USS Nepenthe

USS Nepenthe (SP-112) was a luxury yacht belonging to James Deering and used at his estate, Vizcaya in Miami, Florida. The yacht was completed December 1916 and delivered to Deering who immediately took the yacht to Florida. Nepenthe was acquired by the United States Navy, designated a house boat though given the S.P. indicator of a section patrol vessel, and used briefly from 7 June to 5 October 1917.[2] The yacht resumed its place at the estate until it sank in 1926 during a major hurricane one year after Deering's death. After salvage the yacht was sold.

History
United States
NameUSS Nepenthe
NamesakePrevious name retained
BuilderMathis Yacht Building Company, Camden, New Jersey
Yard number67[1]
CompletedDecember 1916
Acquired7 June 1917
IdentificationOfficial number 214676[1]
FateReturned to owner, 5 October 1917
NotesOperated as private houseboat Nepenthe before and after naval service
General characteristics
TypeHouse boat
Tonnage20 tons
Length80 ft (24 m)
Beam17 ft (5.2 m)
Draft2 ft 10 in (0.86 m)
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)

Deering Yacht at Vizcaya

Nepenthe was built as a civilian yacht, of a type designated "houseboat"[note 1] at the time to describe the relative focus on livability in comparison with the usual powerboats, in 1917 by the Mathis Yacht Building Company at Camden, New Jersey with completion in December 1916.[1][3][4] The yacht was built for industrialist James Deering of Chicago, New York and Miami, Florida and was docked adjacent to his Miami estate Vizcaya.[1][5][6]

Deering owned homes in Chicago, New York and Paris and traveled extensively but he often spent winters in Florida.[7] Construction of Vizcaya began in 1912, and Deering officially began his occupancy on Christmas Day 1916, when he arrived aboard Nepenthe.[8][9] The yacht was kept constantly ready for use and equipped with the same china, monogrammed French linens, and fine accessories as the mansion.[10] From Christmas 1916 until his death in 1925 Deering typically resided at Vizcaya from the end of November to the middle of April entertaining guest that included Lillian Gish, President Warren Harding, Marion Davies, William Jennings Bryan, Thomas Edison and John Singer Sargent.[8][11][12] In April 1917, Sargent was invited to cruise the Florida Keys aboard Nepenthe with James and Charles Deering. He joined the cruise "reluctantly", doing some watercolor sketches (including Derelicts, 1917), as he wanted to stay at the mansion for its "mine of sketching."[11]

World War I service

The U.S. Navy acquired Nepenthe from her owner on 7 June 1917 for use during World War I. She was commissioned as USS Nepenthe (SP-112). Assigned to the 7th Naval District, Nepenthe served in Florida waters.[note 2] However, she proved unsuitable for Navy service, and was returned to her owner on 5 October 1917.[13]

Return to Vizcaya

Deering was happiest aboard a boat, preferring seven- to ten-day cruises aboard Nepenthe. [note 3] The yacht was sunk, a year after Deering's death aboard the SS City of Paris (1920), in the 1926 Miami hurricane. Nepenthe was salvaged and sold.[14]

Footnotes
  1. The outward appearance of these "housboats" was closer to the look of a power yacht than to the boxy designs associated with the modern "houseboat."
  2. Sandler and Wouters (referenced below with regard to Maritime Vizcaya) note that it is "possible the ship was used to house officers off of Key West" but that they cannot confirm that.
  3. There were several boats kept at Vizcaya: in addition to Nepenthe, there was a fishing boat Psyche, a racing yacht Sayonara, and several smaller utility boats.

References
  1. Colton, Tim (June 6, 2018). "Mathis Yacht Building, Camden and Gloucester City NJ". ShipbuildingHistory. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  2. Construction & Repair Bureau (Navy) (November 1, 1918). Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 315. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  3. "Born Again". MotorBoating. August 1999. p. 90. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  4. 1918-1919 Philadelphia Year Book. Philadelphia, Pa.: Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. 1919. p. A44. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  5. Lammers (Historian), Jonathan (July 20, 2010). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Renown" (PDF). p. Sec. 8, p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  6. "Lost Spaces and Stories of Vizcaya — Boating and Leisure (Boat Landing, Nepenthe Yacht and Psyche Cruiser, and Boat House)" (PDF). Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. "James Deering, the Patron". Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  8. "Life at Vizcaya". Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. 2018.
  9. Bartle, Annette (1989). "Vizcaya retains touch of the Renaissance". Doylestown Intelligencer (April 02, 1989). Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  10. "Deering/McCormick: The Dynasties Second Merger". Classic Chicago Magazine. March 19, 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  11. Madsen, Annelise K.; Ormond, Richard; Broadway, Mary (2018). John Singer Sargent & Chicago's Gilded Age. Chicago, Illinois: The Art Institute of Chicago. p. 112. ISBN 9780300232974. LCCN 2017056054. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  12. WPBT2 PBS (2009). "Life at Vizcaya". Community Foundation of South Florida, Inc. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  13. Naval History And Heritage Command. "Nepenthe (S. P. 112)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  14. Sandler, Nathaniel; Wouters (Curator), Gina (2016). "Maritime Vizcaya – Boats and Boating Culture at the Estate (December 2016)". Vizcaya Museum & Gardens. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
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