overlooking Belle Haven and the Long Island Sound, all homes at The Corsair are accentuated with generous terraces and expansive windows that allow natural light into every corner of the home. Complete with its own private dock and outdoor swimming pool, The Corsair offers true waterfront living.

jp morgan

A MODEL OF THE CORSAIR IV, WORLD-RENOWNED FOR ITS CRAFTSMANSHIP AND INNOVATIVE DESIGN. FACILITIES ON THE GLAMOROUS CORSAIR WERE SECOND TO NONE.

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Boat of the Week: The 295-Foot ‘Nero’ Was Inspired by a Classic Superyacht From 1930

The new interior and gym on 295-ft. nero, built to resemble jp morgan's corsair iv, show how a classic-looking yacht can stay thoroughly modern., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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Nero is a modern yacht with a classic look that just had a major refit

Superyacht fans around the world will instantly recognize Nero , the one-of-a-kind 295-footer that defines the term “modern classic.” First launched from Corsair Yachts in 2007, Nero was commissioned as a replica of the famed 300-foot Corsair IV owned by J.P. Morgan, which, when launched in 1930, was the world’s largest yacht.

British entrepreneur Neil Taylor loved the look of Corsair IV , but didn’t want the expense of restoring a vintage yacht—which would’ve been impossible with Corsair , since it had transitioned into a high-end cruise ship in Asia and eventually sank off the coast of Mexico. Instead, Taylor set about building a beautiful replica with a modern hull and interior.

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Taylor actually established the Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China and hired 400 workers to build the yacht, which took nearly four years to complete. Two years after her delivery, she took Best Motor Yacht over 246 feet in the ShowBoats International Design Awards. The 1930s lookalike has since undergone two major refits, the latest just completed at San Giorgio del Porto in Genoa, Italy, to become an even more modern version of the original classic.

Nero is a modern yacht with a classic look that just had a major refit

Nero’s new gym was installed to make the yacht more relevant in today’s superyacht world. 

“ Nero ’s original build was fairly complex, so this refit was a great opportunity to technically upgrade her to the latest regulations,” Capt. Marcel Busse told Robb Report . “I’ve overseen numerous large refits on other boats, but this one takes the cake on many levels.”

The icing on that cake is the sundeck gym filled with Technogym equipment, including a Kinesis, treadmill, cross trainer and cardio bike. The area also has loose weights, yoga and Pilates equipment and, naturally, a certified physical trainer is part of the crew. A large Jacuzzi just steps away on the sundeck makes a perfect post-workout de-stressor.

“It used to be a ‘snug’ salon, but was underused,” says Busse. “Now it’s a fully-fledged gym with mirror-fronted storage lockers, fridge and TV. We’ve got a lot of space on the sun deck, which is monstrous compared to other boats of her size.” An 18.7-foot-long resistance pool is also located on the foredeck. The original gym has become a beauty salon and massage area.

Nero is a modern yacht with a classic look that just had a major refit

The interior was also updated with lighter-colored woods and decor for a Hampton’s beach-cottage look. 

Nero ’s owners have been careful to preserve its inimitable historical look, including the long bowsprit and yellow funnel in the center. The sleek exterior lines that herald the golden age of yachting haven’t been touched, though her striking black hull and superstructure have received a fresh coat of paint. One key area that has been rehabbed: The air-conditioning system, which could spell the difference between heaven and misery on such a large yacht. “It’s key for a black-hulled boat like Nero ,” says Busse.

Nero underwent a nine-month refit five years ago that included an updated interior by designer Laura Pomponi. “The owners spent a lot of time and money in 2016 upgrading the interior from dark wood to lime-washed wood with light-colored carpets,” says Busse. “We’ve maintained the lime wash and given the interior a Hamptons beach-house vibe.”

Pomponi was brought back for Nero ’s most recent refit, giving the interior turquoise hues with blue and red accents. Handmade carpets run throughout, including the owner’s duplex suite with separate lounge, study and his-and-hers bathrooms. Most soft furnishings, fabrics and sofas have been replaced. In the sky lounge bar, a new maple-and-oak hardwood floor delivers a wow factor in what looks like a classic yacht.

Nero is a modern yacht with a classic look that just had a major refit

The yellow funnel and outer dining areas retain the original owner’s intent of creating a yacht with 1930s ambiance.  Courtesy Burgess Yachts

For onboard entertainment, a newly installed and upgraded Icon Connect AV/IT system delivers the latest technology. A collection of water toys, including an inflatable slide, keep everyone happy in the water.

As part of the refit, Nero ’s original custom 31-ft. limousine tender also got a makeover, with new paint and varnish, upholstery and interior lights to update her classic beauty.

