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Haida , the name used for several yachts owned by American yeast millionaire, Major Max C. Fleischmann, benefactor of the construction of the Santa Barbara breakwater. The Major owned 22 different yachts during his lifetime, naming most of them Haida after the Haida Indians whose sailing skills he admired.

* Haida (#228794) (1929-current) The largest and most beautiful Haida (#228794) (1929-2024+), was a 218-foot steel-hulled motor yacht from the New York designers, Cox and Stevens, built by Friedrich Krupp in Kiel, Germany:

In 1929, Haida was delivered from Germany to Santa Barbara where she made her homeport for over a decade. In 1940 Fleischmann sold the yacht to the U.S. Navy. She sailed under the name U.S.S. Argus . Argus was decommissioned in 1946 and sold to Egyptian cotton magnate, Maurice Ada, who renamed her Sarina . In 1969, Sarina went into the hands of British Parliament member, Loel Guinness. After a decade she was sold to film producer, Robert Stigwood, in 1979. After only a few years, 1981 Sarina was sold yet again to new a Greek owner, and renamed Rosenkavalier , after the opera by Richard Strauss. In 1999 the yacht was purchased by her current owner and rechristened as Haida G . The ingeniously designed original brass water tight windows have all been refurnished, polished and brought back to perfect condition. Mahogany and white panelling throughout the yacht has been brush painted meticulously to preserve the classic feel and marble mosaics have been used in all guest cabins. In 2009 Haida celebrated her 80th birthday.

* Haida (# ) (1947-current)

In the News~

July 17, 1929 [SBMP]: “The Haida , Major Max Fleischmann’s new yacht, is now en route to Santa Barbara from Kiel, Germany, where it was constructed. The vessel had passed through the Panama Canal and was at Balboa yesterday. As the distance from that point to Santa Barbara is between 2500 and 3000 miles, and the vessel is making 13 knots an hour, it is expected in port in about 10 days. The vessel is about 214 feet over all and carries a crew of about 25 men. Jacob Hansen is the captain.”

June 29, 1931 [SBMP]: “Four persons saved their lives when they jumped off their disabled yacht, Typhoon , as it was pounded to pieces on a reef off Platt’s Harbor, Santa Cruz Island, by a tremendous sea early yesterday morning. Out of gasoline, the jib sail torn to shreds and a 60-pound anchor almost useless against the tremendous swells, the boat was carried more than a mile down the rugged coast. On the boat were Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Learned and J. E. Knowles and Miss Elizabeth Bakewell. They were rescued by members of the crew of Major Max C. Fleischmann’s Haida , after a 12-hour vigil from a cliff-bound stretch of beach. Nothing of the boat was saved.”

In 1940 , this Haida was purchased by the Navy and renamed U.S.S. Argus . She was decommissioned April 15, 1946 and returned to private ownership in Egypt where she was renamed Sarina . Her future included at least nine owners and various global ports in the Mediterranean, Monte Carlo, London, Scandinavia, Japan, Mustique, Singapore and Thailand. In 1978 she was purchased by film producer, Robert Stigwood, and in 1981 she changed hands again and became the Rosenkavalier . In 1988 she was purchased by a Japanese family, and by 1989 she was still operating with her original engines! In 1992 she returned to Greece and then Italy. Rosenkavalier was available for charter in 1999 for $23,000/day. She is described as “the greatest surviving classic motor vessel of the 1920s.”

September 1, 1947 [Life Magazine]: “The newest Fleischmann yacht. Last week Haida , the first big luxury yacht since the war, slipped smoothly out of the Panama Canal toward Santa Barbara on her maiden cruise. There she would pick up her owner, Yeast King Max Fleischmann, and take him fishing in Alaska. Designed by John H. Wells, the Haida had cost a million dollars and was an owner's dream. Everything that money could buy and Fleischmann and his designers could think of had gone into her construction to make her the most completely equipped yacht in the world. Two 1,000-hp diesels pushed her through the warm water. On her bridge radar hummed and loran flickered, while fathometers and radio direction finders constantly checked her automatic steering devices. In her hold she carried 18 tons of gas, oil and water—enough to drive her 6,000 miles without once touching port. Food lockers and freezing units held enough to feed her 10 officers and 7 crewmen for months of cruising. Owner Fleischmann, waiting to set foot on his 22nd yacht, could happily contemplate the fanciest device of all: an exhaust system which would blow the dirty diesel smoke three lengths astern, underwater.”

