Jennifer Pettley is fundraising
Help FDR's Historic USS Potomac - 2024 Drydocking
Help us preserve this amazing National Historic Landmark, the USS Potomac, Franklin D. Roosevelt's historic presidential yacht from 1936 to 1945.
Today, fully restored, the historic Potomac is heading into her 2024 Coast Guard-mandated drydocking. We must raise up to $250,000 to cover drydocking costs which include the maintenance, repairs, and equipment needed to keep her in top shape.
Some 1,500 schoolchildren and their teachers depend on the Potomac each year for educational cruises as they learn world history and about the World War II era.
Thousands of members of the public look forward to coming aboard this magnificent, historic vessel to learn about one of the most consequential periods in world history and to see and learn where FDR hosted top military leaders, political and administrative officials, ambassadors, even European kings and queens.
At 165-feet-long, the Potomac was dubbed by the press at the time, "FDR's Floating White House."
In a bit of historical intrigue while Europe was already at war, the Potomac was twice used to secretly ferry FDR to meetups with larger vessels and on to meetings with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. These secret meetings resulted in the drafting of the Atlantic Charter and the planning of the D-Day Landings at Normandy which brought about the defeat of Germany in World War II.
The ship's history and legacy took on additional turns after FDR's death in 1945. She was sold and over the decades subsequently changed ownership numerous times and fell into disrepair.
One owner brought her through the Panama Canal to Long Beach where the ship caught the attention of entertainer Elvis Presley. He bought the Potomac and donated her to Danny Thomas' St. Jude's Children's Hospital Foundation for a charity auction. Later, In the early 1980s, she ended up being used in a fleet of drug running ships along the coast of California. Seized by the DEA and impounded at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, she sank in 30 ft. of water-truly her lowest point.
The Potomac was raised and put up for auction. The Port of Oakland was the only bidder for $15,000. It was a big turning point for this decaying national treasure.
After a $5 million, 14-year restoration was completed, the Potomac was opened to the public in 1995. The nonprofit USS Potomac Association was formed and has been the owner and operator of the Potomac ever since. See our complete story and watch a video at www.usspotomac.org.
The USS Potomac is the only monument to FDR on the West Coast and gives a real-time opportunity for students and others to marvel in her deep history and legacy.
Help preserve and maintain this remarkable National Historic Landmark which has served as a witness to consequential times in American history and the history of the world.
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