Despite the classic look, Busse says the yacht has a modern hull that cruises well at 14 knots, while consuming the same amount of fuel most yachts her size would use at 12 knots. “She has two sets of stabilizers, giving her four in total, so she’s quite stable,” he says.

Nero is a modern yacht with a classic look that just had a major refit

Nero and her tender are instantly recognizable anywhere in the world. 

Nero is available for charter in the Med through Burgess Yachts, with weekly charters starting at about $590,000.

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IMAGES

  1. NERO YACHT Inspired by J.P. MORGAN'S Legendary CORSAIR IV yacht

    yacht corsair iv

  2. J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV Yacht

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  3. J. Pierpont Morgan’s yacht Corsair IV became a cruise ship to Mexico

    yacht corsair iv

  4. Model of JP Morgan's "Corsair IV", 1930

    yacht corsair iv

  5. CORSAIR IV STEAM YACHT OF J P MORGAN

    yacht corsair iv

  6. Model of JP Morgan's "Corsair IV", 1930

    yacht corsair iv

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COMMENTS

  1. The tragic life of the Corsair IV

    Corsair IV was constructed in Maine at the beginning of the Great Depression for $2.5 million (or about $60 million in today's currency). Measuring 2,142 gross tons, with a registered length of 300 feet and overall length of 343 feet, the Corsair IV was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. Designed in the traditional piratical look of ...

  2. J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV Yacht

    The Corsair IV. The Corsair IV was commissioned by J.P. Morgan Junior and built at Bath Iron Works, Maine. When she was launched in April 1930 she measured 343 feet in length and was the largest private yacht ever constructed in the USA. Nicknamed the "Princess of the Sea", she was an object of beauty with her black hull, clipper bow and elegant teak interiors.

  3. J. P. Morgan's former yacht CORSAIR sailed as a deluxe cruise ship from

    Corsair IV was constructed in Maine at the beginning of the Great Depression for $2.5 million (or about $60 million in today's currency). Measuring 2,142 gross tons, with a registered length of 300 feet and overall length of 343 feet, the Corsair IV was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. Designed in the traditional piratical look of Morgan yachts; Corsair IV was long, dark, heavy ...

  4. SS Corsair IV

    SS Corsair IV. We see the ship here as the 1947 Pacific Cruise Lines SS Corsair having been sold. and completely renovated into a passenger ship from a private luxury yacht - Corsair IV. For many years the author had a folder somewhere in the system containing the ships details as well as a series of photographs of this remarkable small ...

  5. Corsair IV was largest yacht built in the U.S., at BIW

    The Morgans had already owned three yachts with the name Corsair, the last having been built in 1899. Pete Newell of BIW originally came up with a design for a 310-foot ship, but Morgan wanted to ...

  6. Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930

    CORSAIR (IV) was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath and was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. She measured 2,142 gross tons, register length 300 feet, length over all 343 feet. Morgan used her for 10 years, mostly on the East Coast and in the West Indies. She was given to the British Royal Navy during World War II, and then was a luxury ...

  7. SitNews: Back When Cruising Was Real Luxury By DAVE KIFFER

    The Corsair IV started out her seagoing life as the luxury yacht of the J.P. Morgan family, one of the richest families in the world. To accurately place the Corsair IV in its proper standing, you only have to look it up on the internet to come across a 2008 story about the ship in the online version of the "New York Social Register."

  8. Yachts

    Sharing his father's nautical nature, J.P. Morgan Jr. carried on the tradition by having the 343-foot Corsair IV completed in 1930. The largest yacht built in the United States at the time, it ...

  9. J. P. Morgan Jr.

    Morgan sold the Corsair IV to the British Admiralty in 1940 for one dollar to assist with Britain's war effort. After the war the Corsair IV was sold to Pacific Cruise Lines and, on September 29, 1947, began service as a luxury cruise ship operating between Long Beach, California and Acapulco, Mexico. On November 12, 1949 the yacht struck a ...

  10. The 10 Best Yachts at the 2024 Palm Beach International Boat Show

    That would be the 295-foot, classically styled superyacht Nero, built in 2007 and inspired by American financier J.P. Morgan's legendary 1930s steamer Corsair IV.

  11. A Model Of The Steam Yacht CORSAIR (IV) , ANONYMOUS; 20TH CENTURY

    The Corsair IV was 343 feet long with an extreme breadth of 42 feet. She was built in 1930 by Bath Iron Works. The Corsair IV replaced the splendid Corsair III after 31 years of service. Probably no two men had more experience with large steam yachts than had her owner, J.P Morgan, and her captain, W.B Porter.