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Captain Daan de Witt explains why Haida 1929 is ‘the only yacht with a soul’

Gentleman’s journal hopped about the glamorous vintage vessel to find out what makes this yacht a living piece of history.

Words: Jonathan Wells

In association with:

Earlier this year, Gentleman’s Journal spent several heady, heritage-filled days aboard Haida 1929 . A new type of timeless, we found a vessel seemingly plucked from the roaring twenties and dropped into the oceans of today. She may have been built in 1929 — but, after a dutiful and beautiful restoration at the prestigious Pendennis shipyard, she’s both bang up to date and available for charter.

Captain Daan de Witt

During our voyage, we had the pleasure of speaking with Captain Daan de Witt, who let us in on some of the lesser-known facts and secrets that Haida’s been hiding for the best part of a century.

“Haida was launched in 1929,” de Witt tells us in our very own mini documentary above, “for a guy called Max Fleischmann — and he named her for Haida, the Indian tribe in Colombia.”

Other facts that surfaced during our tour of the boat were that these are not only some of the few engines still running from the 1920s, but also the same engines used by German U-Boats in the First World War.

“When she’s sailing,” adds the captain, “she’s very different to any modern vessel, as when she’s running the engines, the leave some vibrations on the boat. That’s why people say it’s the only boat with a soul.”

Looking for something with a little more adventure? Why not step aboard Planet Nine…

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HAIDA 1929 is a 71.1 m Motor Yacht, built in Germany by Krupp Germaniawerft and delivered in 1929.

Her top speed is 14.0 kn and she boasts a maximum range of 8000.0 nm when navigating at cruising speed, with power coming from two Krupp diesel engines. She can accommodate up to 12 guests in 6 staterooms, with 16 crew members. She has a gross tonnage of 693.0 GT and a 9.14 m beam.

She was designed by Cox & Stevens , who also completed the naval architecture. Cox & Stevens has designed 7 yachts and created the naval architecture for 7 yachts for yachts above 24 metres.

Her interior was designed by Richard Taylor and Paul Williams - she is built with a Teak deck, a Steel hull, and Steel superstructure.

HAIDA 1929 is in the top 5% by LOA in the world. She is one of 119 motor yachts in the 70-80m size range.

HAIDA 1929 is currently sailing under the Cayman Islands flag, the 2nd most popular flag state for superyachts with a total of 1460 yachts registered. She is known to be an active superyacht and has most recently been spotted cruising near Mexico. For more information regarding HAIDA 1929's movements, find out more about BOATPro AIS .

Specifications

• Name: HAIDA 1929
• Previous Names: HAIDA,ARGUS,SARINA,ROSENKAVALIER,HAIDA G,DONA AMELIA
• Yacht Type: Motor Yacht
• Yacht Subtype: Displacement , Classic Yacht
• Builder: Krupp Germaniawerft
• Naval Architect: Cox & Stevens
• Exterior Designer: Cox & Stevens
• Interior Designer: Paul Williams , Richard Taylor

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The classic yacht 'Haida 1929' in Palma

Haida 1929 at Club de Mar in Palma. | Gabriel Alomar

One of the most impressive of vintage yachts, Haida 1929 , is currently moored at the Club de Mar in Palma.

Designed by legendary naval architects Cox and Stevens and built by Krupp Germaniawerft, the yacht was originally delivered to Santa Barbara businessman Max C. Fleischmann in 1929.

The yacht was used by the US Coast Guard during World War II. The name was changed on various occasions, and in 1946, now called Sarina , the yacht was the property of an Egyptian tycoon.

Eventually, the yacht was sold in 2016 to an owner who wished to restore the former splendour and protect the original features. The yacht was renamed Haida 1929 as a homage to her heritage, and Pendennis in Falmouth undertook a complete restoration. Eighteen months of work led to Haida 1929 scooping the World Superyacht Award in 2019.

Seventy-one metres in length, the yacht evokes the atmosphere of a bygone time for up to twelve guests. Low-season charter is priced at 310,000 euros a week .

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A Century of Adventure Aboard Haida

By Lydia Rao

Over the last nine decades, Haida has changed owners a dozen times, with almost as many name changes. The first, Max Fleischmann, enjoyed Haida for 10 years, during which he traveled along the Pacific Coast of North America. He once wrote in a letter that “I have had the Haida somewhat over a year, and during that period made two extensive trips with her; one to Mexican and Gulf of California waters, a trip of approximately 4,000 nautical miles, and another one to Alaskan waters of approximately 2,500 miles. I have had the chance to try out the boat under every and all conditions, and I can state that the Haida is more satisfactory than any yacht I have ever owned.” 

