USS ''Oneida'' (SP-432) was the proposed name and designation of an American
steam yacht
A steam yacht is a class of luxury or commercial yacht with primary or secondary steam propulsion in addition to the sails usually carried by yachts.
Origin of the name
The English steamboat entrepreneur George Dodd (1783–1827) used the term ...
considered for use as a section patrol craft during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In July 1917 the seagoing yacht was ordered taken by the U.S. Navy for service in international waters, but the yacht was never acquired and instead remained in private hands.
It was the second of two yachts named ''Oneida'' by owner
Elias Cornelius Benedict
Elias Cornelius Benedict (January 24, 1834 – November 22, 1920) was a prominent New York City banker and yachtsman. He specialized in the gas and rubber industries. He was president of the Commercial Acetylene Gas Company and of the Marine Engi ...
, a prominent New York City banker and one of the world's leading yachtsmen. In 1922, after Benedict's death, the ''Oneida'' was purchased by publisher
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
. In November 1924 the yacht was associated with the mysterious death of American film producer
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor.
Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mot ...
, a scandal that became part of early Hollywood lore.
The ''Oneida'' was sold by Hearst sometime after 1927. In 1932 the yacht was in use as a ferry vessel on
Lake Champlain
, native_name_lang =
, image = Champlainmap.svg
, caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed
, image_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada
, coords =
, type =
, ...
, based at
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...
. In 1940, the rusty hull of the ''Oneida'' was purchased as scrap by Canada, for conversion into munitions for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Design and construction
Designed by Albert S. Cheseborough, the ''Oneida'' was a 552 gross ton steam yacht built in 1897 by the
Harlan and Hollingsworth Company of
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
. The yacht measured 200 feet overall, with a breadth of 24 feet and a draught of 11.5 feet.
[Summers, Capt. James C., "Com. E. C. Benedict, Veteran Yachtsman; In His Two Oneidas He Has Cruised More Than 450,000 Miles". ''The Rudder'']
Volume 32, No. 6, June 1916
pp. 261–266
Ownership
The yacht was originally owned by George William Childs Drexel (1868–1944), son of
Anthony Joseph Drexel
Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. (September 13, 1826 – June 30, 1893) was an American banker who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. As the dominant partner of Drexel & Co. of Philadelphia, he founde ...
, and named the ''Alcedo''. It was sold to
John Hays Hammond
John Hays Hammond (March 31, 1855 – June 8, 1936) was an American mining engineer, diplomat, and philanthropist. He amassed a sizable fortune before the age of 40. An early advocate of deep mining, Hammond was given complete charge of Ce ...
, who renamed it the ''Atreus'',
in 1912. In March 1913 Hammond sold the yacht to
Commodore E. C. Benedict for a reported $100,000.
["Benedict Buys Yacht". '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', March 23, 1913
"Benedict has decided to re-christen the yacht ''Oneida'', which is the name of a smaller yacht which he also possesses," reported ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. "He will rename the latter."
The old ''Oneida'' was renamed ''
Adelante'' and converted into a tow vessel, and the new ''Oneida'' became a fixture in the yachting centers of the East Coast.
On April 24, 1913, Benedict set out on his fourth South American trip in his new ''Oneida'',
to see the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
before it was opened and to sail through the new waterway.
An avid yachtsman and fisherman, Benedict took many extended ocean trips in the company of many friends and distinguished guests.
In July 1917 the ''Oneida'' was ordered taken by the U.S. Navy for service during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and the yacht was given the identification number SP-432. In September 1917 the orders were cancelled, and the ''Oneida'' continued to remain in Benedict's possession. Within the year the yacht was equipped with oil-burning boilers that increased her cruising radius to 4,000 miles.
["Yacht Oneida Sold". ''The Rudder'']
Volume 38
No. 9, page 50 The yacht was reconstructed and overhauled in 1920, when its length was increased and state-of-the art equipment and luxurious fittings were installed.
In August 1922 the ''Oneida'' was purchased from Benedict's estate by publisher
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
, owner of the
International Film Service
International Film Service (IFS) was an American animation studio created to exploit the popularity of the comic strips controlled by William Randolph Hearst.
History
In 1914, William Randolph Hearst expanded his International News Service wire ...
Company of New York, for use by the film studio. Extensive improvements were made under the direction of
Cox and Stevens, and the yacht cruised to the Pacific Coast that winter.
On November 19, 1924, American film pioneer
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor.
Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mot ...
died under suspicious circumstances after being a weekend guest on Hearst's yacht. The mystery surrounding his death became an enduring scandal in Hollywood lore.
The ''Oneida'' was still in Hearst's hands in 1927, but by 1932 the yacht was in use as a ferry vessel on
Lake Champlain
, native_name_lang =
, image = Champlainmap.svg
, caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed
, image_bathymetry =
, caption_bathymetry =
, location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada
, coords =
, type =
, ...
. The author of a "Talk of the Town" feature in the October 15, 1932, issue of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine recognized the ''Oneida'' after driving aboard for the crossing from
Port Douglas
Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the in ...
to
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...
, and disclosed the yacht's fate:
The ferry company, it came out, had got her at a bargain, taken her through the St. Lawrence and the Richelieu Canal, remodelled her, and put her to work. Passengers who do not themselves recognize the ''Oneida'' as the former Hearst yacht are likely to be advised of this chapter of her history anyhow, for over a stairway leading downward from the main deck is a sign: "MUSEUM Admission 10c." Our traveller paid a dime and descended to the museum, which he found to be the Hearst living quarters, faithfully preserved in their elegance: two of the rooms, usually occupied by Mr. Hearst and his secretary in the old days, fitted with mahogany furnishings, dark-red damask hangings, and notably soft and deep bedding accessories; and the third room, Mrs. Hearst's, in ivory and gilt with a bath which even now has gold-plated fittings. The curator of the museum is a young lady who chats interestingly about the Hearsts, dealing in both fact and surmise, and sells souvenir postals of the interior for ten cents each.
On August 21, 1940, the rusty iron hull of the ''Oneida'' was sold as scrap to Canada, and used to make munitions for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Popular culture
In the 2001 film ''
The Cat's Meow
''The Cat's Meow'' is a 2001 historical drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley, and Jennifer Tilly. The screenplay by Steven Peros is based on his 1997 play ...
'', a period drama about the Ince scandal directed by
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian.
One of the "New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on R ...
, the ''Oneida'' is represented by a 1931 yacht called the ''Marala''. Originally named ''Evadne'', the property of
Charles Fairey
Sir Charles Richard Fairey MBE FRAeS (5 May 1887 – 30 September 1956), also known as Richard Fairey, was an English aircraft manufacturer.
Early life
Charles Fairey was born on 5 May 1887 in Hendon, Middlesex and educated at the Merchant ...
, of
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire. Notable for the design of a number of important military a ...
, it served as an anti-submarine patrol vessel during World War II as
HMS ''Evadne''.
[Byrne, Diane]
"The World's 100 Largest Yachts – 2003".
''Power & Motoryacht'', July 2003
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneida (SP-432)
Patrol vessels of the United States Navy
World War I patrol vessels of the United States
1897 ships
Ships built by Harlan and Hollingsworth
Individual yachts
Steam yachts
Hearst family