(FY 009) was a converted

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, commissioned as a warship by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. She survives today as the yacht ''Marala''.

Yacht ''Evadne''

The ''Evadne'' was a large twin-screw motor yacht, built in 1931 by

Camper and Nicholsons Camper and Nicholson was a yacht design and manufacturing company based in Gosport, England, for over two hundred years, constructing many significant vessels, such as Gipsy Moth IV and Prince Philip's yacht Bloodhound. Its customers included Th ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, England as Yard Number 388. She was originally building for the automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer

Montague Napier Montague Stanley Napier (14 April 1870 – 22 January 1931) was an English automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer. His grandfather, David Napier (1785–1873), had moved to London from Scotland and by 1836 had established an engineering comp ...

, but he died in January 1931, before she had been named. She was launched in February 1931. Still known as ''388'', she ran trials in June and was subsequently registered at Southampton with that name, and official number 161735. In December 1931 the yacht was sold for £50,000 to

Richard Fairey Sir Charles Richard Fairey Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, FRAeS (5 May 1887 – 30 September 1956), also known as Richard Fairey, was an English aircraft manufacturer. Ea ...

, 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 ...

and later renamed ''Evadne''. He lent ''Evadne'' to Amelia Earhart in 1932 after weather conditions forced her to end her Transatlantic Solo Flight in Ireland rather than Paris, so she could meet her fans at Cherbourg.

Naval service

Hired by the Admiralty in September 1939, she was refitted in England as an anti-submarine vessel and commissioned as HMS ''Evadne''.

Irish Sea

Based in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

initially, she carried out patrols and other duties in the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

. In 1940 she was fitted out as an anti-submarine vessel at the Grayson Rollo shipyard. Subsequently she was employed on examination service duties at Holyhead and escorting convoys in the Irish Sea, from bases at Holyhead, Milford Haven and Liverpool.

Bermuda

In July 1942 ''Evadne'' joined the escort group to escort a convoy across the Atlantic before breaking away to the

Imperial fortress Imperial fortress was the designation given in the British Empire to four colonies that were located in strategic positions from each of which Royal Navy squadrons could control the surrounding regions and, between them, much of the planet. His ...

colony of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

, where she was employed on anti-submarine duties at the Royal Naval Dockyard''Yankee R.N.'', by Commander Alex H. Cherry, OBE, RNVR. Jarrold's Publishers (London) Ltd, Portland Street, London W1 (Evadne operated outside of Bermuda's barrier reef, leaving the enclosed waters to HMS Castle Harbour, then HMS Sumar).

Gibraltar

''Evadne'' remained in Bermuda until being reallocated to the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, arriving on 12 March 1944 in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, where she was based until hostilities ended. On 19 February 1945, she badly damaged German U-boat ''U-300'' with

depth charges A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...

in the Strait of Gibraltar, in position . The U-boat was subsequently sunk on 22 February in the North Atlantic west of Cadiz, in position , by gunfire from the British minesweepers and . Nine of the 50 crew were lost. Marala (7248212232)

''Evadne'' arrived back in Portsmouth on 6 September 1945 and was paid off the following month.

Return to yachting

Following the war, ''Evadne'' returned to civil life as a yacht. By September 1950 she had been sold to a private British company (Zapla Ltd), renamed ''Zapala'' for the use of the American businessman R. J. Reynolds Jr., of the eponymous

tobacco company The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies who are engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any ...

, initially for a world cruise. Reynolds owned

Sapelo Island Sapelo Island is a state-protected barrier island located in McIntosh County, Georgia. The island is accessible only by aircraft or boat; the primary ferry comes from the Sapelo Island Visitors Center in McIntosh County, Georgia, a seven-mil ...

on the Atlantic coast of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, known by Spanish colonists as Zapala. In 1952 she was bought by Arturo López Willshaw who renamed her ''Gaviota IV''. He had her lavishly redecorated by

Georges Geffroy Georges Geffroy (1903–1971) was a post-war French interior designer. Biography "An eighteenth-century gentleman, a figure from another era, one of a breed of decorators that is extinct today,” remembers couturier Hubert de Givenchy; Geffroy wa ...

. Arturo entertained many famous guests on board, including Salvador Dali. Many of the Geffroy items were sold at auction by

Sothebys Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

. Following the death of André François-Poncet in 1962 she was bought by Robert Zellinger de Balkany, a French retail property magnate, who renamed her ''Marala'', a portmanteau of the names of his first two daughters, Alexandra and Maria. He owned her until his death in 2015. During this period notable users included Frank Sinatra, who hired her for the month of June 1970, and hosted

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

and

Princess Alexandra of Kent Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...

, among others. The yacht operates today in the Mediterranean, under the name MY ''Marala'', still with her original engines.

On film

The ''Evadne'' (now ''Marala'') was the setting of the 2001 film '' The Cat's Meow'', in which she represented

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 ...

's yacht, the ''Oneida''.

References

World War II naval ships of the United Kingdom History of the Royal Navy History of Bermuda Military of Bermuda Individual yachts Military units and formations in Bermuda in World War II Gibraltar in World War II 1931 ships

External links

* {{cite web , title=The History of Yacht Marala , url=https://yachtmarala.com/history/ , publisher=Yacht Marala , access-date=5 February 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220205025618/https://yachtmarala.com/history/ , archive-date=5 February 2022