''Lotus'' is a motor yacht, launched in 1909 in Seattle, Washington. ''Lotus'' was employed as a pleasure vessel on

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

, and in the waters of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and southeastern

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. ''Lotus'' was of a unique design and is now on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Design and construction

''Lotus'' was built in 1908-1909 at

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

for Maurice McMicken (1860-1940), a lawyer and businessman. The vessel was launched in May 1909, and was at that time the largest privately owned motor yacht on the west coast of the United States. The yacht was designed by naval architects Lee and Brinton, and constructed by Joseph A. Sloane. The yacht had accommodations for a party of 10 as well as a crew of four. The yacht carried enough fuel to have a range of .National Register of Historic Places, Inventory – Nomination Form, “Motor vessel 'Lotus'” (March 31, 1987), at page 234.
(accessed 06-16-11). As originally built, the vessel was long, beam, and in depth of hold. Overall size was 133 gross and 88 registered tons. Only two crew were required according to the 1911 merchant vessel registry. As of 1911, the vessel was powered with a "Globe" gas-distillate (early diesel) engine that generated 80 indicated

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

. The vessel's U.S. Registry number was US registry # 206231 and the signal letters were L.B.C.MU.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Statistics, ''Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States'' (for year ending June 30, 1911)
(accessed 06-16-11).

Career

McMicken owned ''Lotus'' until his death in 1940. He used the yacht to cruise the waters of Washington, British Columbia, and southeast Alaska. Shortage of fuel forced the yacht to be tied up throughout the Second World War. McMicken's heirs sold the yacht in 1947. The yacht was sold again in 1951 to a family which moored the yacht in

Lake Union Lake Union is a freshwater lake located entirely within the city limits of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a major part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which carries fresh water from the much larger Lake Washington on the east to ...

and lived on it as a full-time residence. In 1961 the yacht was sold again, to Maj. (later Col.) Curtis Gruye, an Air Force officer, and a jet pilot.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 663. Gruye restored the yacht and operated it as a floating hotel for a number of years. In 1977, Gruye sold the yacht to Gordon R. Newell, an author and maritime historian. Newell moved the yacht to a marina in Olympia, where the yacht remained. In 1981, Gruye bought the yacht back from Newell, and began an extensive restoration program, which by 1982 was able to return the yacht to an operable condition.

Current status

''Lotus'' was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It is now maintained by the Motor Vessel Lotus Foundation, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, and is moored in the Historic Ships Wharf at the

Center for Wooden Boats The Center for Wooden Boats (CWB) is a museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest area of the United States. CWB was founded by Dick Wagner in Seattle in the 1970s and has grown to include three si ...

in Seattle, Washington.

Notes

References

National Register of Historic Places, Inventory – Nomination Form, “Motor vessel 'Lotus'” (March 31, 1987)
(accessed 06-16-11) * Newell, Gordon R., ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', Superior Publishing Co., Seattle, WA (1966)
U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Statistics, ''Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States'' (for year ending June 30, 1911)
(accessed 06-16-11).

External links

{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919) 1909 ships Motor vessels of Washington (state) Ships built in Seattle History of Thurston County, Washington Motor yachts Houseboats National Register of Historic Places in Thurston County, Washington Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state)