USS Sequoia (AG-23)
Built in 1925-26 by Mathis Yacht Building Company, Camden, New Jersey, the yacht Sequoia II was purchased by the Department of Commerice in 1931 for use by President Herbert C. Hoover. The yacht was transferred to the U.S. Navy in March 1933 and operated in the Washington D.C. area and around the Washington Navy Yard. Designated AG-23, Sequoia was frequently used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Three years later, she became the Secretary of the Navy's yacht, following the purchase of USS Potomac (AG-25) for presidential use. However, the yacht was utilized to fill the hospitality needs of high-ranking government officials and was used by Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy. The Lydon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford administrations also used the yacht for goodwill visits or other official purposes. In 1977, due to budget cuts by President Jimmy E. Carter, Sequoia was placed out of service and sold. Since that time, the yacht has been transferred to numerous owners and is currently being restored. Sequoia was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
The National Museum of the U.S. Navy has three benches from Sequoia on display in the American Revolution, Constitution Fighting Top, and Civil War areas located in Bulding 76.
Image: NH 108753: USS Sequoia (AG-23), 1933. Port view. NHHC Photograph Collection.
