The ''Medea'' is a 1904
steam yacht preserved in the
Maritime Museum of San Diego
The Maritime Museum of San Diego, established in 1948, preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on the San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is the '' Star of India'', an 1 ...
, United States. Named after
Medea, the wife of
Jason, she was built in a record 51 days on the
Clyde at
Alexander Stephen and Sons shipyard at
Linthouse
Linthouse is a neighbourhood in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated directly south of the River Clyde and lies immediately west of Govan, with other adjacent areas including Shieldhall and the Southern General Hospital to the west, a ...
by John Stephen for William Macalister Hall of Torrisdale Castle,
Scotland.
During
World War I, the
French Navy purchased ''Medea'' and armed her with a 75mm cannon for use in convoy escort duty. (Her name under the French flag was ''Corneille''.) Between the wars, she was owned by members of
Parliament. During
World War II, the
Royal Navy put her to work anchoring
barrage balloon
A barrage balloon is a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe collision risk to aircraft, making the attacker's approach more difficult. Early barra ...
s at the mouth of the
River Thames.
After World War II, ''Medea'' passed among Norwegian, British, and Swedish owners before being purchased by Paul Whittier in 1971. Whittier restored the yacht to its original condition and donated her to the Maritime Museum of San Diego in 1973.
''Medea'' was featured in the "
Steam Ship Cleaner" episode of the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
series ''
Dirty Jobs'', when
Mike Rowe cleaned the inside of the boilers of the yacht.
Current Status
According to the Maritime Museum of San Diego, “''Medea'' still cruises the Bay on special excursion cruises for invited guests.” She is not permitted to carrying passengers, but is available dockside for visitors.
References
External links
*
''Medea'' at the Maritime Museum of San Diego
{{coord, 32.721057, N, 117.174263, W, type:landmark_region:US-CA, display=title
1904 ships
Ships built on the River Clyde
Maritime Museum of San Diego
Museum ships in San Diego
Steam yachts