His adventures were rather short lived, however, as he sold both Haida and his Lockheed plane to the military in 1940, anticipating the pressures of World War II. Haida was converted for naval service in Long Beach at Craig Shipbuilding. They removed the bowsprit and lavish interiors, and installed radar and a 3.5” gun to the foredeck. Her brightwork was hastily covered with a coat of battleship gray paint. On February 13, 1941, she was commissioned as USS Argus , bearing the hull number PY-14. Six days later she arrived in San Francisco and served as a patrol yacht for eight months before being decommissioned. Then she spent a brief eight months as a Coast and Geodetic Survey ship under the name Pioneer , until, with the war looming, she was returned to the Navy in March of 1942, and was recommissioned as Argus on April 18. 

Her service as a patrol yacht was mostly uneventful, with one happening of note. On October 25, 1944, a wartime support ship, the SS John A. Johnson left San Francisco with a hold full of provisions, trucks, and ammunition destined for Hawaii. Four days later, about halfway into the journey, the ship was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-12. The ship rapidly took on water, and within 10 minutes had started to split in two. Most of the men made it to the liferafts, but the Japanese submarine commander was not satisfied with just destroying the cargo ship.

As the sub surfaced, it first shelled both halves of the ship, lighting them ablaze. Then the sub turned to ram the lifeboats, firing on the survivors with deck guns. Men jumped into the ocean to escape the onslaught, and 10 lost their lives. Without time to send a proper distress signal, the remaining 60 men found themselves afloat in the Pacific Ocean, over a thousand miles from land in either direction. It was by sheer luck that the pilots of a Pan American Airlines plane flying overhead saw the flames below and radioed to San Francisco. Argus was notified and located the surviving crew members the following day, before safely delivering them to San Francisco four days later. 

After the war, Argus was decommissioned on April 15, 1946 and purchased by Maurice Ada, an Egyptian cotton tycoon. At the same time, Max Fleischmann had purchased another Haida (believed to be his last). This 167-foot diesel cruiser was built by Bath Iron Works and delivered in 1947, and is still around today as Ashtoreth . Meanwhile, Maurice Ada had renamed Argus to Sarina , painted her white, and changed her home port to Alexandria, Egypt. Due to political disturbances, the ship was later moved to the French Riviera for a serious restoration effort. 

In 1968, Sarina briefly returned to American ownership when car businessman Larry Green owned her for a year, before selling to Loel Guinness in 1969. Guinness spent his summers cruising the Mediterranean Sea, and winters were spent making much needed maintenance and upgrades in an Italian dry dock. The British parliamentarian also funded the construction of Jacques Cousteau’s oceanographic ship Calypso . A decade later, Robert Stigwood purchased Sarina and made significant changes to the interior, decorating in the English country house style. He also added a second, fake smokestack as a way to mask the newly installed satellite communication dish. During his two years of ownership, Stigwood cruised the world, inviting along many world-renowned musicians and Hollywood stars. Several years after he sold Sarina, he purchased and restored her sister ship, still afloat today, Talitha G . 

In 1981, Stanley Seeger purchased Sarina , and the eclectic art collector renamed the motor yacht Rosenkavalier . Seeger removed the fake smokestack and had the interiors redesigned in the art deco style. A very private man, he ended up living on his yacht for some time after selling his famous house in England. Seeger didn’t do much cruising, but certainly kept up on much-needed maintenance. This was also the first time she was offered for private charter, albeit very quietly. 

In 1988, the Japanese Isaka brothers purchased Rosenkavalier , having seen immense financial success during the Japanese tech boom. The ship made a  9,000 mile trip from Monaco to Yokosuka, Japan. Unfortunately, her new home port was poorly equipped for a yacht of her size, and the humidity and frequent monsoons started to take their toll on the 50-year old ship. As a charter vessel, she was required to ascribe to the British Marine & Coastguard Agency’s safety standards according to classification, even though she hadn’t been built to a class. After only a few years of ownership, the owners, sensing a downturn in the market, decided to sell the yacht at a strategic loss for financial reasons. In the meantime, she was moved to yards in Singapore and Thailand, where it was affordable to retrofit the ship to the required charter standards. 

