THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511080127
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: K1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: Obscure Tours: Local Landmarks The Tour Books Never Mention
SOURCE: BY EARL SWIFT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
NO NORFOLK historical site packs more 20th century punch than a handful of small rooms that witnessed John F. Kennedy's last birthday party, Franklin Roosevelt's wartime chats with Winston Churchill, and the final days of Richard Nixon's crumbling presidency.
They also saw visits by Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Soviet Prime Minister Leonid Brezhnev, by Vietnam-weary LBJ and atom bomb-pondering Harry Truman.
The rooms are aboard the Sequoia, a 104-foot yacht used as a getaway by eight presidents.
For six years, the ship has floated in a corrugated metal boatshed at Norshipco's machinery-strewn Brambleton yard, within sight of the Campostella Bridge.
Built in 1928 and bought by the government in 1931, the Sequoia was the official presidential yacht only for Herbert Hoover and FDR. But it remained a White House favorite until 1977, when Jimmy Carter ordered it sold.
It remains in wonderful condition today, thanks to a keel-up overhaul nine years ago. Its mahogany and teak brightwork is flawless. The main salon's carpet is dominated by an intricately woven presidential seal. A tiny wet bar stands in place of an elevator shaft that permitted FDR to travel between decks.
Below, paneled in ash, is the presidential suite - cramped, simply furnished quarters boasting gold bathroom fixtures.
Norshipco is owed millions of dollars for its work on the vessel, a debt that has so far discouraged would-be buyers.
In the meantime, it sits.
KEYWORDS: PRESIDENTIAL YACHT by CNB