  12. Ocean's 11

    John Wiley & Sons. $24.95. International yacht racing is not exactly a spectator sport. The ''playing field,'' after all, can be thousands of square miles in size. Today, with television unable to ...

  13. Launching of the yacht CORSAIR (IV) at Bath Iron Works, 1930

    The steel-hulled, turbo-electric-powered CORSAIR was the fourth yacht by that name owned by J. P. Morgan and his family. CORSAIR (IV) was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath and was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. She measured 2,142 gross tons, register length 300 feet, length over all 343 feet. Morgan used her for 10 years, mostly on the East Coast and in the West Indies.

  14. Corsair Iv Steam Yacht Of J P Morgan

    Exceptional model of Corsair IV, JP Morgan's private steam yacht. This model is outfitted with raised paneled mahogany . Exceptional model of Corsair IV, JP Morgan's private steam yacht. ... Fan shaped steam yacht Corsair oyster platter, 10". The Mintor's china has the J. Pierpont Morgan signature navy blue trim with gold accents. Reverse has ...

  15. J. Pierpont Morgan's yacht Corsair IV became a cruise ship to Mexico

    Corsair IV was constructed in Maine at the beginning of the Great Depression for $2.5 million (or about $60 million in today's currency). Measuring 2,142 gross tons, with a registered length of 300 feet and overall length of 343 feet, the Corsair IV was the largest yacht ever built in the U.S. Designed in the traditional piratical look of Morgan yachts, Corsair IV was long, dark, heavy ...

  16. Nero: Inside the MB92 Refit of a 90m Modern Classic

    Nero was inspired by JP Morgan's Corsair IV, commissioned and designed by Neil Taylor and launched in 2008. Taylor originally wanted to restore a true classic but when an acceptable donor yacht couldn't be found he set out to build a replica. The builder, Corsair Yachts, was created uniquely for the purpose, with construction taking place at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China and some ...

  17. Nero: The 90m new build with an old-world soul and neo-classic styling

    But when a suitable donor yacht wasn't available, he built a replica design of Corsair IV, owned by finance and industry icon JP Morgan in the 1930s. ... For a start, Corsair Yachts, the yard that Taylor created specifically for his build, is a nod to Morgan's Corsair series of yachts. The bust of Nelson also honours the financier's ...

  18. Model of JP Morgan's "Corsair IV", 1930

    483 Washington Street, Norwell MA 02061. (617) 451 2650. [email protected]. Directions. Exceptional, museum quality model of Corsair IV, JP Morgan's private steam yacht. This model is outfitted with raised paneled mahogany cabins, planked deck, turned brass fittings, rigged masts and etc. Detailed longboats and launches hang from davits.

  19. 4043: 20th C. Model of J.P. Morgan's Yacht Corsair IV

    Elegant late 20th Century model of J.P. Morgan's private steam yacht 'Corsair IV' with expertly planked mahogany deck and built up cabins. Six detailed launches and lifeboats hang from davits. Other details include ventilator cowls, winch, deck plates, pennants, passenger benches, wood capped deck rails, binnacle, engine order telegraphs, cleats, davits, etc. Mounted on turned brass columns ...

  20. The Corsair

    these limited edition residences are named for j. p. morgan's 1930 corsair iv, a 300-ft luxury yacht. robert a. m. stern is a world-renowned, new york-based architect, educator, and author. ... a model of the corsair iv, world-renowned for its craftsmanship and innovative design. facilities on the glamorous corsair were second to none. 702 ...

  21. Elegant Model of Morgan's Yacht "Corsair IV"

    Elegant model of J.P. Morgan's private steam yacht "Corsair IV" with expertly planked mahogany deck and built up cabins. Six detailed launches and lifeboats hang form davits. Other details include ventilator cowls, winch, deck plates, pennants, passenger benches, wood capped deck rails, binnacle, engine order telegraphs, cleats, davits, etc ...

  22. The 295-Foot 'Nero' Was Inspired by a Classic Superyacht From 1930

    First launched from Corsair Yachts in 2007, Nero was commissioned as a replica of the famed 300-foot Corsair IV owned by J.P. Morgan, which, when launched in 1930, was the world's largest yacht.

  23. Billionaire's Luxury Toy Is a Replica of the Largest U.S.-Built Yacht

    The biggest superyacht built in the U.S. since the 1930s is the glamorous Aquila. Prior to that, the crown belonged to Corsair IV, the 342-footer (104 meters), delivered in 1930 and owned by J.P ...

  24. NERO YACHT Inspired by J.P. MORGAN'S Legendary CORSAIR IV yacht

    Yacht Disclaimer : This video is for entertainment purposes only. I am not promoting nor I am part of any Yachting industry specially the one on this video. ...