In 1992, British Cypriot Andrea Liveras, who had always admired the yacht, acquired Rosenkavalier for an unbelievable price. Like Mr. Fleischmann, Liveras was an avid yachtsman and a pilot. Unlike Mr. Fleischmann, Liveras claimed to be a self-made millionaire. Coming from humble beginnings as a truck driver for a bakery, he went on to turn the company into one of the largest frozen cake manufacturers in Europe. A longtime admirer of the yacht, he was so invested he didn’t even have a survey made, because he was so committed to whatever restoration was necessary.  Rosenkavalier made the journey from Thailand to Greece in 25 days, and Liveras described the journey “as though [he] was in heaven.” After restoration efforts in 1995 and 1998, he chartered the ship out to royalty and celebrities. 

At the turn of the century she passed on to a Swiss-based businessman, who pledged to have Haida brought back to her original glory, even naming her Haida G . In Marseilles, France, Sud Motors was contracted to take apart the engines and refurbish all parts to their original “zero hour” condition, with many mechanical parts manufactured from scratch. The Krupp engines don’t have hour meters, but instead revolution counters, which roll back over to zero after a million hours. Turquoise Yachts was responsible for the rest of the updates, which included replacing all the generators, wiring, and piping. Modern conveniences like televisions were added in hidden locations to keep the classic appeal. 

Significant structural repairs were made as previous repairs began to deteriorate, with more than 100 tons of steel hull plating replaced. She was retrofitted with modern safety and technical standards without altering her timeless clipper ship silhouette. After refurbishment, all engine parts were rechromed and the original air start system was updated to include air tanks that provided up to 25 engine starts. With a new cream coloration, she splashed back down in 2005 as Haida G at the 15th Annual Monaco Yacht Show, and returned to charter soon after. In 2008, she had her first film debut in Mamma Mia! , serving as the backdrop for Meryl Streep’s rendition of the ABBA hit, “Money Money Money.”

It is unknown when she passed to the next owner, but in 2007 she underwent another refit by Amico & Co. in Italy. This included a significant overhaul, upgrades to satellite and navigation systems, generators, furnishings and of course, loving attention to her 1929 Krupp engines. In 2011, she was rechristened Dona Amélia , and was restored in Falmouth, England by Pendennis Plus, the largest refit in the company’s history. After several years of inactivity in England on the River Fal, she was listed in 2015, awaiting a new owner, who hopefully remains dedicated to keeping her afloat. 

Check back next month to learn more about recent work done to keep Haida in her original condition, and where she is today, almost 95 years after she first arrived in Santa Barbara. 

Questions, corrections, or suggestions for the next Curator’s Log? Write to SBMM Collections Manager Lydia Rao at [email protected].

Some sources below for those inclined to read more:

“Argus II (PY-14).” Naval History and Heritage Command. Jun. 18, 2015. 

Byrne, Diane. “Happy Birthday, Haida G.” Nov. 6, 2009. 

“Daily Event for October 30, 2013.” Maritime Quest. Oct. 30, 2013. 

Fahey, James. The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, Fahey’s Second War Edition . 1944. 

“Haida G.” Turquoise Yachts . 2022

“Haida Yacht.” SuperYacht Times. 2024. 

Maclean, Malcolm. “Classic Superyacht Dona Amelia for Sale.” Boat International. Apr. 9 2015. 

Pelly, David. “Haida G.” Boat International. Jul. 2005. 

“Special Report: Haida G Celebrates her 80th Year.” SuperYacht Times. 2009.

Sunk By Submarine, 1944.” EyeWitness to History. 1999.

Wheeler, Sessions. Gentleman in the Outdoors. 1985. 

Wisden, John. “Haida G – Class and Distinction.” Yachting Matters, iss. 10, 2006, pp. 36-59. 

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Historical Summary:

Haida , is the name used for several yachts owned by American yeast millionaire, Major Max C. Fleischmann (Fleischmann Yeast), benefactor of the construction of the Santa Barbara breakwater. The Major owned 22 different yachts during his lifetime, naming most of them  Haida  after the Haida Indians whose sailing skills he admired.

The ship was constructed to be exceptionally strong in order to serve for long scientific, fishing, and pleasure cruises in the Pacific waters off the Californian coast.

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Non-Registered Vessel

Flag:  Cayman Is

Wartime Use:

Sold to US Navy in WWII, commissioned as USS Argus

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